Main Content
Constitutional Structures
First published Jul 2024
and updated Oct 2024
Fall 2024
This course examines national separation of powers and federalism as core values and structural elements of the United States Constitution. It analyzes the nature and scope of the powers the U.S. Constitution vests in the three branches of the national government, the interrelationships among those branches, the distribution of powers among local, state, territorial, and federal governments, and the ways in which these structures and relationships impact democratic processes, individual rights and the advancement (or weakening) of core constitutional values, including democratic governance, equal citizenship, individual liberty and the rule of law.
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