History 471

U.S. Constitutional and Legal History

Spring 2004

Prof. Waldrep

12:35-1:50 in BUS 126

Office Hours:

Science 225: 1:50-4 on Tuesdays and by appointment. E-mail cwaldrep@sfsu.edu or phone 338-2982. Http://bss.sfsu.edu/waldrep

Texts: Urofsky and Finkelman, A March of Liberty and Waldrep and Curry, The Constitution and the Nation: The Regulatory State, Waldrep and Curry, The Constitution and the Nation: A Revolution in Rights. Always bring The Constitution and the Nation to class.

History 471 uses the lecture and discussion format to develop students’ ability to assess and think critically about historical issues and how to interpret those issues. Students should gain a basic factual knowledge of American constitutionalism. This means being prepared to discuss cases and key documents. Students will develop skills in analyzing historical data and reaching informed conclusions about those data. This class covers half of American history. The first half will be covered in history 470, offered in the Fall.

To pass the course, students must:

Attend class. Attendance is of the utmost importance.
Study the readings for each week before we talk about them in class.
Take the examinations. You must know the names of cases and documents and be prepared to summarize their significance on tests. If you do not have the time for the preparation necessary to do this work, you should drop this class immediately.
Complete essay assignments.

Final grade:

Tests: 70%

Essays: 20%

Discussion: 10%

Class participation is an important part of your grade. Obviously, you must come to class and participate knowledgeably, you must read the assignments before discussions.

All dates and deadlines are tentative. Be alert to in-class announcements.