UISC 156D - Trials that Shaped America

3 credit(s) High Impact Practice: Diversity
This course examines landmark court cases that changed society from the Civil War to the present day. Combining socio-cultural history with close readings of court documents and trial accounts, the course sheds light on the most powerful controversies that influenced, and continue to influence, contemporary life in the United States. Integrating approaches from cultural history and political science, the course focuses on controversies that exemplify the major social, political and cultural cleavages of their times. In a single semester we cannot cover all the significant cases in twentieth century trial history. However, we will cover ones that represent each of the four themes–challenges to the First Amendment of the Constitution, the fight for civil rights, our understanding of privacy, and the potential for miscarriages of justice–that have shaped the American story.

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