The Supreme Court and Issues of Church and State

In 1802, Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association, coined the famous phrase (not found in the Constitution), “a wall of separation between Church and State.” This course offers an introduction to the Religion Clauses of the First Amendment (“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”). In this course, we will explore selected topics relating to provisions, referred to as the Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause. We will study the changing analysis of the Supreme Court’s decisions about religion, particularly in recent years. Readings will include excerpts from Supreme Court cases.
 
Continuing Education Units (CEU) : 0

You'll walk away with

• An understanding of some of the Supreme Court’s Religion Clauses decisions
• Experience reading excerpts from Supreme Court cases

Ideal for

• Those interested in the Supreme Court and legal cases
• Those interested in law and religion
• All members of the community– working, retired, and in-between