LAW 480 - First Amendment - The Religion Clauses

In this course we will study the First Amendment’s religion clauses - the Free Exercise clause and the Establishment Clause. The core of the course examines how government interacts with religion, and the interplay between free exercise and establishment, in three key areas: government regulation of religious activity and institutions, government funding of religious activity and institutions, and governmental attempts to promote a common culture or political ethos. Our primary focus will be on current First Amendment doctrines concerning religion. Time permitting, we may also examine the intersection between the religion clauses and the First Amendment’s Free Speech Clause.