Most folks in this country are unhappy with the current Constitution. It also seems clear that
our society has many problems, both current and long-term, that can’t get solved without some
basic changes in how we operate as a country. Whether due to inertia, reverence for the
“founding fathers” and their masterwork, or fear of our fraught political environment, we—as a
political community—are not engaging with this essential question. This course will consist of
two lectures on the nature of constitutions and the history of constitutional change in the US.
Then we will spend two sessions discussing proposals for change from the incremental to the
fundamental as the basis of a dialogue on what sort of country we want to have. We will
explore ideas for changes to the relationship of individuals to their government, the specifics of
each branch, the political/electoral system, and the process of amendment and ratification.