Course Syllabus

Welcome to SPCN-V536 – Rights and Responsibilities:  How Law Shapes Public Affairs (Section 11187). Tara Ali is the instructor for this course. An outline of the class sessions and a full downloadable syllabus are available in the Modules tab. 

Class Meetings: Days, Times, and Location

This class will be delivered asynchronously online. The full schedule of class meetings and an outline of what we will do in each class is available under the Modules tab. The schedule on Canvas is subject to limited change. Please note: You will be required to use Honorlock for all Application Assessments in this course. If you have an objection to that requirement, please reach out to me immediately to see if we can come to a different solution.

Course Description (from IU Course Bulletin)

Explanation of law in society and its influence on public-sector operations. Examination of central legal principles shaping American governance including the rule of law, supremacy and preemption, due process and equal protection, statutory interpretation, and judicial review of administrative agency action, among others. 

Learning Outcomes

1. Differentiate among the types of lawmaking powers that different levels of government (federal, state, local) and different branches within a given level (legislative, executive, judicial) may exercise with respect to a public policy problem;
2. Identify the circumstances under which selected individual constitutional liberties constrain legislative or executive action to address a public policy challenge;
3. Apply concepts of sovereign immunity to determine when government actors and agencies may be sued and the types of remedies available;
4. Execute legal reasoning;
5. Interpret law in accordance with principles of statutory construction; and
6. Apply key concepts of judicial review of agency action.

Course Materials/Modules 

There is no textbook for this course. The Modules tab on Canvas contains all readings and other prep materials (either as files or hyperlinks). You will need to have access to a computer, tablet, or other device that will work for streaming the class lectures, for completing the course assignments and assessments, and for accessing and utilizing Nexis Uni (available through IUCAT).

Grading Scale