Comparative Constitutional Law

Catalog description

Elective Course Course Requirement: final paper May satisfy the Upper Level Writing requirement This is an introductory course in comparative constitutional law and constitutional design. Throughout the semester, we will explore and compare the constitutional structures of different countries, including the United States, various countries in Europe, several Latin American countries, a group of East Asian countries, and a handful of countries from the developing world. The course will be organized thematically. It will begin by exploring the purposes served by a constitution and the ways that constitutional design can help or hinder the project of establishing democratic government in fragile states. The course will also assess how successful various constitutional models have been at establishing democratic norms throughout the world, including in the world's divided and conflict-ridden societies. This class will also spend time exploring how constitutions evolve and change over time. It will examine how constitutions are amended and the process by which new constitutions are written to replace their old predecessors.