Should American governments be allowed
to execute their own citizens?
What about executing children
or the mentally disabled? Should American
citizens be able to have consensual
sex in any manner they prefer and
with anyone they choose? And what
about pregnancy? Should a woman be
able to legally terminate one if she
decides to? Should
we be able to criticize government,
plan for its overthrow, denounce its
wars?
Can government prohibit explicit
sexual publications or forms of speech
that hurt other people?
Does the citizen have a right
to privacy?
When must individual claims
give way in the face of pressing public
needs?
In Political Science 402, we focus
our attention on the complex relationship
between the individual and the state
(or “government”). This
is said to be an individualist society
in which the rights, beliefs, and
freedoms of the individual are strongly
protected. But to what extent is this
or can this ever be true? When and
to what extent have we taken it too
far? When and to what extent has our
claim to respect the freedom of all
Americans been a farce? And what does
the future hold in store as revolutionary
new technologies and unprecedented
problems usher in a new era of social
control?
SPIRIT
OF THE CLASS
This term, I hope that we can draw
on your talent and experience to create
an advanced seminar in which we share
our thoughts about law, liberty, and
America.
For each class session, some number
of you will be assigned to present
on the cases before us. It is expected
that you will not only tell us about
the key elements of the case and the
decision, but research, explain, and
lead discussion on broader themes
and concerns. We will also hold a
number of moot court sessions in which
teams of class members prepare and
deliver oral arguments in pending
cases.
