AMH 3552, Spring 2008

Final exam

Throughout this semester, we have watched the Supreme Court wrestle with any number of issues. Some have related to rights and include questions like: Who has rights? What rights exist under the constitution? Who those rights are against. Some have related to the constitutional powers of branches of government, such as: What is the scope of the police power and where is it vested? What is the extent of the Court’s power to review and reverse legislation? Other recurring issues have arisen as well, for example: What are the constitutional implications of immigration? Of racism? Or having a religiously pluralist society? And obviously, these lists do not include all the issues we have seen this semester.

For your final exam paper write an essay that sets out the two issues we considered this semester that you believe were the most important and explain why you think so. Your essay should: a) identify the two issues and define them, b) explain why you consider them the most important issues we considered this semester, and c) pick the one opinion that we read this semester that best exemplifies those issues and demonstrates why they are important.

Note 1: our readings this semester left out many important issues of constitutional law and history. In this essay I am not interested in having you identify the issues you think are the most important in the abstract. I am interested in having you explain which issues were most important given the materials we read this semester.

Note 2: when explaining why you think the two issues you identify are the most important, you must explain three things: why they are important, why other issues are not as important, and what you mean by important.

This exam is due on Friday, May 2 at noon. You may turn it in earlier. If you turn it in later, I will lower your grade and I will give you an I for the course (because grades are due Monday, May 5 and I will not be able to grade later papers in a timely fashion). You may email me your paper or give it to me in person or slide it under my door.

o If you email me your paper, please check back to make sure you have an email from me indicating that I received it.

o If you slide your paper under my office door, please send me an email to let me know you have done so and please check back to make sure I send you an email confirming that I received the paper.

Your papers should be double spaced and use a normal type font. You should put page numbers on your papers, cite your sources, and put your name on the paper. Please review the rules relating to plagiarism, etc, on the website.