Decisions of the Supreme Court such as Brown v. Board of Education and Roe v. Wade have inspired extensive debate among academic scholars as to the role of the Supreme Court in our system of government and the proper way to interpret the Constitution.  This seminar will provide an in-depth examination of the most important issues in constitutional theory.  The main topics to be addressed will be the idea of constitutionalism in the U.S., the justification of judicial review in a representative democracy, and the various theories of constitutional interpretation proposed by scholars.  The readings for the course will be extensive, and will represent the wide diversity of opinion present in contemporary theoretical debates. (3 Credits)