This course examines the origins and development of our nation's basic law, the Constitution of the United States of America. It blends the historical, legal and philosophical perspectives on our country's founding document, beginning with the intellectual and historical background through the drafting of the Constitution. Topics to be covered in the first part of the course include: the convention debates, the contributions of the framers, the ratification debates, and the Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers. This is followed with the historical development of political practices under the Constitution and various theories of the Constitution. The last section of the class provides an examination of various areas of Constitutional Law.