S Course Finder • Penn Carey Law

Course Details

ML: American Constitutional Law (Hamilton/Ruger)

Spring 2025   LAW 505-301  

« Back to Search Results

Faculty
Theodore Ruger

Dean Emeritus and John H. Chestnut Professor of Law

truger@law.upenn.edu
Marci Hamilton

hamilton.marci@gmail.com
Additional Information
Satisfies Senior Writing Requirement

No

Location

Class meets in person.

Meeting Times/Location
T 5:30PM - 8:15PM
Gittis Hall 2

Category
Masters in Law

Credits
3.0

This course is an introduction to American constitutional law and will cover fundamental constitutional doctrine and contemporary, controversial disputes in constitutional law. Among the subjects to be covered are the origins of the American Constitution, the foundations and scope of judicial review, basic civil liberties under the federal Constitution such as the freedoms of speech and religion, equal protection and due process, and foundational issues of separation of powers, executive and legislative power, and state sovereignty. Among the contemporary conflicts to be discussed will be the scope of the special counsel’s powers to investigate Presidents, the scope of Presidential immunity, and a President’s power to reshape the Supreme Court. Weekly readings will include major Supreme Court cases from Griffin & Hamilton, Learning Constitutional Law, and selected articles and other materials. If important, major constitutional issues develop during the semester, we will bring them into the discussion.

Course Concentrations

Constitutional Law Learning outcomes: Demonstrate a core understanding of constitutional law; Perform legal analysis in the context of constitutional law; Communicate effectively on topics related to constitutional law; Demonstrate an understanding of constitutional law affects other areas of law.


Textbooks

"Learning Constitutional Law " by Leslie C Griffin, Marci Hamilton
Edition: 1st (2023)
Publisher: Cognella Academic Publ'
ISBN: 9781793554734
Required