Advanced Topics in Constitutional Law

Fall 2026

Professor Seth J. Chandler (Room 340N)

schandler@uh.edu

Class meeting time: Mondays and Wednesdays 10:30 - 11:50

Course Description

This writing seminar empowers students to explore topics in constitutional law and to hone modern academic writing skills. The professor will ensure that students understand the particular demands of academic legal writing -- including the importance of a "thesis" -- and how intelligent use of Large Language Models can greatly enhance research and writing quality. Students will be expected to present their initial topics¹, provide a midstream discussion of their findings and thesis, and make a final "defense" of their thesis. Other students will be asked to provide constructive feedback at each of these stages. Ultimately, qualifying student papers will be compiled into an anthology edited by me and with a Foreword written by me that is likely to be published via Amazon Direct Publishing. Last year's book may be found here. Students will also be expected once or twice during the semester to construct a reading packet for their fellow students based on a scenario provided by the Professor. The problem will then be collectively explored by the class. Several days will also be devoted to a general discussion of contemporary issues in Constitutional Law; the precise topics will depend on events occurring during the Fall semester.

I am going to try to keep the reading burden in this class relatively light -- at least relative to my usual practice. We do need to study various doctrines and to do that we still need to read. But I want the emphasis in this course to be on interactive discussion (based on knowledge) and on writing in collaboration with AI. What this means, however, is that the livelihood and success of this course depends on your vigorous participation in class.

Materials

Students must have either a paid Claude subscription (approximately $20 per month) or a paid ChatGPT subscription (approximately $20 per month). Students who elect Claude should also have at least ChatGPT Go ($8 per month), which I recommend. Students must also obtain free Gemini Advanced and the free book GenAI in Legal Education: A Practical Guide for Professors and Students.

Class Organization

Classes will take one of several forms:

Tooling Days

Here the goal is to show you how to use AI-based tools to improve research, writing, and editing

Claude Cowork
Connectors and Skills
NotebookLM
AI writing process
Munsterman skils

Professor E-Packet Days

Read the E-Packet Guide first. It explains what an E-Packet is and what it must contain.

I will assign myself several days in which to present an E-Packet. The E-Packet will be ready at least four days in advance of class.

What's an E-Packet? An E-Packet contains at a minimum:

(1) a NotebookLM Notebook that contains, at a minimum,

(a) Sources that include Supreme Court decisions, edited statutes, and other material relevant to the topic. Cases you provide should be briefed using the /case-briefer skill and added as a Source.

(b) The following artifacts created using the Studio feature. All artifacts should be customized to address the issues you think are most important.

(1) A Deep Dive and Debate of default lengths

(2) A detailed Slide Deck

(3) A medium difficulty Quiz with fewer questions

(4) An Explainer video and a Short Video

(2) An interesting and challenging contemporary problem based on the materials in the NotebookLM that the class will work through under the Notebook student's guidance and with my help. The problem should be added as a source for the Notebook. The Notebook student should have an answer prepared and should do legal research using all tools at their disposal to help them.

The E-Packet may also contain a link to a website you have created using Gemini (with Canvas) or otherwise. I will show you how to do this.

Student E-Packet Days

Once enrollment in the course stabilizes, I will create a correspondence between each of you and a day or days in which you are required to create an E-Packet. The E-Packet student will lead discussion during the assigned day (or session during the day). The students are not "E-Packet" for that day, should have interacted with the E-Packet in advance of class so that they are prepared both to discuss the problem and to discuss the constitutional (or social/political) issues raised by the E-Packet.

Current Events Days

There is a lot going on in Constitutional Law. I want to set aside a few classes to study the constitutional implications of various events or perhaps to take a look at cases decided by the Supreme Court during the prior term. The format for these classes is TBD.

Paper Presentation Days

Students will present their topics (1 day); fellow students will provide constructive criticism using the Volokh book. Students must meet with me for 15 minutes before presenting their topics. Students should prepare a 250 word document outlining the topic and distribute it to students one day in advance. Other students should be prepared to critique the topics, ask questions, and suggest ways the topic could be sharpened, limited or generalized.

First draft presentations (1 day)

Students will present their initial findings; fellow students will suggest areas for further research and focus on whether there is a coherent thesis. Students MUST meet with me for 30 minutes before making these presentations and should be prepared to explain and defend what they have done. They will provide students with a 1000 word summary of their work as well as have a slide deck or other visual aid. They should discuss research and writing challenges. It is imperative that the material be in the student's head. The fact that "AI" understands the material is insufficient.

Second draft presentations (2 days)

Students present their second drafts; fellow students will admire the work and provide modest suggestions. They should discuss remaining research and writing challenges. It is very important that the paper have a clear thesis by this point and a clear solution that can be subjected to challenges and test cases. Other students should be prepared to provide constructive feedback. Students MUST meet with me for 30 minutes before making these presentations and should be prepared to explain and defend what they have done. It is imperative that the material be in the student's head. The fact that "AI" understands the material is insufficient.

Learning Objectives

Develop advanced critical thinking abilities to analyze complex legal issues from multiple perspectives and identify underlying assumptions in legal arguments.
Understanding that constitutional law is a broader topic than is traditionally addressed in an initial survey course.
Understand the profound role of history in constitutional law.
Appreciate the importance of state constitutions in addition to the federal constitution
Master sophisticated research methodologies that blend traditional legal research with emerging technological tools, including mastery of using contemporary AI/LLMs for research and writing.
Understanding the techniques for grounding any AI-based research and for addressing system flaws in current AI writing.
Understanding the techniques and importance of subjecting one's writings to intensive but constructive criticism throughout the research and writing process
Understanding that at least at present, AI collaboration in production of scholarship must be intensively directed by the human, that the human remains responsible for the content, and that for most purposes the human must internalize that has been written the same way as if the human had written it themselves.
Refine persuasive writing abilities to construct well-reasoned arguments supported by appropriate evidence and authority.
Strengthen oral communication and presentation skills necessary for articulating complex legal concepts to non-expert audiences. How to use non-textual materials such as audio, video, diagrams, websites to augment understanding
Build collaborative competencies through providing constructive feedback and engaging in scholarly dialogue with peers.
Enhance project management capabilities by developing research plans, meeting deadlines, and producing high-quality deliverables.
Develop information synthesis skills to distill complex legal materials into clear, concise, and accessible formats.
Cultivate intellectual curiosity and self-directed learning habits that extend beyond formal education. Study of Constitutional Law should be fun.

Grading Rubric

5% topic selection and presentation
5% midstream presentation
10% final presentation
20% E-packet creation
20% first draft
30% second draft
10% final draft

The professor reserves the right to raise or lower student grades by one unit based on class participation. Grading will not be anonymous in this course.

Policies

Attendance

Students must attend at least 80% of class sessions.
Attendance link is [tbd]
Attendance must be in person unless (1) I have designated the class as a "Zoom class" or (2) it is one of four classes that the student may choose to attend via Zoom. Students may not Zoom in on a presentation day. It is very likely that September 9, 2026 will be a Zoom class.
If you observe religious or cultural holidays that will coincide with class sessions, please let me know as soon as possible, so that we may make arrangements. I follow state law on the subject.

Civility and Free Speech

In this course, all students are welcome. Constitutional law involves issues about which people care deeply. A skill I want you to develop is an ability to really hear positions and arguments with which you may disagree and develop ways of persuading a broad spectrum of people of your position. Yelling or ad hominem attacks are seldom effective in this regard.

If you have a name or form of address that you prefer, let me know. I like to go by "Professor Chandler" in class. I don't like the "Hey" salutation, as in "Hey, Professor Chandler."

AI Policy

I believe that AI and Large Language Models can be very helpful in the study of law -- IF USED PROPERLY. Used improperly, it can be both a disastrous crutch and a vehicle to create serious errors and get you in trouble. So, for my course, here are the rules. AI can be extremely helpful in improving and accelerating the work of lawyers. You should use AI in drafting, editing, research. Unless I tell you otherwise, I do not consider the use of AI to be "cheating." But you must know how to use AI well. Most "failures" of AI are due to humans not understanding their capabilities, how one communicates with them, and their limitations. Large Language Models tend to hallucinate and they are not yet as good as skilled humans in areas of their expertise where the humans have adequate time. Even with trillions of parameters, they do not hold the entire body of primary and secondary legal materials humanity has generated. You are responsible for anything you say or write whether AI, your neighbor, the Internet or whatever was the source of your information. It is your job to verify information fully and sensibly. Moreover, although AI is often a good first start in legal analysis, ultimately, at least for now, the information and ideas have to get into your brain.

Disabilities

If you anticipate or experience barriers based on a disability (including any chronic or temporary medical or mental health condition), please feel free to reach out to me so that we may discuss options. If you require any support services, you may contact Ms. Samantha Ary, Academic Records Coordinator. Ms. Ary is located in room 44A TU-II in the Office of Student Services suite, and she can be reached at sary@central.uh.edu or 713-743-7466. Requests for accommodation that involve graded assignments must be directed to Ms. Ary and should be made as soon as possible to allow adequate time to document and to process the request

Office Hours

TBD

Faculty Assistant

My Faculty Assistant is Gabriella Campos. gbcampo2@central.uh.edu. +17137436721

Administrative Policies

The UHLC Honor Code applies to all aspects of this course. You are responsible for knowing all Honor Code provisions and for complying with the Honor Code. Please inquire if you have any questions regarding how the Honor Code's provisions apply to specific activities or situations related to this course. Your continuing enrollment in this course is deemed to be a pledge by you under the Honor Code to comply with the Honor Code in relation to this course and to comply with the instructions in the course syllabus.

Please check and use your Cougarnet email for communications related to this course. Faculty use the Cougarnet email to respond to course-related inquiries such as grade queries or progress reports for reasons of FERPA. To access your Cougarnet email, login to your Microsoft 365 account with your Cougarnet credentials. Visit University Information Technology (UIT) for instructions on how to connect your Cougarnet e-mail on a mobile device.

Please note that the instructor may need to make modifications to the course syllabus. Notice of such changes will be announced as quickly as possible through email or a learning platform.

University Resources

The University of Houston provides information to optimize the online learning experience through our Power-On Website. Please visit this website for a comprehensive set of resources, tools, and tips including: obtaining access to the internet, AccessUH, Blackboard, and Canvas; using your smartphone as a webcam; and downloading Microsoft Office 365 at no cost. For questions or assistance contact UHOnline@uh.edu.

Campus Safety

UHPD provides a security escort service is designed for the community members who have safety concerns and would like to have a Security Officer walk with them, for their safety, as they make their way across campus. Based on availability either a UHPD Security Officer or Police Officer will escort students, faculty, and staff to locations beginning and ending on campus. If you feel that you need a Security Officer to walk with you for your safety, please call 713-743-3333. Arrangements may be made for special needs.

Parking and Transportation Services also offers a late-night, on-demand shuttle service called "Cougar Ride" that provides rides to and from all on-campus shuttle stops, as well as the MD Anderson Library, Cougar Village/Moody Towers and the UH Technology Bridge. Rides can be requested through the UH Go app. Days and hours of operation can be found at the Cougar Ride Website.

Syllabus