The American Constitution creates the structure and allocation of power for federal government and establishes the relationship between the federal government and the states, as well as between the government and its citizens. Ratified in 1788, the American Constitution is the oldest working written Constitution in the world and has been an important model for all other Constitutions. Through class discussions and some lecturing, this course provides an introduction to the Constitution’s major doctrines and explores how and why this document has remained vital and active while other Constitutions have failed. After examining the drafting and ratification of the Constitution in the late 1780s, the course uses a close reading of significant Supreme Court decisions to examine the Constitution’s major doctrines and the Supreme Court’s interpretation of those doctrines. Among other topics, the course will cover the allocation of power among the three branches of federal government, the role of the federal judiciary, federalism, the power of Congress to regulate, due process, and individual rights.