$65
for 4 classesThe Supreme Court: Understanding the Judicial Branch and its Importance in the Balance of Power
Completed by 4 learners
Ages 12-17
Live Group Class
Live video meetings
1x per week, 4 weeks
4-12 learners per class
55 min
What's included
4 live meetings
3 hrs 40 mins in-class hoursHomework
1-2 hours per week. There will be regular homework in this course, both in terms of readings and exercises designed to understand these readings.Assessment
If requested, grades and assessments are available. All assignments must be completed in order to receive grade or assessment.Grading
If requested, grades and assessments are available. All assignments must be completed in order to receive grade or assessment.Class Experience
US Grade 7 - 10
During this four week course, learners will spend each week focusing in on a different aspect of the judicial branch of government and its contribution to the overall governance of the United States. Using lessons which correspond to national learning standards, the materials and case studies will explore each issue in depth. The first week of this class will focus on federalism and the challenge that the Supreme Court has in upholding the Constitutions balance of state and federal authority and power. Questions such as: What are the arguments in favor of a weak national government that gives more power to states versus a strong national government that holds more power than state governments? What is federalism? How has the Supreme Court further defined the balance of power under federalism? How is federalism evident today? will be considered as we study the case of McCulloch v. Maryland to better understand the Supreme Court’s contribution. The second week of class, we will turn to consider the fourteenth amendment and the Supreme Court’s application of it. Why were the promises made by the post-Civil War amendments so important? Learners will analyze and compare important Supreme Court decisions involving the Fourteenth Amendment and civil rights. Learners will also study how the Court applied the Fourteenth Amendment to questions involving the liberty of contract and protections for working people. By looking at the application of the fourteenth amendment from post civil war through to the new deal learners will understand how this amendment is associated with due process and equal protection, as well as understanding the impact of the Supreme Court on workers rights at the beginning of the century. Finally, in these case studies, learners will be able to understand and identify the importance of dissent in Supreme Court decisions. In the third week of this course learners will struggle with the same challenges faced by the Supreme Court -- how to balance the rights of individuals to exercise their civil liberties and the needs and goals of others in society. Students will reflect on their own ideas of liberty, and learn how to define and identify civil liberties. Through a historic case study involving the Pledge of Allegiance, they will analyze First Amendment rights in light of laws passed to increase citizenship, knowledge of our country, and patriotism. By analyzing two Supreme Court cases where individual rights conflicted with societal goals: Minersville School District v. Gobitis (1940) and West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (1943), learners will understand the challenges faced by the Supreme Court to uphold this delicate balance. Finally, the fourth week will turn to the power and importance of precedence. Learners will begin to understand the definition of precedent and why courts think it is so important. In this lesson, learners will examine the role of precedent in Supreme Court decisions -- why precedents are usually followed and what justices take into consideration when they overturn precedents. Students will analyze the case of Dickerson v. United States (2000), which most Court watchers predicted Chief Justice William Rehnquist would use to overturn the precedents established in Miranda v. Arizona (1966).
Learning Goals
By the completion of this course, learners should be able to:
define federalism;
classify the powers associated with federalism;
analyze the Supreme Court case McCulloch v. Maryland;
describe the views of early Founders in their debate about how much strength the national government should have compared to state governments;
apply the concept of federalism through the analysis of contemporary issues;
describe the Fourteenth Amendment and how it is associated with due process and equal protection;
identify examples and analyze the importance of dissent in Supreme Court decisions involving the Fourteenth Amendment;
describe important changes in the interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment that reflected the changes happening in the United States in the second half of the 19th century;
describe and analyze the impact of the Fourteenth Amendment and the Supreme Court on workers' rights in the beginning of the 20th century;
define the terms "civil rights" and "civil liberties";
identify basic civil liberties;
describe how the Supreme Court decided two cases when individual rights conflicted with societal goals: Minersville School District v. Gobitis (1940) and West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (1943);
Define the terms "precedent" and "stare decisis" and explain why they are important in the work of the Supreme Court of the United States;
Explain reasons it is important to uphold precedents and why it may sometimes be necessary to overturn precedents;
Analyze two recent Supreme Court cases in light of precedent and stare decisis: Miranda v. Arizona (1966) and Dickerson v. United States (2000);
Summarize the Supreme Court decision in Yarborough, Warden v. Alvarado (2004), a case that examined whether juveniles are entitled to special procedures for Miranda warnings.
Other Details
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Meet the teacher
Teacher expertise and credentials
I am a human rights lawyer and have spent the past few decades carefully watching and understanding the Court in order to better understand human rights and civil liberties issues within the United States.
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