AMERICAN CONSTITUTIONALISM STRUCTURE OF GOVERNMENT GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS 431 MW 9 00 9 50 TYDINGS 1102 Professor Mark A Graber Office Tydings 2109 Office Hours Monday 10 00 1 00 Note 12 00 to 1 00 is lunch with interested students feel free to make appointments at other times Phone 405 4215 Email mgraber gvpt umd edu Teaching Assistant Alison Staudinger Office 5115 Tydings Office Hours Monday 10 11 Friday 9 10 Phone 405 4144 Email alisons umd edu Section 0101 10 00 10 50 Section 0102 11 00 11 50 Section 0103 1 00 1 50 1234 Biology Psychology 0405 Physics 0101 Hornbake No transfers without permission of the instructor or teaching assistant Course Description GVPT 431 is the first of a two course sequence in American constitutionalism American constitutionalism is related but not identical to American constitutional law Many aspects of American constitutionalism cannot be reduced to American constitutional law Consider for example the expectation that the American constitution and large republic would prevent the rise of political parties Federalist 10 Parties have become crucial to the constitutional order but they were nowhere mentioned in the original constitution Nor will one find evidence of their signficance in the Supreme Court Reports or other sources of constitutional law This was a constitutional change which as a distinguished constitutional scholar Steve Griffin notes took place off the books Much of American constitutionalism takes place outside of courts The great debates over American expansion and the Clinton impeachment took place in Congress and the White House Moreover what goes on in courts is often a consequence of what happens outside of courts Consider the implications of recent elections for the probability of gay marriage GVPT 431 focuses on the structure and powers of constitutional institutions Our focus is on the purposes constitutional institutions were designed to serve the extent to which those institutions and their purposes have evolved whether those purposes are good ones and what might be done at present to alter constitutional institutions if they are indeed in need of repair A crucial theme of this course will be that fundamental questions of civil rights and civil liberties more often depend on the structure of constitutional institutions than on parchment barriers Slavery for example was more protected by constitutional institutions designed to privilege southern interests than by specific parchment guarantees Those of you more interested in civil liberties should take GVPT 432 which I hope to offer next year Course Requirements Three Five Page Papers 20 of the Grade each Midterm Examination 20 of the Grade Note Students may either do 2 papers and the Midterm or three papers If you do three papers and the midterm we will drop the lowest grade Final Examination 40 of the Grade Class participation bonus points awarded liberally for intelligent participation Due Dates Paper 1 Monday October 2 2006 in class Paper 2 Friday November 17 2006 in section Paper 3 Monday December 11 2006 in class Midterm Examination Monday October 30 2006 in class Final Examination Monday December 18 8 00 AM 10 00 AM Note I have suggested topics for the paper You may write on any topic relevant to the course If however you choose to write on another topic please clear it with the professor or teaching assistant ANY ACADEMIC DISHONESTY EARNS AN F FOR THE COURSE AND MY COMMITMENT TO HAVING YOU EXPELLED FROM THE UNIVERSITY Textbooks The textbook for this course is Graber Gillman and Whittington American Constitutionalism Alas we are just beginning writing and you are the human subjects of this experiment Please buy a loose leaf notebook By Friday of the preceding week I will email all of you the class assignments for the week I will also place copies of the readings in the copy center For those of you worried about pages I estimate that about 30 pages of single spaced text will be required for each class If I threaten to go much over that material will be cut Course Outline Introduction August 30 September 1 Introduction to American Constitutionalism Mark A Graber Hamdan s Politics NOTE We will have section on Friday September 1 Please come prepared to discuss my essay on Hamdan s Politics What do you think is the most likely consequence of Hamdan How accurately do you believe the essay portrays the constitutional politics of the war against terrorism and please note minds far greater than mine have thought the essay nonsense September 4 9 Introduction to Constitutionalism PLEASE NOTE THAT GILLMAN WHITTINGTON AND I ARE WORKING OUT THE FINAL OUTLINE FOR THE TEXT THIS WEEKEND I WILL HAVE MORE DETAILS ON READINGS SOON Constitutional Interpretation and Change September 11 15 September 18 22 The Road to the Constitution Materials on The Road to Independence September 25 29 Making the Constitution First 5 Paper Due Monday October 2 October 2 6 The Federalist Era October 9 20 Jacksonian and Jacksonian America October 23 27 Civil War and Reconstruction MIDTERM OCTOBER 30 November 1 10 The Guilded Age and Progressive Era November 13 17 The New Deal and Great Society Second Paper Due Friday November 17 November 20 22 Contemporary Debates over Federal Powers and Federalism November 27 December 1 Contemporary Debates on Judicial Power December 4 9 Contemporary Debates on the Separation of Powers December 11 Does the Constitution Still Work Third Paper Due Monday December 11 FINAL EXAMINATION MONDAY DECEMBER 18 8 00 A M 10 00 A M