Great Cases: American Legal History

Great Cases: American Legal History (CASE) is a CAA course where students analyzee som eof the greatest legal cases in American History. It is offered at Bristol and Easton. There are no prerequisites.

Course Description

From the CTY Summer Catalog:

Students in this history course trace this evolution by examining famous cases in their historical, political, and social contexts. For example, Marbury v. Madison is explored within the framework of the early Federalist period; Dred Scott v. Sanford in the context of rising political fragmentation and sectional debate; Lochner v. New York as the legal aspect of the social and political movement known as Progressivism; Brown v. Board of Education in relation to the dynamic civil rights movement; and Hamdi v. Rumsfeld as representative of the tensions in America in the post-9/11 era.

Through debates, simulations, group projects, and individual research, students develop close-reading and persuasive-writing skills. Moreover, they learn to critique decisions about fundamental issues that have confronted the American legal system from the time of the ratification of the Constitution to today.