Church and State
Fall term, Block D
Th,F 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Professor John H. Mansfield
3 classroom credits LAW-32100A Fall
This course will explore issues arising under the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment. Attention will be given to Supreme Court decisions concerning government aid to education, tax exemption of religious institutions, conscientious objection, disputes over church property and similar topics. The aim of the course is through the exploration of particular problems to develop a general theory of the religion clauses of the First Amendment and of the constitutional ideology that underlies these clauses. As groundwork for this effort, the course will explore the historical background of the religion clauses with particular emphasis on the church-state system in colonial Virginia and the circumstances surrounding the adoption of the First Amendment.