This course will focus on the rights secured by the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution, taking a more historical approach. The class will start in the year 1215, with Magna Charta, and explore historical notions of “due process of law,” “protection of the laws,” and “privileges and immunities” of citizenship, relying on early political history, antebellum legal doctrines, and even some political philosophy. The course will then address the problems confronting the framers of the Fourteenth Amendment: whether free blacks were “citizens of the United States” within the meaning of the Constitution; the problem of mob rule; and the abridgement of rights in the infamous black codes. The remainder (and bulk) of the course will then explore how the Supreme Court has interpreted the three key provisions of the Fourteenth Amendment—the due process, equal protection, and privileges or immunities clauses—from 1873 to the present day.

Additional Information:
Credit Hours: 3
Grading Option: Letter Grade Only
Graduation Writing Requirement: No
Flexible/Upper-Level Writing Requirement: No
Skills Requirement: No
Simulation Course: No
Experiential Learning: No
Seminar: No
Special Withdrawal Course: No
Final Exam Given: Yes
Final Exam Type: In-Class - Completely Secure
Attendance Policy: Per Statement Of Student Policies
Teaching Method: In Person

* The law school has a policy that is used to calculate credit hours. Please see the Statement of Student Policies.