Constitutional Law: Structure

Law 508
Spring 2024

Evaluation, TAs, and Outcomes

Evaluation

Attendance and Participation. You should attend class and come prepared to discuss the assigned materials. I will cold call and also encourage participation. I’ll likely award participation points for outstanding participation.
If you must miss class, please email me (lepstein@law.usc.edu).
Exams. In the middle of the semester, I’ll post a midterm on Blackboard. The midterm will not be graded but it will give you a chance to evaluate your progress in the course.
The final exam will consist of multiple-choice and essay questions. It will cover all assigned material but will place more emphasis on material we covered in class.
Additional Information on the final (added March 13, 2024).
- You’ll have three hours to take the exam
- For the essay portion of the exam: You’ll receive a printed version (in addition to the electronic version)
- The exam is Open + Network Mode (and you can bring any printed material you want)

Teaching Assistants

Two advanced USC law students will serve as teaching assistants for this course:

The TAs will hold office hours and help me formulate the exams. They will NOT grade the final exam; that’s my job.

Learning Outcomes

Understand the legalistic methods used to interpret the Constitution
Apply the methods to questions concerning the powers of and constraints on the branches of the federal government
Identify and evaluate theories and doctrines governing relations between the federal government and the states
Recognize the extent to which non-legalistic factors—including political values and various political/constitutional theories—affect the Court's constitutional decisions
Analyze constitutional questions with consideration of the role of the Court in a democracy—especially the competing goals of judicial activism and restraint
Apply your knowledge to hypothetical disputes and to cases the Court has yet to decide