Hist A-84: American Constitutional History from the Framing to the Present
So I’m taking a course this semester: Hist A-84: American Constitutional History from the Framing to the Present. Morton J. Horwitz, Charles Warren Professor of American Legal History, teaches the course, and he’s great. I think he’s very enthusiastic about the material. Most, if not all, of the Teaching Fellows have their JD degree already, and some are working on either a PhD or SJD. It’s a class act (no pun intended).
However, I only recommend the class if you are a scholar who is not afraid to work hard. That’s exactly what the course takes–hard work. The reading can bury you. I’m not kidding. I read 87 Supreme Court cases this semester. Not to mention Michael J. Klarman’s book, and Professor Horwitz’s Warren Court book. It’s not an easy course, and it shouldn’t be. I don’t think I’ve ever liked a course as much as this one. Regardless of the reading, Horwitz is a smart guy; he knows how to frame an argument like Vincent van Gogh frames a scene in his paintings. He just gets it right.
I highly recommend it for the scholarship, but only if you can read large amounts of course material.