POL 107 - American Legal Institutions

Upper Division

This course addresses what the United States Constitution, courts, judges, attorneys, and scholars tell us about such profoundly complex legal, political, and moral issues as whether California can ban same-sex marriage, whether Arizona can regulate immigration, what the proper and improper role of the court system is in forming public policy, and how political power is distributed in America. We explore the meaning, and the price, of full citizenship in our democratic and pluralist American republic. This course examines the story of how our government and “We the People” have struggled, and still struggle, to fulfill the common good and realize the American dream of liberty and justice for all.

Core Curriculum Designation(s)
AD - American Diversity

Course credits: 1