00222 - Constitutional Law

Learning outcomes

The course focuses on the Italian Constitution. 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, 2020;

2) 15 cases chosen among the chapters edited by A. Morrone, Il diritto costituzionale nella giurisprudenza, Padova, Cedam, 2020.

II) Special Part

Three chapters ("Costituzione", "Separazione dei poteri", "Giustizia costituzionale" from C. Caruso, C. Valentini (eds), Grammatica del costituzionalismo, Bologna, il Mulino, 2021. 

 

Teaching methods

Class Timetable

Classes will take place during the second semester, according to the schedule that will be published subsequently.

The course will be highly interactive. Theoretical issues will be confronted with practical cases and historical evolution of the italian constitutional system.

Students will show their attendance to classes by signing a list.

Assessment methods

The students learning will be verified through a final exam, testing the formative outcomes of the course.

The final exam consists of an oral exam, focused on the course contents. The first part of the exam will be led by teaching assistants, while the second part by professor.

 

The final grade will consider the results of each part of the exam.

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 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.

Teaching tools

Case Law


Constitutional Court's decisions may be found on the official website of the Court (www.cortecostituzionale.it) and on the website Consulta on-line (www.giurcost.it).
 

Legislation

Legislation may be consulted at the webpage www.normattiva.it [http://www.normattiva.it] .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, 2016;
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, 2015;
4) P. Costanzo (ed.), Testi normativi per lo studio del diritto costituzionale italiano ed europeo, Torino, Giappichelli, 2019;
5) L. Mezzetti, M. Belletti (ed.), Codice costituzionale, Torino, Giappichelli, 2012.

Office hours

See the website of Corrado Caruso