Chemerinsky on Constitutional Law - The Structure of Government

About this course: This course will highlight the construction and interpretation of the U.S. Constitution through the centuries. You'll learn the history behind the Constitution, cases that formed important precedent, and how changes in interpretation have been dependent on shifts in cultural and political climate as well as the composition of the Supreme Court. We'll start with an overview of the Constitution where we'll consider questions such as "Why the Constitution?" and "What function does the Constitution serve?" Next we'll examine how the Constitution and its subsequent interpretation established the powers of the federal, legislative, and judicial branches of government and allocated powers to the states. Join me as we look at the questions both raised and answered by the Constitution and those that interpret it! By the end of this course, you should be able to: - Describe how the structure of the United States government has been shaped by both the text of the Constitution and by subsequent interpretation and practice of political actors in all branches of government - Illustrate compromises found in the Constitution by citing examples and historic background - Articulate the importance of key cases such as Marbury v. Madison, McCullough v. Maryland, and Lochner v. New York - Explain how the outcome of cases is often dependent upon the current cultural and political climate as well as the composition of the court by citing particular cases and important shifts in the court's jurisprudence - Assess the relative suitability of various approaches to constitutional interpretation and analysis

Who is this class for: This course provides a general overview of all of Constitutional Law and is intended for a general audience. No prior knowledge or experience with Constitutional Law is required. It would be of interest to current or prospective law students, practicing lawyers, or anyone who is interested in the ways that the Constitution and its interpretation have shaped the governing of the United States.

Created by:  University of California, Irvine

• Taught by:  Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean and Distinguished Professor of Law, and Raymond Pryke Professor of First Amendment Law

  School of Law

Level Beginner Language English How To Pass Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. User Ratings 4.7 stars Average User Rating 4.7See what learners said Travail en cours

Chaque cours fonctionne comme un manuel interactif en proposant des vidéos préenregistrées, des quiz et des projets.

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Syllabus


WEEK 1


Welcome - Let's Get Started



2 videos, 3 readings expand

1. Video: Series Introduction
2. Video: Course Introduction
3. Lecture: Welcome Message
4. Lecture: Course Overview
5. Lecture: The Constitution of the United States of America

Lecture 1 - Why the Constitution?



In this module, we'll examine two facets of the critical question, "Why the Constitution?" First we'll answer the question, "what functions does the Constitution perform?" We'll then consider the question, "why achieve these functions in the form of a written Constitution?"


5 videos, 1 reading expand

1. Video: From the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution
2. Video: Creating a Federal Government
3. Video: Allocating Power
4. Video: The Bill of Rights
5. Video: Why a Written Constitution?
6. Lecture: Recommended Readings

Graded: Quiz 1: Why the Constitution?
Graded: Why the Constitution?

WEEK 2


Lecture 2 - The Federal Judicial Power
What is the authority of judicial review? Why is it important? If the federal judiciary can declare a statute or action unconstitutional, what checks are there on this power? These are several of the questions we will endeavor to answer in this module.


7 videos, 1 reading expand

1. Video: The Authority of Judicial Review
2. Video: Marbury v. Madison - Part 1
3. Video: Marbury v. Madison - Part 2
4. Video: Constitutional Limits on the Judiciary - Part 1
5. Video: Constitutional Limits on the Judiciary - Part 2
6. Video: Interpretive Limits on the Judiciary
7. Video: Statutory and Political Limits on the Judiciary
8. Lecture: Recommended Readings

Graded: Quiz 2: The Federal Judicial Power
Graded: Mini-assignment: Federal Judicial Power

WEEK 3


Lecture 3 - The Federal Legislative Power
In this module we will consider three major questions: 1.How did McCullough vs. Maryland shape the power of the legislature? 2. What are the major powers of the Congress under the Constitution? 3. To what extent do states limit the power of the Congress?


8 videos, 1 reading expand

1. Video: McCullough v. Maryland
2. Video: The Commerce Clause - Part 1
3. Video: The Commerce Clause - Part 2
4. Video: The Commerce Clause - Part 3
5. Video: The Tax and Spend Power of Congress
6. Video: The Post Civil War Amendments - Part 1
7. Video: The Post Civil War Amendments - Part 2
8. Video: State Limits on Federal Legislative Power
9. Lecture: Recommended Reading

Graded: Quiz 3: The Federal Legislative Power

WEEK 4


Lecture 4 - The Federal Executive Power



The central questions in this module are: 1. When can a president act without express Constitutional or Congressional authority? 2. What are the Constitutional problems posed by the federal administrative agencies? 3. What is the authority of the President with regard to foreign policy?


5 videos, 1 reading expand

1. Video: When Can a President Act? - Part 1
2. Video: When Can a President Act? - Part 2
3. Video: Administrative Agencies
4. Video: Foreign Policy - Part 1
5. Video: Foreign Policy - Part 2
6. Lecture: Recommended Readings

Graded: Quiz 4: The Federal Executive Power

WEEK 5


Lecture 5 - Federalism
The goal of this module is to consider two important ways that the power of states are kept in check by the federal government: preemption and the dormant commerce clause.


2 videos, 1 reading expand

1. Video: Federal Preemption
2. Video: The Dormant Commerce Clause
3. Lecture: Recommended Reading

Graded: Quiz 5: Federalism
Graded: Case Retrospective

Conclusion
As the course draws to a final close, we would like to thank you for your participation.


2 readings expand

1. Lecture: Thank you!
2. Lecture: Post-Course Survey