REST333L - Religion & the Constitution

3 Credit(s)

Liberal Arts
Dual listed as POSC 333L What is the meaning of the First Amendment’s establishment and free exercise clauses? Are the clauses harmonious or incompatible? Do these clauses, taken together or separately, require accommodation or strict neutrality toward religion? Did the framers intend a permanent and irresolvable tension between the two clauses? Throughout the semester, the class will attempt to answer these difficult questions by reading and analyzing legal opinions and philosophical texts.