Where modules run over two terms as a 30 credit module, SIL students will attend and be assessed on the contents of term 1. Please note that some modules reflect this with an additional "A" in their module code, but this is not the case for all of them due to special assessment arrangements for SIL students.
All assessments are graded on a pass/fail basis.
COMPARATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL LAW (LAWSG128)
Credit value: 15 credits (6 ECTS) |
Module Convenor:
Professor Dawn Oliver |
| Intercollegiate teaching: No |
| Teaching Method: 10 x two-hour seminars |
| Who may enrol: LLM students, SIL students |
| Prerequisites: None |
| Barred module combinations: None |
| Core module for specialism: Public Law, Comparative Law |
| Assessment |
| Practice Assessment: 3,000 word coursework essay |
| Assessment method for LLM students: 2-hour unseen written examination |
| Assessment method for SIL students: 2-hour unseen written examination |
| Module Overview |
Module summary
This ten week module in Comparative Constitutional Law focuses on liberal democracies and how they change. We start by considering what is the point of comparative constitutional law, and the varieties of constitutions which can be compared. We then discuss a range of unitary common law, and unitary civil law constitutions, federations, a nordic system, a former Communist one, and developing countries. Finally we shall return to comparative law methodology and what we can learn from comparisons. |
Module syllabus
Seminar 1: Introduction to the comparative method in constitutional or public law
Seminar 2: Liberal democracies, their variety and how they change
Seminar 3: Unitary common law systems: UK, Israel, New Zealand
Seminar 4: Unitary civil law systems: France and Italy
Seminar 5: Federal systems I: Spain, Switzerland, Germany
Seminar 6: Federal systems II: USA, Candada
Seminar 7: Nordic system: Finland
Seminar 8: Former Communist system: The Czech Republic
Seminar 9:Developing countries: India and the Republic of South Africa
Seminar 10: Conclusions on the comparative method.
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Recommended materials
How Constitutions Change, edited by Dawn Oliver and Carlo Fusaro, Hart Publishing 2011. This book contains chapters on each of the countries we shall discuss, and two comparative chapters. This will be the course book. In addition students will be advised to read articles and other sources. |
Preliminary reading: N/A |
Other information
This module would pair well with LAWSG139 Constitutional Theory, and with LAWSG052 UK Constitutional Change (if offered).
Students will be given questions and reading to prepare for each seminar, which will take the form of discussion round the table rather than a lecture by Professor Oliver who guides the discussion.
Students will be invited to prepare presentations to the class on particular countries’ constitutions each week.
About ten students normally take the module, many of them from jurisdictions other than the UK (e.g.in recent years Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, Korea, USA ). This means that there is plenty of opportunity for participation and contributions from a range of different perspectives, which produce some surprising and very interesting insights from the students.
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| Prizes for this module: There are currently no prizes available for this module. |
