This page contains the information for HST236 -The Constitution, The SCOTUS, & Your Rights – at Anna Maria College.
I. EXCERPTS FROM THE SYLLABUS
A. CONTACT INFO
College Email: jlimanek@annamaria.edu
Personal Email: proflimanek@gmail.com
B. ATTENDANCE POLICY:
Attendance:
You are required to come to class on time every scheduled meeting. However, there may be times when situations arise which are beyond your control. With that in mind, I will allow you to miss SIX classes per term without penalty. You will be penalized 3 points off of your final average for each absence over the allowed limit.
For example, if you miss EIGHT classes, 6 points will be deducted from your final grade. So, hypothetically, a B of 85 will become a C+ of 79.
NOTE: While I do my best to keep an accurate tabulation of attendance throughout the term, any penalty incurred for missing more classes than allowed will not be deducted until your final average in totaled.
On the other hand, you will receive a bonus of 3 points if you are actively present for every scheduled class session. This too will be added to your final average.
Due to the constraints of missing too many classes, YOU WILL FAIL THIS COURSE if you miss more than TWELVE scheduled meetings.
NOTE: because I allow you to miss SIX classes without penalty, there will be no “excused” absences granted under any circumstance unless you are granted a medical leave of absence from the college or you are involved in a college-related event (ex. away game; nursing practical, etc) . So, be sure to use your absences wisely.
It is your responsibility to see if you missed anything. Be sure to check with either me or your classmates after class to find out any important info you may have missed. Due to time constraints, you must schedule an appointment with me to review any missed notes. NOTE: if your absences results in you missing a quiz, you will not be granted a makeup because a) quizzes in almost every class amount to extra-credit points and b) I typically review the answers when the quizzes are collected.
Attendance – Tardies
Please arrive on time. I almost always begin the moment your class is scheduled to start. As you will see, several things occur at the start of class: a) I will check attendance, b) I give a quiz, c) I will present items of importance to the class such as exam dates or assignments, and/or d) I will review the major points from the previous session.
Generally, no penalty will be applied if you arrive to class late. The only time you will receive a penalty is if your tardiness is habitual. If you are frequently late, you will first receive a personal warning. Thereafter, every two tardies will count as an absence.
If you are late, it is your responsibility to check-in at the conclusion of class to ensure that your presence was noted. If you fail to do so, you may be marked absent. It is also your responsibility to see if you missed anything. Be sure to check with either me or your classmates after class to find out any important info you may have missed. Due to time constraints, you must schedule an appointment with me to review any missed notes (same as if you were absent). NOTE: if miss you tardiness causes you to miss a quiz, you will not be granted a makeup because a) quizzes in almost every class amount to extra-credit points and b) I typically review the answers when the quizzes are collected.
C. COURSE OUTLINES:
Lecture 1 – Intro = Constitution, BOR, & Court System
Lecture 2 – Intro = How SCOTUS decides cases
D. CASES:
From Lecture 1
Erie RR vs. Tompkins (1937) – Diversity of Citizenship
Rhode Island v. Massachusetts (1838)
Breedlove v. Suttles (1937) – Poll Tax
Harper v. Virginia Bd. of Elections (1966) – Poll Tax Overturned
Kuehn v. Pub Zone Reading (2003)
Power of the Courts
Marbury v. Madison – Judicial Review
Ex parte McCardle – Constraints on Judicial Power
Speech
Schenck v. United States – Limitations of Free Speech
Schenck Pamphlet
Texas v. Johnson – Protected Speech
Synder v. Phelps – Speech in Public Places
Terminiello v. Chicago – So-called “Hate” Speech
Ward v. Rock Against Racism – Time, Place, Manner
Second Amendment
Lewis v. United States – Convicted Felons
District of Columbia v. Heller – Right to Keep and Bear Arms
McDonald v. City of Chicago – Incorporation of the Second Amendment
Assembly
National Socialist Party of America v. Village of Skokie – Speech and Assembly
Boy Scouts of American v. Dale – Assembly & the Right to Exclude
Privacy
Griswold v. Connecticut – right to martial privacy
Roe v. Wade – reproductive freedom and right to privacy
Dobbs v. Jackson’s Women’s Health Organization – right to an abortion
Civil Rights
Plessy v. Ferguson – separate but equal
Brown v. Board of Education – integration
Brown v. Board of Education II – how to achieve integration
Pace v. Alabama – interracial relations
Loving v. Virginia – interracial marriage
Obergefell v. Hodges – fundamental rights of marriage