00222 - Constitutional Law (R-Z)

Learning outcomes

The course focuses on the analysis of the Italian Constitutional System. The understanding of the constitutional text and its implications involves the studying of: basic notions of the general theory of law, fundamental constitutional principles, sources of law, human rights, constitutional powers, individual rights in the judicial process, local and regional governments, relations between the Italian law system and the European/International legal systems.

Course contents

1. Legal systems and constitutional law. - 2. The State. - 3. The State and the other legal systems. Constitutional law and International law. - 4. Constitutional law and the EU Law. - 5. Sources of law. - 5.1 Theoretical aspects. - 5.2 Sources' rules of production and enactment. - 5.3 The legal source system. - 5.4 The normative acts. - 5.5 The Constitution. - 5.6 Legislative statutes. - 5.7 European sources. - 5.8 Delegated legislation. - 5.9 The regional legal sources. - 5.10 Executive acts. - 5.11 The normative facts. - 6. Fundamental rights. - 7. The organization of political powers. - 8. Ballots, referenda and other forms of direct democracy. - 9. The Parliament. - 9.1 The origins of the first parliaments. - 9.2 The bicameral governments. - 9.3 Organizations and procedures. 9.4 The functions. - 9.5 The power of dissolution. - 10. The Head of the State. - 11. The Government . - 12. The regional and local government. - 13. The public administration. - 14. The individual rights and the judicial process. - 15. The judicial review. - 16. The Italian legal system and its evolution.

Readings/Bibliography

The exam is based on the following texts:

I) General Part

1) A. Barbera, C. Fusaro, Corso di diritto costituzionale, Bologna, il Mulino, 2022;

2) Fifteen cases (three paragraphs for each chapter) chosen from A. Morrone (ed.), Il diritto costituzionale nella giurisprudenza, Padova, Cedam, 2022.

II) Special Part

Students may choose one of the following texts:

1) A. Barbera, Laicità. Alle radici dell'Occidente, Bologna, il Mulino 2023.

2) C. Bologna, Costituzione e partiti antisistema, Napoli, Editoriale Scientifica, 2023.

3) F. Clementi, Il presidente del consiglio dei ministri, Bologna, il Mulino, 2024.

4) G. Formigoni, Storia essenziale dell'Italia repubblicana, Bologna, il Mulino, 2021.

5) C. Martinelli, Il parlamento europeo. Simbolo o motore dell'Unione?, Bologna, il Mulino, 2024.

6) A. Morrone, La Repubblica dei referendum. Una storia costituzionale e politica (1946-2022), Bologna, il Mulino, 2022 (Chapters I-IV, pp. 17-173).

7) A. Pertici, Presidenti della Repubblica. Da De Nicola al secondo mandato di Mattarella, Bologna, il Mulino, 2022.

8) P. Pombeni, La questione costituzionale in Italia, Bologna, il Mulino, 2016 (Chapters I-III, pp. 17-120 and VI, pp. 235-298).

9) D. Tega, La Corte nel contesto, Bologna, Bup, 2020 (Chapters I and III, pp. 23-100 e 183-257).

Case Law

Decisions of Corte costituzionale may be found on the official website of the Corte costituzionale (www.cortecostituzionale.it ) and on the website Consulta on-line (www.giurcost.it [https://www.unibo.it/en/teaching/course-unit-catalogue/course-unit/2022/www.giurcost.it] ).

Legislation

Legislation may be consulted at the webpage www.normattiva.it [http://www.normattiva.it.%20/]. To better prepare for the exam, students may consult a public law code.

For example:

1) M. Bassani, G. Bottino, M. Della Torre, V. Italia, G. Ruggeri, A. Zucchetti (ed.), Leggi fondamentali del diritto pubblico e costituzionale, Milano, Giuffrè, 2021;
2) L. Califano, M. Rubechi (ed.), Guida ragionata alla Costituzione italiana, Rimini, Maggioli, 2019;
3) A. Celotto (ed.), Costituzione annotata della Repubblica italiana, Bologna, Zanichelli, 2022;
4) P. Costanzo (ed.), Testi normativi per lo studio del diritto costituzionale italiano ed europeo, vol. I, Profili organizzativi, and vol. II, Situazioni soggettive, Torino, Giappichelli, 2019;
5) A. Mattioni (ed.), Codice costituzionale, Piacenza, La Tribuna, 2022.
6) L. Mezzetti (ed.), Codice di diritto pubblico, Torino, Giappichelli, 2022.

For an updated commentary on the Italian Constitution, see F. Clementi, L. Cuocolo, F. Rosa, G.E. Vigevani (ed.), La Costituzione italiana. Commento articolo per articolo, Bologna, il Mulino, 2021, vol. I and II.

Teaching methods

Class Timetable

Classes will take place during the first semester, according to the schedule already published.

Assessment methods

Final

The students learning will be verified through a final exam, testing the formative outcomes of the course.
The exam will take place in written and oral form, in the context of the same appeal. It is not possible to separate the written and oral exam in two different exam sessions.
Both parts of the exam will verify the student’s understanding and comprehension of the course’s contents.

In the written assessment, which will take place just before the interview, students will be asked to respond to multiple choice questions in the form of a multiple-choice tests on topics addressed during the course.

The student is admitted to the oral exam with a maximum of 8 errors.

The oral part of the exam will take place right after the written test and it will consist in an interview with professor Tega and the teaching assistants. The assessment will take into account the general knowledge of the main topics of the course, as well as the ability to analyze case law and its theorical implications, the critical approach and argumentative clarity.

By way of example, the following criteria will be used to assess the final grade (that will be out of 30/30):

- sufficient or barely sufficient knowledge of the programme, limited reasoning ability, some difficulties in using technical and legal language → 18-21/30; - fairly good knowledge of the programme, adequate critical reasoning ability, sound use of technical and legal language → 22-25/30; - comprehensive knowledge of the programme, notable reasoning ability, good command of technical and legal language → 26-29/30; - extensive knowledge of the programme, very good reasoning ability, and ability to fully master technical-legal language → 30-30L/30.

Registration for the final exam must be done using the Almaesami application (https://almaesami.unibo.it/almaesami/welcome.htm).

Final Thesis

The thesis topic is given after a talk with the Professor, who will mark the topic and the student name in the Thesis Book. The time and date for the assignment of the thesis will be established by the Professors at the beginning of the course. The editing modalities will be fixed in accordance with the Professors. The final thesis will be delivered to the Professor one month before the delivery to the administration office.

For editing the thesis students may read the following thesis guide:
T.F. Giupponi, A. Morrone, D. Tega, La tesi di laurea in scienze giuridiche, Libreria Bonomo Editrice, Bologna, 2002.

Note for Socrates/Erasmus students

Incoming students - Socrates/Erasmus students are required to study only the textbook A. Barbera, C. Fusaro, Corso di diritto costituzionale, Bologna, il Mulino, 2020. The exam will consist of an oral examination.

Teaching tools

To further the students’ comprehension in Constitutional Law, the Chair will organize several tests, consisting in open-ended questions and multiple choice questions on topics addressed throughout the course.

Office hours

See the website of Diletta Tega