Honors Constitutional Law Units
Listed below are the units for the Honors Constitional Law Course. You are expected to use the website as a resource for preparing for class, and completing your assignments. This site will grow as the course moves forward and we choose new topics to explore as a group.
General Course Essential Questions
o Where did the ideas for the Constitution come from? What makes a constitution different from other kinds of laws?
o What are the main approaches to interpreting the Constitution? What happens when the issue is about something the Founders could never have imagined, such as the Internet? What do people mean when they talk about “activist judges”?
o How does a case get to the Supreme Court?
o What is the role of the Supreme Court in our constitutional government?
o What is the history of balancing state and federal power?
o Who is on the Supreme Court today? Who are some important Justices of the past?
o What are some of the big constitutional questions being addressed by the courts right now?
o Why do we have a Bill of Rights? What protections does it give?
o What is a “fundamental right”? If something is a fundamental right, does that mean that you have a 100%
guarantee that your rights will be protected?
o How free is “free speech”? Is there anything that the government can keep us from saying?
o How far does “freedom of the press” really go? What about WikiLeaks and Edward Snowden?
o What does “separation of church and state” mean? How does that play out in schools and other government settings?
o What does “equal protection” really mean? Is discrimination automatically unconstitutional? How have people used the Constitution to fight discrimination?
o How easy is it to amend the Constitution? Should it be harder (or easier) to amend?