LPPS 3350

I love Sherri Moore as a person but this class was very unorganized. I took Comm Law and loved it and never felt confused about assignment instructions or exam content. This class was a different story. Assignments were changed or announced last minute with very few details. Constant busy work that was pointless and time consuming. The syllabus read no more than 10 pages of reading a week and then ended up being 50+. Interesting class, but not worth your time if it remains this disorganized.

As someone who considers Professor Moore her best UVA professor, I was disappointed by this course. Unlike comm law, where it is pretty straightforward to get an A, constitutional law was poorly organized. Assignments were unclear, not a single date on the syllabus was concrete, and TAs would give different answers to the same questions.

Class was just one big discussion about numerous court cases, where students would give their opinions. We were expected to know very specific facts about every single case mentioned in class for exams. Even with three pages of typed cheat sheets for the final, there was just too much content. The final exam had essay questions - something that was never covered in the previous two exams. I also went to office hours, where TAs gave me different answers to the same question. Weekly assignments consisted of 50+ pages of reading, typed briefs for every case, and preparing for debates. Most weeks, these assignments were unclear. I want to leave a positive review because I love Professor Moore and truly found the class interesting, but I cannot get passed the disorganization.

This class had a lot of potential due to the fascinating content and the opportunity to engage with significant Supreme Court cases. I genuinely enjoyed the readings—even if they were sometimes tedious—and found the class discussions insightful. However, the overall structure of the course was highly disorganized. The syllabus lacked clarity and consistency, and many expectations outlined by the professor and TAs were not reflected in the actual assessments. For example, Professor Moore frequently stated in lecture that we wouldn't be expected to dive into the "nitty gritty" details of each case due to the volume of material. Yet, a significant portion of the exams focused on precisely those details, which felt misleading and unfair. The disconnect between instruction and evaluation made it difficult to succeed in the class, despite a genuine interest in the subject matter.