This course emphasizes the constitutional tradition and its importance, going back to the most famous predecessor of the Constitution, the Magna Carta of 1215 CE. Practical assignments, including a review drill that gives students certainty on key facts, are designed to get students actively thinking with the material and communicating about it to others, both philosophically and practically. The course teaches an important area of history and political thought, but more importantly, it helps prepare students to become citizens of the world. History is being treated here as one of the humanities, focusing on active evaluation of ideas related not only to the historical past, but to current events and planning for the future. The course is, therefore, intended to apply as much to international students as to those born in the United States.
