Constitutions (CON)

(3 credits)

Students must complete one course that teaches the constitutions of the United States and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Courses which meet this requirement will:

  • Require students to study the Constitutions of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and of the United States.
  • Consider the historical context, addressing
    • antecedents in English law
    • the idea of written fundamental law
    • the context of colonial history
    • failed predecessors (e.g., the 1778 constitutions and the Articles of Confederation)
    • mechanism of drafting, ratification, and amendment
    • influence of the Massachusetts Constitution on the U.S. Constitution.
  • Consider political thought in contemporary society, addressing
    • how each constitution shapes modern life
    • differing interpretations, including by the courts
    • current issues related to each constitution
    • basic national, state and/or local political processes, and the rights and obligations of citizenship.
HI-111US History to 18773
HI-112US History 1865 to the Present3
HI-140We the People3
HI-218US Constitutional History I3
HI-219US Constitutional History II3
HI-320Citizen Nation3
PH-151Race, Gender, and the Law3
PH-231Philosophy of Law3
PO-110American Government3
PO-150Foundations of Legal Studies3
PO-217The U.S. Congress3
PO-218US Constitutional History I3
PO-219US Constitutional History II3
PO-318Constitutional Law of Government Powers And Constraints3
PO-319Constitutional Law of Civil Rights and Liberties3
PO-320Citizen Nation3
PO-380American Foreign Policy Since the Cold War3