The United States of America has a unique Constitution that makes the country unique. Other countries have a constitution, but no other country is the United States.

We will cover most of the Bill of Rights, including the 1st Amendment, the 2nd Amendment, the 4th Amendment, the 5th and 6th Amendments, the 8th Amendment as well as the Equal Protection cases under the 14th Amendment.

Due to the popularity of the class over the past year, I have extended this class to a yearlong, which means you can jump in at any time and follow along for a year of classes (approximately) that give you a deeper understanding of the Bill of Rights.

This course will explore the Supreme Court cases and made up scenarios that have structured how these parts of the Constitution are applied to our daily lives, and we look to see how various countries apply these ideas within their borders.

Below is a general overview of how the class will go, but this schedule may be adapted as needed due to the length and depth of student discussions we have while searching to understand the nature of the various freedoms protected by the Constitution:


Fall 2024 Schedule (Class starts over, may be subject to change)

Week 1 (August 11 - August 17): 1st Amendment - Internal Security
-	A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic

Week 2 (August 18 - August 24): 1st Amendment - Internal Security
-	A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic

Week 3 (August 25 - August 31): 1st Amendment - Symbolic Speech
-	A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic

Week 4: (September 1 - September 7): 1st Amendment - Symbolic Speech
-	A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic 

Week 5: (September 8 - September 14): 1st Amendment - Fighting Words 
-	A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic

Week 6: (September 15 - September 21): 1st Amendment - Fighting Words
-	A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic 

Week 7: (September 22 - September 28): 1st Amendment - Expressive Conduct 
-	A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic 

Week 8:  (September 29 - October 5): 1st Amendment - Hate Speech 
-	A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic 

Week 9: (October 6 - October 12): 1st Amendment and 5th Amendment - The Right to Silence
-     A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic
 
Week 10 (October 13 - October 19): 1st Amendment - Prior Restraint
-     A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic

Week 11: (October 20 - October 26) 1st Amendment - Prior Restraint
-     A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic

Week 12: (October 27 - November 2) 1st Amendment - Establishment Clause (Religion)
-     A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic

Week 13: (November 3 - November 9)  1st Amendment - Establishment Clause (Religion)
-     A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic

Week 14: (November 10 - November 16)  1st Amendment - Establishment Clause (Religion)
-     A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic

Week 15: (November 17 - November 23)  1st Amendment - Free Exercise Clause Clause (Religion)
-     A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic

Week 16: (November 24 - November 30) 1st Amendment - Free Exercise Clause Clause (Religion)
-     A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic

Week 17: (December 1 - December 7) 8th Amendment - Cruel and Unusual Punishment
-     A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic

Week 18: (December 8 - December 14) 8th Amendment - Cruel and Unusual Punishment
-     A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic

Week 19: (December 16 - December 21) 8th Amendment - Cruel and Unusual Punishment
-     A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic



Spring 2025 schedule (may be subject to change):

Week 1 (January 5 - 11): 4th Amendment - Exclusionary Rule
-	A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic

Week 2 (January 12 - 18): 4th Amendment - Exclusionary Rule
-	A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic

Week 3 (January 19 - 25): 4th Amendment - Exclusionary Rule
-	A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic

Week 4 (January 26 - February 1): 4th Amendment - Fruit of the Poisonous Tree
-	A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic 

Week 5 (February 2 - 8): 4th Amendment - Fruit of the Poisonous Tree
-	A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic

Week 6 (February 9 - 15): 4th Amendment - Fruit of the Poisonous Tree
-	A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic 

Week 7 (February 16 - 22): 4th Amendment - Searches and Privacy
-	A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic 

Week 8 (February 23 - March 1): 4th Amendment - Searches and Privacy
-	A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic 

Week 9 (March 2 - 8): 4th Amendment - Searches and Privacy 
-	A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic 
 
Week 10 (March 9 - 15): 4th Amendment - Seizure Rules 
-	A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic 

Week 11 (March 16 - 22): 4th Amendment - Seizure Rules 
-	A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic 

Week 12 (March 23 - 29): 4th Amendment - Warrants and Probable Cause
-	A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic

Week 13 (March 30 - April 5): 4th Amendment - Warrants and Probable Cause
-	A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic

Week 14 (April 6 - 12): 2nd Amendment - Federalism and Gun Rights
-	A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic

Week 15 (April 13 - 19): 2nd Amendment - Individual Right to Bear Arms
-	A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic

Week 16 (April 20 - 26): 14th Amendment - Equal Protection 
-	A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic

Week 17 (April 27 - May 3): 14th Amendment - Equal Protection 
-	A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic

Week 18 (May 4 - 10): 14th Amendment - Equal Protection 
-	A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic

Week 19 (May 11 - 17): 5th Amendment - Due Process of the Law
-	A study of the Supreme Court Cases dealing with this topic

Week 20 (May 18 - 25): 5th and 6th Amendments - Due Process and Right to an Attorney
-	What does Due Process mean and when does a citizen have a right to an attorney?