PLEASE NOTE: Effective January 12, 2022 this course is being moved to online delivery in compliance with UC Davis COVID protocols.
The United States Constitution lies at the heart of the American legal and political system. We will look to the text of the Constitution to identify and describe the institutions of power that lie at its foundation—including Congress, the Presidency, the Supreme Court and the process of constitutional development and change. We will explore the visions of the American founders about each institution and especially about how it was designed to operate in practice. We will then fast- forward to our own times to inquire just how well each one has stood the test of time.
Suggested Reading: The Words That Made Us by Akhil Reed Amar, Basic Books