Dr. Xavier Scott

Office: Ross S 447
Phone Number:  (416) 736-2100 Ext. 33134

E-mail: xscott@yorku.ca

Office Hours: Tuesday & Thursday: 12:30-1:30 and by appointment

In this course we will ask the following set of core questions: What is a constitution?  Why are constitutions thought to be valuable?  What do they promise to deliver?  What does a society commit itself to in recognizing in law fundamental divisions of power and sometimes basic rights and freedoms?  We will attempt in this course to build an understanding of the nature of constitutions and why their characteristic features are often matters of divided and mixed commitment.

Readings are available electronically on the Moodle website associated with the course.

The course involves two lectures each week, which will be comprised of a combination of lecture-style presentation of themes and arguments in theories of constitutionalism, and in-depth group discussion of the merits of the views under consideration.  The required readings are central to the course, and must be read carefully.

1. Students will be able to engage the major contemporary debates in constitutional theory, and the moral systems and theories underlying various positions in those debates.
2. Students will be able to think critically about the nature and purpose of constitutions, the limits of constitutional order, and what constitutions can tell us about law in general.
3. Students will develop advanced analytic and communicative skills in philosophy; namely, the ability to articulate and defend a coherent thesis within an essay, as well as the ability to absorb, synthesize and reflect upon complex information gained from reading assignments and classroom discussion.