Teacher: David Barham
(Read more about his biography here)
Dates for 4 week course:
December 14 to January 22, 2027 (with two weeks of break from December 19 to January 3)
Times for Live Sessions: Monday through Thursday, Starting at 9:15am MT (which is 11:15am ET and 8:15am PT). On Friday at 9:15am MT there will be student group meetings. Each live session lasts between 50 and 70 minutes.
Course Description
This course will introduce students to the glories and complexities of the Bill of Rights: the first ten amendments (plus the Reconstruction amendments, the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth) to the United States Constitution. Through teacher presentations, readings, class discussions, and role playing, students will develop an understanding of and appreciation for the challenges of balancing individual freedoms against competing national interests. How do we keep order and safety while ensuring individuals can live their lives as they choose?
This is a course that truly forces the students to stretch themselves emotionally and intellectually as they explore the very limits and character of freedom within a highly diverse world.
This course will take up topics related to the freedom of speech, religion, the press, the right to peacefully assembly, to petition the government for a redress of grievances (First Amendment), to keep and bear arms (Second Amendment), to be protected from unreasonable searches and seizures (Fourth Amendment), as well as the protections afforded those facing criminal prosecutions (Fifth, Sixth, Secenth and Eighth Amendments). We will also explore the seemingly simple, but profoundly important Ninth & Tenth Amendments to better understand the nature of the country the Founders set in motion.
Students will study and re-enact Landmark Supreme Court cases to more deeply understand how our country has been shaped over time through “Justice for All.”
Additionally, we will explore Media Literacy and how to find out what is actually happening in our country and the world in a complex media landscape, often marked by misinformation or disinformation. Students will learn to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media in various forms, and to develop the capacity to reflect critically and act ethically, leveraging the power of information and communication to engage with the world and contribute to positive change.
Students will need access to a paper or digital copy of the US Constitution and Bill of Rights.
Note: There are limited spots in this class, your student may be waitlisted if the enrollment is high.
