Law School for Everyone: Constitutional Law

Discover how lawyers make sense of what the Constitution says—and doesn’t say—led by an award-winning law professor.

Overview

Course No. 2017

Americans wage many of today’s fiercest policy debates and culture wars as battles over constitutional meaning. It’s because constitutional law is so fundamental to our democracy that law schools across the country teach the subject. It’s the area of law that determines what federal and state governments are permitted to do, and what rights you have as an individual citizen of the United States.

In these 12 lectures, you’ll get the same accessible, well-rounded introduction to constitutional law as a typical law student—but with the added benefit of noted constitutional scholar Eric Berger’s brilliant insights. Taking you through all three branches of the federal government, Professor Berger uses some of the most important legal cases in the United States to probe the open-ended nature of the Constitution’s language and illustrate how legal reasoning has defined the power relationships that the Constitution governs.

You’ll examine pivotal Supreme Court cases to learn how interpreting the Constitution has radically affected American society. You’ll consider the Supreme Court’s role in deciding—and sometimes avoiding—questions of constitutionality. And you’ll investigate how changes in public opinion can influence how the Supreme Court interprets the Constitution.

While the open-ended nature of the Constitution’s language makes constitutional law often uncertain, these lectures offer you a better understanding of its many nuances, as well as its profound importance for the future of the United States.

Video Lessons

01: Origins and Functions of the Constitution

Travel back to the 18th century and investigate the origins of the founding document of the American experiment—a story of crisis, rebellion, and compromise. Duration: 33 min

02: The Marshall Court and the Constitution

Explore why the U.S. Supreme Court became the ultimate arbiter of constitutional questions by examining John Marshall’s famous opinions. Duration: 32 min

03: The Scope of the Executive Power

Probe the issue of presidential power using the opinion in Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company v. Sawyer. Duration: 29 min

04: Congress and the New Deal Commerce Clause

Learn how Congress’s power was significantly shaped by constitutional transformations during the 1930s. Duration: 33 min

05: Congress and the Commerce Clause Today

Discover how the Commerce Clause has been interpreted in the decades following the New Deal era. Duration: 31 min

06: Individual Liberty: Contracts and Privacy

Examine the role of the 14th Amendment’s Due Process Clause in individual rights through notable cases. Duration: 32 min

07: Liberty Disputed: Abortion and Gay Rights

Look at how the Court confronted issues of abortion and LGBT rights through substantive due process. Duration: 33 min

08: Equal Protection and Civil Rights

Explore how changed attitudes about race helped shape constitutional law decisions in civil rights cases. Duration: 33 min

09: The Affirmative Action Conundrum

Understand the constitutionality of affirmative action and the concept of strict scrutiny in court reviews. Duration: 33 min

10: Sex Discrimination and Women’s Rights

Learn about the rulings on sex-based classifications in cases from Minor v. Happersett to United States v. Virginia. Duration: 33 min

11: The Nature of the Judicial Power

Examine why courts often choose not to decide particular cases on their merits due to justiciability doctrines. Duration: 33 min

12: The Politics of Constitutional Law

Explore the role of politics in constitutional law through high-stakes judicial confirmation battles. Duration: 35 min