LAW 7283

Citizenship in American Constitutional Thought

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2016-2017.

What has it meant in the past and what does it mean today to be an American? What are the benefits and responsibilities entailed by membership in the polity, and to what extent have these benefits presupposed formal American nationality? This seminar will use the law of citizenship to explore the historical and philosophical linkages in the U.S. between full inclusion and judgments about property ownership, race, gender, and immigration. In the process, we will also assess how distinct ideologies (ranging from republican self-government to the national security discourse) have altered accounts of political participation, economic independence, and external threat. These topics will be addressed by a close reading of landmark cases (including Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, Dred Scott v. Sandford, Minor v. Happersett, United States v. Wong Kim Ark) as well as seminal books in the political history and theory of U.S. citizenship.

When Offered Fall.

Permission Note Limited enrollment.

Satisfies Requirement Satisfies the writing requirement.

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