MVV336K The US Supreme Court and Public Schools

Faculty of Law
Autumn 2021
Extent and Intensity
0/1/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
Patrick Casey Leisure, J.D., LL.M. (seminar tutor), prof. JUDr. Ing. Michal Radvan, Ph.D. (deputy)
Guaranteed by
prof. JUDr. Ing. Michal Radvan, Ph.D.
Faculty of Law
Contact Person: Mgr. Věra Redrupová, B.A.
Supplier department: Faculty of Law
Timetable of Seminar Groups
MVV336K/01: Mon 15. 11. 18:00–19:40 041, Tue 16. 11. 16:00–17:40 041, 18:00–19:40 041, Thu 18. 11. 16:00–17:40 041, 18:00–19:40 041, P. Leisure
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 30 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 13/30, only registered: 0/30
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
At the end of the course, students will have an in-depth understanding of the most important constitutional cases involving public schools in the United States. Focusing on the intersection between the U.S. Supreme Court and public schools, the course will survey some of the most famous U.S. constitutional law cases involving schools and, in doing so, illustrate the importance of the American public school as a forum for some of the most prevalent constitutional debates in the United States. The course will highlight the historical, political, and cultural underpinnings of these cases. Students will evaluate competing perspectives on the operation of constitutional law in public schools from the viewpoint of various actors—students, teachers, administrators, parents, judges, and society at large—and think critically about U.S. constitutional law’s intersection with the school.
Syllabus
  • SESSION 1: Introduction—the U.S. Constitution and American public schools
  • Cases:
  • Meyer v. Nebraska 262 U.S. 390 (1923)
  • Pierce v. Society of Sisters 268 U.S. 510 (1925)
  • Minersville School District v. Gobitis 310 U.S. 586 (1940)
  • West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette 319 U.S. 624 (1943).
  • SESSION 2: Freedom of Expression
  • Cases:
  • Tinker v. Des Moines School District 393 U.S. 503 (1969)
  • Fraser v. Bethel School District 478 U.S. 675 (1986)
  • Morse v. Frederick (2007)
  • Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L 594 U. S. ____ (2021)
  • SESSION 3: Equal Protection
  • Cases:
  • Brown v. Board of Education 347 U.S. 483 (1954)
  • Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1, 551 U.S. 701 (2007)
  • San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez 411 U.S. 1 (1973)
  • Vorchheimer v. School District of Philadelphia 430 U.S. 703 (1977)
  • Plyler v. Doe 457 U.S. 202 (1982)
  • SESSION 4: School Discipline and Criminal Procedure
  • Cases:
  • Goss v. Lopez 419 U.S. 565 (1975)
  • Ingraham v. Wright 430 U.S. 651 (1977)
  • New Jersey v. T.L.O 469 U.S. 325 (1985)
  • Vernonia School District v. Acton 515 U.S. 646 (1995)
  • SESSION 5: Freedom of Religion
  • Cases:
  • Engel v. Vitale 370 U.S. 421 (1962)
  • Abington School District v. Schempp 374 U.S. 203 (1963)
  • Stone v. Graham 449 U.S. 39 (1980)
  • Wisconsin v. Yoder, 406 U.S. 205 (1972)
  • Santa Fe Independent School District V. Doe 530 U.S. 290 (2000)
  • Note: A separate detailed course Syllabus will be distributed to those enrolled.
Literature
  • Legislation, scholarly articles, and weekly case studies to be distributed before class.
Teaching methods
Lectures, case studies and discussion.
Assessment methods
This course will be primarily graded by a final paper. Students are encouraged to choose a topic of interest to them. Please see the document on rubric and topic suggestions. Papers should be written in English and will be due three weeks after the conclusion of the class.
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught only once.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/law/autumn2021/MVV336K