In the United States, loyalty is not a matter of allegiance to a ruler, a flag, or even to our homeland. Loyalty is measured by faithfulness to the Constitution of the United States. The Constitution was formed by the Founding Fathers by the authority of the people, and it was expected that "We the People would be vigilant to vote out of office those leaders who fail in their sworn duty to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution. Yet for years, Americans have remained silent as the federal government takes more and more power for itself while encroaching on the freedoms of citizens.
In this important high-school-level course, Dr. Michael Farris, founder and chancellor of Patrick Henry College and chairman of the Home School Legal Defense Association, brings the U.S. Constitution to life for modern Americans by examining these questions: What does the Constitution actually say? What does it mean? What were the Founders' intentions for this document? And how is it being interpreted to shape our laws and way of life today? This may be the most important course your student (and future voter) takes this year.
This high-quality spiral-bound workbook is the companion curriculum to the acclaimed DVD series. The workbook contains lesson plans, vocabulary, additional instruction, study questions, and writing assignments.
Constitutional literacy (knowing and understanding the Constitution of the United States of America) has four parts: what the document says (i.e. words and phrases), what the words and phrases meant to the men who wrote them, what the Supreme Court has ruled on various phrases, and lastly, how Supreme Court interpretations have differed from the original meaning. Michael Farris, a Constitutional scholar and lawyer with the Home School Legal Defense Association, designed a course to teach his own daughters the principles of American liberty that are found in the Constitution. That course evolved - revised and expanded through a class of interns for HSLDA, to an online course for homeschool students, and finally as a required course for all students at Patrick Henry College. Now in this form - DVD lectures plus study workbook - it is accessible and doable for all Christian students and families.
The general format is straight-forward and simple: read a workbook chapter, then watch the DVD lecture with the workbook open, pausing to answer questions. Completing one of the 25 episodes each week while also completing one or more of the assignments/projects found at the end of each chapter means the course can be done in an academic school year.
The Workbook lessons have a consistent format and are designed to provide both understanding of the lecture material as well as a resource for remembering and reviewing that material. Lessons include these sections. Purpose - bulleted points that provide an overview. Parlance - a section on vocabulary - the special legal terminology used by legislators, jurists, attorneys, and constitutional scholars. Preamble - introduction of the chapter topic with historical background or in the context of everyday life. Ponder - digging deeper into the specific issues covered in the lecture. Payoff - a summary of the issues and arguments covered in the chapter. Probe - explore how the concepts relate to contemporary issues. Also included in the workbook are profiles of important people, cases, or topics. The author's answers to all questions are available online at the publisher's website. The complete text of the U.S. Constitution and a glossary of terms are included as appendices. 350 pgs, spiral bound
The five-disc set of DVDs provide over eight hours of lecture instruction. Although lectures by Michael Farris are the heart of the DVD content, PowerPoint informational overlays are utilized as well as other multimedia content ensuring the videos are engaging.
This is obviously a valuable course for our students (and parents, as well). ~ Janice
I have heard Michael Farris speak, and I like his stand. He is well informed on our constitution, and our children need to be as well.
To support my teen in obtaining a well-informed Christian perspective of our Constitution on which our country was founded and the importance of upholding our Constitution as our forefathers intended.…
My daughter is using this tool with some other kids around her age to study the importance and meaning of the constitution. We are excited to get started!
This is a good way to learn about the constitution, why it was written and how it applies to our day