LAWS 2181 Constitutional Law: Speech and Religion

In this course, students will study the First Amendment rights of free speech, religious exercise, and non-establishment of religion. The course will cover the theories of these rights, their original meaning, and how they have evolved over time. Students will also analyze how these rights overlap or conflict. The course will cover the substance of the rights in question as well as the proper claimants, including whether and when corporate entities can bring constitutional claims. Students will gain a sophisticated knowledge of existing law and develop a strong theoretical foundation for evaluating future cases.

Course overview

Department
Law
School
LAW
Credits
3
Level
Graduate
Offered
Every Fall

Course evaluations

Response-weighted averages from Boston College’s official course evaluations (Avalanche/Blue).

Course rating
4.49 / 5 · Very Good
133 responses
Instructor rating
4.56 / 5 · Excellent
133 responses
Terms evaluated
6
Most recent: Fall 2025

Scales: overall ratings run from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent); agreement questions from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree); weekly effort from 1 (up to 1 hour) to 5 (10 or more hours).

Evaluations by term and instructor
TermInstructorCourse overallInstructor overallWell organizedClear learning objectivesIntellectually challengingHelpful assignmentsApplicable beyond courseAttendance necessaryWeekly effortResponses
Fall 2025Harold Greenfield4.44.44.44.44.74.74.74.94–6 hrs/week30 of 35
Fall 2024Harold Greenfield4.74.94.84.74.84.74.84.84–6 hrs/week28 of 29
Fall 2023Harold Greenfield4.74.74.74.84.74.74.84.94–6 hrs/week21 of 24
Fall 2022Harold Greenfield4.54.74.74.74.74.64.54.7—29 of 30
Spring 2022Nathaniel Romano3.83.64.64.54.64.34.63.64–6 hrs/week8 of 13
Fall 2021Harold Greenfield4.44.54.84.34.34.64.74.61–3 hrs/week17 of 24

Data freshness

Course and evaluation data last updated 2026-10-09. Source details and limitations are documented in Data Sources and Methodology.

Instructors