LAW 0680: Presidential Leadership and Individual Rights
Fall 2019 • Section 01 • CRN 41947

Course Description

Presidents are especially well placed to make constitutional law within their sphere of action, as well as to influence the development of rights in others' spheres of influence. In exposing students to writings from political science, history, law, and sociology, this interdisciplinary course has several objectives. First, students will examine the opportunities available to modern presidents to advance or erode constitutional, statutory, and human rights. Second, students will explore the social conditions - within bureaucracies and society as a whole - that must prevail for an administration to make the transformation of existing rights a priority. Third, taking on the perspective of an executive branch actor, students will assess the tactics available when a president is interested in taking action on a matter implicating individual rights: when is each strategy most tempting, what are the historical or legal precedents for each tactic, how effective is it, and so on.

Book List/Materials