The U.S. Constitution is a blueprint for government and a mirror of national conflict. It shapes how power is exercised, which rights are protected, and how membership in the political community is defined. Constitutional law therefore sits at the center of major questions about American life: equality, democratic legitimacy, public order, dissent, religion, and the boundaries of state power. This course introduces students to constitutional law through landmark Supreme Court decisions and present-day controversies. We will study how courts interpret constitutional text, how authority is divided among the branches of government, and how federal and state governments compete and cooperate. Core topics include judicial review, separation of powers, federalism, civil liberties, and civil rights. We will use constitutional doctrine to analyze issues that structure society, including democracy and elections, protest and policing, speech and censorship, race and equality, privacy and technology, and the use of emergency power. Students will practice reading opinions closely, building arguments from legal sources, and explaining how constitutional decisions translate into lived realities. Open to students across disciplines, the course treats constitutional law as a framework for understanding how the United States governs itself—and how it decides what it stands for.