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  2. LAW 3173

The Constitution in American Culture
LAW 3173

Course Information

Description

Prerequisite: None

Exam Type: No Exam

This course will examine the political and legal history of the U.S. Constitution with an eye toward considering how ordinary people have fought to participate in the acts of constitutional amendment and interpretation and on the role of the Constitution in American life and culture. As this year, 2026, marks the 250th anniversary of the first written constitutions in the United States, we will pay particular attention to the place of constitutionalism itself in American life. Readings will focus on constitutional conventions, alternative constitutions, constitutional amendments, U.S. Supreme Court cases, as well as the constitutional objectives of political movements across history and across the political spectrum.

Note: This course is cross-listed with the History Department at FAS.

School Harvard Law School
Credits 3
Cross Reg

Available for Harvard Cross Registration

Department Law School
Course Component Lecture
Subject Law
Grading Basis HLS Graded