08949 - Comparative Constitutional Law (A-L)

Learning outcomes

The objective of the course of Comparative Constitutional Law is to provide students with the following basic knowledge of the comparative method in order to achieve both practical and theoretic purposes; the knowledge of the different systems of sources, of the organization of various forms of State and Government and of the diverse Constitutional Courts. According to the objective of the course, the student will in particular learn the regulation of the institutional structures, with special attention to the sources of law, to the evolution of the forms of State and Government and to the protection provided by the different Constitutional Courts. Furthermore the student will be able to apply the above-mentioned knowledge to European, international and institutional studies.

Course contents

The course is structured as follows: 

1. Introduction to Comparative Constitutional Law

2. Classification of legal systems: the families

3. Constitution and Constitutionalism

4. The sources of law

5. The sources of civil law

6. The sources of common law

7.The Constitutional organization. Forms of State and forms of Government

8.Constitutional justice

Readings/Bibliography

ATTENDING STUDENTS

G. Morbidelli, L. Pecoraro, A. Reposo, M. Volpi, Diritto pubblico comparato, 5ª ed., Giappichelli, Torino, 2015 (forthcoming)

One of the following texts must be chosen by the student:

A. Morrone, Diritti, principi e fonti del diritto, Bologna, Bononia University Press, 2015 (limitatamente ai primi tre capitoli);

T.E. Frosini, Liberté Egalité Internet, Napoli, Editoriale scientifica, 2015;

E. Castorina, Riflessioni sul processo costituente europeo, Torino, Giappichelli, 2010 (limitatamente ai saggi nn. 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10);

F. Rescigno, Il diritto di asilo, Roma, Carocci, 2011;

M. Iacometti, L'organizzazione interna dei Parlamenti , Roma, Carocci, 2010;

C. Locchi, Il diritto degli stranieri, Roma, Carocci, 2011;

P. Bonetti, Terrorismo, emergenza e costituzioni democratiche, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2006;

G. Napolitano, Uscire dalla crisi, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2012 (saggi nn. 6, 7, 8, 9, Conclusioni).

OTHER STUDENTS (NON-ATTENDING)

G. Morbidelli, L. Pegoraro, A. Reposo, M. Volpi, Diritto pubblico comparato, 5 ª ed., Giappichelli, Torino, 2015 (in corso di stampa)

A. Barbera, C. Fusaro, Il governo delle democrazie, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2009

One of the following texts must be chosen by the student:

A. Morrone, Diritti, principi e fonti del diritto, Bologna, Bononia University Press, 2015 (limitatamente ai primi tre capitoli);

T.E. Frosini, Liberté Egalité Internet, Napoli, Editoriale scientifica, 2015;

E. Castorina, Riflessioni sul processo costituente europeo, Torino, Giappichelli, 2010 (limitatamente ai saggi nn. 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10);

F. Rescigno, Il diritto di asilo, Roma, Carocci, 2011;

M. Iacometti, L'organizzazione interna dei Parlamenti , Roma, Carocci, 2010;

C. Locchi, Il diritto degli stranieri, Roma, Carocci, 2011;

P. Bonetti, Terrorismo, emergenza e costituzioni democratiche, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2006;

G. Napolitano, Uscire dalla crisi, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2012 (saggi nn. 6, 7, 8, 9, Conclusioni).

For constitutional texts and materials see:

G. Cerrina Feroni, T. E. Frosini e A. Torre (a cura di), Codice delle Costituzioni, Giappichelli, Torino, 2009; or for a collection that contains the original texts of the constitutions together with translations and major acts of European law A. Morrone (a cura di), Costituzioni e diritto europeo, Esi, Napoli, 2014.

For a collection of useful materials: S. Bagni, G. Pavani (a cura di), Materiali essenziali per un corso di Diritto pubblico comparato, Filodiritto Editore, Bologna, 2013

 

Further readings:

A. Barbera, C. Fusaro, Corso di diritto costituzionale, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2014: chapters I (L'ordinamento giuridico e il diritto costituzionale), V (Le fonti del diritto: concetti generali) , VI (Le fonti del diritto: le singole fonti)

L. Pegoraro (a cura di), Glossario di diritto pubblico comparato, Carocci, Roma, 2009

Teaching methods

The program will be entirely developed during the lectures. Other instruments, such as videos and projector, will be used by the Professor .

Assessment methods

The exam for attending students will consist of three mid-term exams and of a final oral exam, which will concern the part of the course not covered by the written examinations.

Written examination

During the course there will be three intermediate written tests about specific parts of the program; the aim of the these tests is to evaluate the level of knowledge of the topics explained during the lectures.

The evaluation will be given out of 30 points: the sufficient mark is 18/30.

The time given is 40 minutes.

 

Refusal to vote for the written tests.
Students who have achieved a positive vote in all three mid-term tests, may refuse to vote for one of the three tests and recover evidence in the oral examination.

Oral examination

All students will have to take an oral examination on the final part of the program not covered by the written tests.

If a student is absent during one intermediate test or the evaluation of one intermediate test is insufficient, that part will be added to the oral part of the exam. Both parts will be examined at the end of the course at the final oral exam.

Students who do not exceed 2 to 3 written intermediate exams, must take a double examination on the whole full-students' program, consisting of written exam and a subsequent oral examination, both by attending the entire program. The written test will be evaluated for the admission to the oral and the final evaluation. The two tests are held on the same day and in the same place, so that the enrollment for the first examination includes also the enrollment for the second.

The same rule is applied to FULL-TIME students who have attended the lectures but do NOT take the intermediate exams.

The oral test is strictly complementary to the written tests and it is considered as a functional verification of the overall preparation of the candidate, but also as a tool to examine deeply the understanding of the contents of the syllabus. Therefore it is an important verification that concerns the whole program done.

The final mark is determined by the marks of the intermediate tests and the oral test, which must all be sufficient.

The results of the intermediate examinations and the status of full-time student will be considered valid until September. Therefore after September students are considered non-full-time students.

The exam for non-attending students will consist in a written examination and a subsequent oral examination. The written test will be evaluated for the admission to the oral and the final evaluation. The two exams will be held on the same day and in the same place, so that the enrollment for the first examination includes also the enrollment for second.

During the winter session (January and February) students can take the exam just once: if they do not pass the exam on that date or they do not accept the grade, the exam can be taken again but only in September, which is the last opportunity to maintain the validity of the written tests.

  Students in debt exam the A.A. previous:

ATTENDING: The exam for students attending the debt A.A. above, will consist of a written test and an oral test according to the procedures and criteria set for students attending the A.A. in progress. Thus the student who declares attending will support the examination also on the parts of the program explained in class and not in the manual.
NOT- ATTENDING: The exam for students in debt NOT attending will follow the same procedures and the same criteria set out above for students NOT attending the AA ongoing.

Teaching tools

Students in any case can ask the professor questions after lectures or during office hours. The professor is also contactable via email at edoardo.raffiotta@unibo.it  

There are also, as a possible means for the study, the following websites:  
Specialized Search Engines: Cicerone: www.diritto.it / cicerone.html; Normattiva (the portal to current regulations): www.normattiva.it / static / index.html; Diritto e diritti: www.diritto.it/ #  Infoleges: http://www.infoleges.it/ 
Italy
Italian Constitution: http://www.cortecostituzionale.it/documenti/download/pdf/Costituzione_della_Repubblica_italiana.pdf ; Italian Constitutional Court: www.cortecostituzionale.it (or alternatively consult the texts of the decisions in the site www.giurcost.org);  Italian Parliament: www.parlamento.it ; House of Representatives: www.camera.it ; Senate: www.senato.it;  Presidency of the Republic: www.quirinale.it ; Italian government www.governo.it; Superior Council of Judiciary: www.csm.it 
European Union:  Europe (the portal of the European Union): http://europa.eu/index_it.htm;  The treaties: http://europa.eu/abc/treaties/index_it.htm;  Institutions: http://europa.eu/about-eu/institutions-bodies/index_it.htm;  Court of Justice and other courts: http://curia.europa.eu/ ; Eurlex (the right of the EU): http://eur-lex.europa.eu/it/index.htm 
International organizations:  UN: www.un.org/; Council of Europe: www.coe.int / lportal / web / coe-portal;  European Court of Human Rights: www.echr.coe.int/echr/ (the texts of the decisions are available in English and / or French);  Nato: www.nato.int / cps / en / natolive / index.htm 
Foreign constitutional texts:  Archive of historical constitutions: www.dircost.unito.it / index.shtml;  Constitution finder: http://confinder.richmond.edu/  International constitutional law: www.servat.unibe.ch/icl/; Political resources: http://www.politicalresources.net/ (for each country in the world all the most important political sites, including those of the institutions with the text of the Constitution)

Office hours

See the website of Edoardo Carlo Raffiotta