This course examines the foundations and development of the American constitutional system, with the focus placed on the U.S. Supreme Court’s role in formulating and defining judicial review, separation of powers, federalism, and basic limitations on governmental power to protect individual rights.

This seminar examines the judicial role in protecting civil rights and liberties under the Constitution, with principal attention to the Supreme Court’s interpretation of due process of law, the right of privacy, First Amendment freedoms, and equal protection of the laws.

Analysis of central themes in American political thought in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, with special attention to the foundational principles of American constitutionalism and the controversy over slavery.

This course examines the origins and development of civil liberties and civil rights in the United States from a human rights perspective. Topics range from income inequality and the right to education to race discrimination and civil liberties in the war on terror. A major theme of this course concerns the tension between American ideals and actual practices.

This course is designed to introduce students to the major themes, problems, and controversies surrounding American government. Topics include the presidency, Congress, the judiciary, federalism, the bureaucracy, interest groups, political parties, the electoral process, voting rights, civil rights and liberties, and mass media.

This course explores fundamental questions about law and justice by examining a wide range of literary texts, from ancient Greek epic poems and Icelandic sagas to contemporary American fiction. Major themes include revenge, culpability, social order, as well as the legitimacy of legal institutions.

Sociolegal examination of race and the American criminal justice system. Topics include police use of force, racial profiling, prosecutorial discretion, race discrimination in jury selection, jury nullification, hate crimes, racial disparities in capital punishment, and the war on drugs.

Co-taught with two district attorneys, this course examines the litigation process in the American legal system. A major part of the course consists of in-class exercises designed to develop students’ trial advocacy skills.

This course critically examines the role that the Supreme Court plays in highly divisive issues such as abortion, healthcare policy, school desegregation, affirmative action, and the death penalty. Some attention will be given to the politics of Supreme Court appointments.

This course examines the development of public policy through the law on a range of issues. Students will consider the interplay of various institutions (legislatures, courts, the executive, administrative agencies, and interest groups) in the policymaking process. Policy areas covered include reproductive freedom and marriage, economic regulation, healthcare, national security, civil rights, and education.