Bill of Rights and the Uniform Code of Military Conduct

Podcast Series Instructor’s Guide

The podcast Series is designed to introduce Midshipmen to the study of rights and liberties as protected by the Constitution of the United States through the Bill of Rights. Importantly, we address how the Bill of Rights interacts with the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

From the start, we stress the fact that on Induction Day, all Midshipmen swear an oath to the Constitution of the United States, and in so doing, commit to the responsibilities as citizens and naval leaders represented within the four corners of the document.

The Series examines freedom of speech and freedom of the press – as well as freedom of freedom of thought, belief, and association. In addition, the Series addresses the right to privacy, the rights of those accused of crimes, and the rights and protections secured under the two clauses of the First Amendment relating to religious liberty – the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause.

The Series is rooted in the conviction that constitutional law is an intricate blend of politics, history, and competing values. Even though judicial decisions are couched in language and methods used by lawyers, leaders have a responsibility to understand the what is written. Constitutional interpretation represents the choices made about the meaning of the Constitution. These choices in turn affect the operation of the political system, define individual rights and freedoms, and influence the lives of Americans in general, and the mission and outcomes that military members should expect.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: The purpose of the Series is:

1) to give Midshipman\JOs an understanding of the manner in which the Constitution of the United States protects rights and liberties;

2) to introduce Midshipman\JOs to the system of adjudication and to the methods by which judges interpret case-law, statutory law, and the text of the Constitution;

3) to allow Midshipman\JOs to see how the Bill of Rights\ Uniform Code of Military Justice connects and impacts their roles as junior naval officers, in the conduct of their various missions, and in working with and leading their Sailors and Marines in the day-to-day conduct of their lives at home and aboard.

The Series is not a one-for-one recitation of the Bill of Rights. The episodes are grouped in such a way that the rights and liberties discussed are grouped in a logical set of ideas and principles. As such, episodes can cover several Amendments during each lesson, as well as cover only a part of an Amendment within each lesson (Episode #2, for instance, is only a part of the First Amendment).

ACCESSING THE PODCATS

The podcasts are located on two different websites. Each of the websites has the full Series – the user may access from which ever site is easiest to choose. And from the websites, faculty, staff and students may access the episodes directly on their laptops, or subscribe and download them on their favorite “players”, such as Apple, Google, Spotify and Stitcher, among others.

Access on the USNA.edu pages HERE.

Access on an outside server, with subscription (player) capability HERE.

The Series is a set of eight, approximately forty-minute episodes. They present ideas and concepts and they tie those concepts to the Naval officer's obligations under the UCMJ.

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

This Series was produced by the Boeing Innovation Laboratory at the Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership at the United States Naval Academy.

Contact Michael Sears at sears@usna.edu for any questions or issues with this content.

 EPISODE ANALYSIS   

 Episodes Playback          Bill of Rights & Analysis       Uniform Code of Military Conduct