POLS 346 Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

An advanced course in constitutional law and theory with a specific focus on civil rights and civil liberties. Course topics may include, civil rights under the Fourteenth Amendment, and civil liberties including privacy, marriage, speech, reproductive autonomy, voting or freedom of expression. The goal of the course is to critically engage students in understanding how the Supreme Court has deemed certain rights and liberties as fundamental to society. The course approaches Supreme Court decisions as reflective of a larger social narrative of rights and justice.Throughout the course students will consider the role of the law in creating political boundaries within society.