The course is designed to introduce students to the study of civil liberties as protected by the Constitution of the United States. The emphasis will be upon those rights incorporated into the Bill of Rights and made applicable to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment. Specifically, the course will examine freedom of speech and freedom of the press, as well as the freedoms of thought, belief, and association – and the right to due process of law.  In addition, it will address the right to privacy, the rights of those accused of crimes, and the rights and protections secured under the two clauses relating to religious liberty – the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause. The course – which is designed for students contemplating law school as well as for those seeking a deeper insight into the functioning of our legal system – also will address practical concerns for judges interpreting the Constitution within the framework of a common-law tradition – such as the use of precedent, the scope of appellate review, the importance of procedural posture, and the significance of plurality, concurring, and dissenting opinions. The readings will include case-law, modern constitutional theory, and historical materials that reflect the pivotal significance of the debate over the Bill of Rights in securing the ratification of the Constitution.