Individual Rights and Freedoms in the U.S. Constitution 2751-SM-S1-3-AM-PIWJ

The course is focused on an analysis of the American model of the constitutional protection of individual rights and freedoms, including its origins, normative foundations, and evolution in the constitutional practice of the United States. The course will address the origins and significance of the Bill of Rights, the structure of constitutional rights and freedoms, the significance of the Fourteenth Amendment, and the role of the U.S. Supreme Court in shaping the legal status of the individual. Particular attention will be paid to selected decisions concerning freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, the right to keep and bear arms, due process guarantees, the right to privacy, and the principle of equality. Students will also analyse issues related to the state action doctrine, the personal scope of fundamental rights, and the relationship between individual rights and the public interest, particularly national security. The course incorporates a comparative perspective, enabling students to contrast the American conception of individual rights with the European and international human rights protection systems and to assess the significance of American constitutionalism for contemporary human rights discourse.