You will be introduced to the fundamentals of the federal constitution, including the institution of judicial review, the limitations on federal judicial power, the constitutional roles of the legislative and executive branches, due process of law, and individual rights under the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Possible future trends of the U.S. Supreme Court will also be explored. This course will focus on individual civil liberties and 42 U.S.C. section 1983 claims, emphasizing redress for violations of the Fourth, Fifth, and Eighth Amendment rights of the US Constitution.

INSTRUCTOR: Daire Irwin

OBJECTIVE: This six week course is designed to provide an introduction to the United States Constitution and its Amendments. Students will study the allocation of powers, the system of checks and balances, and the concepts of individual rights, liberties, and protection. Through this course students will also develop a better understanding of the Bill of Rights.

Expectations: You will be expected to spend an average of 10 hours per week reading and completing writing assignments. Please note that, barring extenuating circumstances, extensions will not be granted for this online course. 70% is the minimum passing score on all tests and assignments for this course. Students may consider working ahead in the curriculum if they have the time. Students may consider working ahead if they have time.

Prerequisites: Successful completion of Paralegal I and II, or equivalent, or experience.

Required Texts:

• Barron & Dienes, Constitutional Law in a Nutshell, 6th Edition. St Paul: West Group

Highly Recommended Legal Resources:

• Recommended: Garner, Bryan A., Black's Law Dictionary, 3rd Pocket Edition. St. Paul: West Publishing
• WESTLAW legal research access, available for the duration of the course for only $75.

To order, call The Center for Legal Studies at 800-522-7737 or E-mail us at info@legalstudies.com. Or use the book order form.

Tests: You will complete two exams. Each is worth 100 points. The first exam is due by 5:00 p.m. EST on the Sunday of the fourth week of class; the last exam is due by 5:00 p.m. EST on the last Sunday of class. You will submit your exams using the Private Mail tool.

Assignments: For each weekly topic you will submit a 50-point short answer assignment covering the topics in your weekly reading. These assignments are due by 5:00 p.m. EST each Sunday, and are submitted using the Private Mail tool.

Bulletin Board Exercises: Completion of weekly Bulletin Board (BB) Assignments is required. They are due on Sunday with your tests and should be submitted using the Bulletin Board Tool. Each BB exercise will be worth 10 points each and make up your class participation grade. The Bulletin Board will also be used for class discussion and students are expected to participate and respond to the discussions posted therein.

All weekly objectives, assignments, and tests can be found in the Lesson Material tool.

Grading: Grades will be based on Test Scores and Bulletin Board Assignments. The six assignments are worth 50 points each and comprise 40% of your grade. The two tests are worth 100 points each and comprise 40% of your final grade. BB exercises are worth 10 points each and will comprise 20% of your final grade.

WITHDRAWAL POLICY
Students may drop the course with a full tuition refund if written notice is sent to The Center for Legal Studies by email info@legalstudies.com by the Wednesday before class begins. Students may drop the course with a 50% tuition refund if written notice is sent to The Center for Legal Studies by email info@legalstudies.com anytime from the Thursday before the course begins until the first Thursday of class. After the first Thursday of class no refunds will be issued.