UNM Albuquerque Teacher’s Institute Seminar, Summer 2000
| Fred R. Harris | |
| Political Science Department | |
| Social Sciences Bldg., Room 2047 |
What does America stand for? The answer must be found in the Declaration of Independence and the three great principles it states: Equality (or civil rights); Liberty (or human rights); and Democracy (or self-government). We will consider each of these in turn.
What was the meaning and extent of Equality (or civil rights) at the time of the Declaration of Independence? How and in what ways has that principle been expanded, since? What is the reality of its full recognition and enforcement today?
What was the meaning and extent of Liberty (or human rights) at the time of the Declaration of Independence? How and in what ways has the scope of those rights been expanded, since? What is the reality of their full recognition and protection today?
What was the meaning and extent of Democracy (or self-government) at the time of the Declaration of Independence? How and in what ways has that principle been expanded, since? What is the reality of its full recognition and implementation today?
These are the fundamental questions and concepts of political science–about America’s ideals and their contemporary reality–which we will study, discuss, and apply to the world we live in.
Class Sessions and Reading Assignments:
Monday, June 5
Declaration of Independence: Context and Content
*Read: American Scripture, all
Wednesday, June 7
Equality: Lincoln, the Civil War Amendments, and African Americans
*Read: American Scripture, pp. 189-208; Constitutional Law, pp. 643-665 and
681-733
* In class: view video, "Affirmative Action: The History of an Idea"
*Turn in Prospectus
Thursday, June 8
Equality: Hispanics, American Indians, and other ethnic groups
*Read: Can We All Get Along? pp. 1-58; Constitutional Law, pp.675-680
*Prospectus turned back
Monday, June 12
Equality: Women
*Read: Constitutional Law, pp. 666-675; Freedom and the Court, pp. 412-447
Wednesday, June 14
Liberty: The Bill of Rights; and the Democratic Freedoms
*Read: Constitutional Law, pp. 1-50 and 434-523
* In class: view video: "Bill of Rights, Bill of Responsibility"
Thursday, June 15
Liberty: Religious Freedom
*Read: Constitutional Law, pp. 359-432
*First Draft due
Monday, June 19
Liberty: Right of Privacy
*Read: Constitutional Law, pp. 525-569
*First Draft returned
Wednesday, June 21
Liberty: Rights of the Accused
*Read: Constitutional Law, pp. 573-638
Thursday, June 22
Democracy: Voting and Participation
*Read: Can We All Get Along? pp. 59-176; Constitutional Law, pp. 707-717
Monday, June 26
Democracy: Campaigns and Elections
*Read: Engaging the Public, all
*In class: view video: "The Price of Power: Money in Politics"
Wednesday, June 28
*In class: Second Draft presentations (by Brazill, Callan, Córdova, DelMargo,
Gallegos, and Leonard)
Thursday, June 29
*In class: Second Draft presentations (by Lesica, McBroom, Ortega, Pacheco,
Raimundi, and Thompson)
Readings
Abraham, Henry J. and Barbara A. Perry, Freedom and the Court: Civil Rights and Liberties in the United States. New York: Oxford University Press, 7th ed., 1998, Chapter 8. Note: copy to be handed out in class.
Epstein, Lee and Thomas G. Walker, Constitutional Law for a Changing America: A Short Course. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Press, 1996.
Johnson, Thomas J., Carol E. Hays, and Scott P. Hays, eds., Engaging the Public: How Government and the Media Can Reinvigorate American Democracy. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield, 1998.
Maier, Pauline, American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence. New York: Knopf, 1997.
McClain, Paula D. and Joseph Stewart, Jr., Can We All Get Along? Racial and Ethnic Minorities in American Politics. Boulder: Westview, 2nd ed., updated, 1998.