Home » Departments and Centres » Academic catalogue » Course detail

Open sidebar menu

Comparative Constitutional Law (LAW-DS-CONLAW-24)

LAW-DS-CONLAW-24

Description

Constitutional democracies worldwide are experiencing crises and backsliding in a variety of forms. Both the diagnosis of and treatment for their ailments tend to draw on comparative insights, but too often without a reflective approach to cross-country comparison underpinning them. This course will introduce students to the comparative study of constitutions, constitution-making and constitutional change.

We will start with an overview of the field and its methodology and continue with a comparative exploration of institutional arrangements, models of rights protection, and mechanisms for constitutional reform. Readings will cover both influential jurisdictions such as the US, the UK, France, Germany, India, and South Africa, and what are often considered jurisdictions at the periphery, from Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Middle East and North Africa. We will look at both liberal democratic constitutions and what have been termed ‘authoritarian’ or ‘illiberal’ constitutions.

Running themes throughout the course will include: the interplay between constitutional law and politics and between constitutional and international law; tensions between constitutionalism and democracy; constitutions as documents enshrining fundamental values versus entrenching political compromise; and constitutions as the basis for the empowerment versus the suppression of citizens. At the end of the course, students will be invited to reflect on what they consider the promise and limits of the comparative constitutional lens in answering the most pressing political questions of today.

Participants commit to the following:  

• Attending seminar sessions 
• Submission of a one-page reflection paper on a question related to the course material

Reading list: https://readinglist.eui.eu/leganto/public/39EUI_INST/lists/2250103830008406?auth=SAML&idpCode=SAML_LEGANTO 

First, Second & Third Term: registration from 26 to 30 September 2024

 

Register for this course