The Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Fellowship Program enlists law students in an effort to increase civic literacy and participation in American democracy. Talented second- and third- year law students prepare and teach a course in Constitutional Law to Camden high school students. The aim is to make the Constitution “come alive” for young people in Camden while simultaneously improving law students' ability to translate and explain complicated legal concepts into lay terms.

Marshall-Brennan is a sequential two-semester course. In the fall semester, meeting weekly in a two-hour seminar, the Fellows will study Constitutional law with a focus on cases and concepts concerning young people and schools. They will draft and execute lesson plans relating to these topics and will discuss pedagogy. Fellows also will research and write a paper on a relevant topic. The fall seminar provides two course credits and qualifies as “writing.”

In the spring, teams of two Fellows each will teach Constitutional law courses at Camden high schools, typically conducting four, 45-minute class sessions each week. Fellows will be entirely responsible for their courses. They will interact with high school teachers, design lesson plans, lead classes and evaluate students. With a continuing focus on issues of law, the spring Seminar sessions also will explore teaching strategies and classroom dynamics and will provide general support for Fellows. The spring course provides three non-course credits and no writing credits.

Note: While every effort will be made to accommodate the convenience of the Fellows, teaching in the spring is a significant time commitment that may require significant flexibility. In particular, students may be required to teach during all or part of the law school's spring break.
    
Fellows are chosen through a competitive process during the spring semester of each year. All interested students are encouraged to apply. A faculty selection committee will choose applicants based on their academic preparation, motivation, maturity and intellectual interest in constitutional issues. Interested students should attend the informational session(s) held during the spring semester.