00236 - Comparative Public Law

Learning outcomes

The course aims to:

• familiarize students with the basic aspects of contemporary constitutionalism in Western democracies, countries in transition to democracy, and beyond;

• demonstrate how comparative constitutional law, by revealing how other systems address similar issues, offers valuable insights into one’s own legal system and legal culture;

• encourage students to critically evaluate the foundations of individual legal systems, including the assumptions, choices, and values that shape them;

• provide a critical understanding of the strengths and limitations of constitutional law in regulating social and political processes.

Course contents

The course is divided into a general part and a special part.

The general part covers the following topics: forms of state and forms of government; the constitution and its evolution; the liberal democratic state; federalism and regionalism; the constitutional protection of human rights; and authoritarian and hybrid regimes.

The special part focuses on selected concrete constitutional experiences, with particular emphasis on the Israeli constitutional system as a case study.

Readings/Bibliography

• GIUSEPPE DE VERGOTTINI, Diritto costituzionale comparato, decima edizione (Padova, Cedam, 2022). Parte seconda, cap. III sezioni I e VI, and parte terza, cap. II sezioni II e III, are excluded.

• LEONARDO PIERDOMINICI, Evoluzioni, rivoluzioni, involuzioni. Il costituzionalismo israeliano nel prisma della comparazione (Padova, Cedam, 2022)

• On-line materials

Teaching methods

The course will be delivered through lectures and seminars, including sessions led by visiting foreign professors, with the support of slides and online resources.

Lectures in the first semester will take place in accordance with the guidelines published on the University’s website.

Students are strongly encouraged to attend classes regularly and actively participate in discussions.

Attending students will be invited to give a brief oral presentation -individually or in groups - on topics proposed by the professor, to be discussed in class.

Assessment methods

The final exam will consist of an oral examination.

Evaluation criteria:

• knowledge of the course content;

• ability to critically analyze legal doctrine and case law;

• ability to make connections between different parts of the program;

• capacity for critical thinking;

• clarity and precision in exposition;

• proper use of legal terminology.

Teaching tools

All course-related information - including lectures, slides, seminars, relevant events, and useful links to comparative law materials - will be published on the Moodle platform.

Office hours

See the website of Leonardo Pierdominici