This course is currently offered online during the Spring 2010 semester. The course is open to all majors, and has no prerequisites. Please email Professor Comparato if you have any questions.
This purpose of this course is to introduce you to civil liberties in the United States and demonstrate how social and political forces play a role in the process. We will focus primarily on the First Amendment, with some attention to the Third, Fourth, Fifth, Ninth, and Fourteenth Amendments. Special emphasis will be placed on evaluating how the United States Supreme Court defines, establishes, and protects these liberties through its interpretation of the Constitution.
Another primary purpose of this course is to improve your critical reading, writing, and research skills. Toward that end, the written assignments and exams will focus on improving proficiency in those areas. In addition, emphasis is placed on classroom participation and a critical discussion of the issues found in the readings.
The Spring 2010 syllabus for this course is currently available.
This course will be maintained using Blackboard. The syllabus, course calendar, assignments, message and discussion boards, mail system, grades, and student homepages are available on the course page. For students enrolled in this course, detailed instructions to assist you in creating a Blackboard account can be found here. I am willing to provide information on course content to those outside of Southern Illinois University that express interest. Please email me for more information.
Return to Professor Comparato's Homepage
URL: http://www.siu.edu/scompara/pols332I.html
Last Updated: January 14th, 2010