Back to Chemerinsky on Constitutional Law - The Structure of Government
Learner Reviews & Feedback for Chemerinsky on Constitutional Law - The Structure of Government by University of California, Irvine
88 ratings
About the 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
Top reviews
SF
Apr 9, 2020
Chermerinsky's classes were the best that I have taken. Very interactive and the fellow students really participated which made the class worth attending.
BP
Sep 19, 2018
See my notes from part 2 of this course. Excellent course from a very experienced attorney and professor.
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26 - 27 of 27 Reviews for Chemerinsky on Constitutional Law - The Structure of Government
By Nadia M
•Jan 19, 2022
while this is a good course, if your are a middle/high school student the assignments will be very difficult and the lectures will be hard to understand.
By Salome C
•Nov 19, 2017
My only regret regrading this course is that the discussion about Bill of Rights is not the part of the same session. Other than that, it's been superb.