(a) To be acceptable to the Foundation, those courses related to the Constitution referred to in §2400.43(b) must amount to at least 12 semester or 18 quarter hours or their credit hour equivalent of study of topics directly related to the United States Constitution. More than 12 semester hours or their credit hour equivalent of such study is strongly encouraged.

(b) The courses that fulfill the required minimum of 12 semester hours or their credit hour equivalent of study of the United States Constitution must cover one or more of the following subject areas:

(1) The history of colonial America leading up to the framing of the Constitution;

(2) The Constitution itself, its framing, the history and principles upon which it is based, its ratification, the Federalist Papers, Anti-Federalist writings, and the Bill of Rights;

(3) The historical development of political theory, constitutional law, and civil liberties as related to the Constitution;

(4) Interpretations of the Constitution by the Supreme Court and other branches of the federal government;

(5) Debates about the Constitution in other forums and about the effects of constitutional norms and decisions upon American society and culture; and

(6) Any other subject clearly related to the framing, history, and principles of the Constitution.

(c) If a master's degree program in which a Fellow is enrolled requires a master's thesis in place of a course or courses, the Fellow will have the option of writing the thesis based on the degree requirements. The preparation of a master's thesis should not add additional required credits to the minimum number of credits required for the master's degree. If a Fellow must write a thesis, the topic of the thesis must relate to subjects concerning the framing, principles, or history of the United States Constitution. If the Fellow can choose between two degree tracks, a thesis track or a non-thesis track, the Foundation in general, requires the non-thesis track.

[61 FR 46734, Sept. 5, 1996, as amended at 69 FR 11814, Mar. 12, 2004]