The National Constitution Center’s professional learning series offers an introduction to the U.S. Constitution and explores methods for constitutional teaching and pedagogy from experienced practitioners. Sessions range from an overview of the Constitution’s text and the leading methods for interpretation, the creation of the Bill of Rights and the underlying principles, and landmark Supreme Court cases to areas of ongoing debate on key topics, including separation of powers, federalism, slavery in America, free speech, digital privacy, the battle for equality, and voting rights.
Each session also features a practicum component led by the National Constitution Center’s education team. Through this practicum component, participants will examine the Constitution through a mix of civil dialogue, critical thinking, and active listening—using resources from the Center’s Constitution 101 curriculum. This free, 15-week curriculum provides students with a basic understanding of the Constitution’s text, history, structure, and case law.
These 90-minute sessions will be hosted on the third Wednesday of each month through Zoom and begin at 6:30 p.m. ET. They are free of charge and can be attended as an entire series or as individual sessions.
Women and the Constitution
Participants will explore the ratification process of the 19th Amendment, which grew out of decades of advocacy by the suffragists and their allies. We will share the connections to federalism, as we discuss the beginning of women’s suffrage out West in the late 1800s and its eventual spread to the rest of the nation. Participants will also gain insight into educational materials to support student learning about women in the Constitution.
