00222 - Constitutional Law (D-L)

Learning outcomes

The course focuses on the analysis of 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, 2022;
2) Fifteen cases (three paragraphs for each chapter) chosen from A. Morrone (ed.), Il diritto costituzionale nella giurisprudenza, Padova, Cedam, 2022.

II) Special Part

Students may choose one of the following textbooks:
1) L. Gianniti, N. Lupo, Corso di diritto parlamentare, Bologna, il Mulino, 2023 (Chapters III-VII);
2) R. Bin, G. Falcon, Diritto regionale, Bologna, il Mulino, 2018 (Chapters III-V);
3) A. Morrone, Fonti normative, Bologna, il Mulino, 2022 (Chapters VI-XIII).

Case Law

Decisions of Corte costituzionale may be found on the official website of the Corte costituzionale (www.cortecostituzionale.it) and on the website Consulta on-line (www.giurcost.it).

Legislation

Legislation may be consulted at the webpage 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, 2022;
2) A. Celotto (ed.), Costituzione annotata della Repubblica italiana, Bologna, Zanichelli, 2022;
3) P. Costanzo (ed.), Testi normativi per lo studio del diritto costituzionale italiano ed europeo, vol. I, Profili organizzativi, and vol. II, Situazioni soggettive, Torino, Giappichelli, 2023;
4) A. Mattioni (ed.), Codice costituzionale, Piacenza, La Tribuna, 2022.
5) L. Mezzetti (ed.), Codice di diritto pubblico, Torino, Giappichelli, 2022.

For an updated commentary on the Italian Constitution, see F. Clementi, L. Cuocolo, F. Rosa, G.E. Vigevani (ed.), La Costituzione italiana. Commento articolo per articolo, Bologna, il Mulino, 2021, vol. I and II.

For the comparative public law and EU law sections, students may refer to: A. Morrone (ed.), Costituzioni e diritto europeo, Napoli, Editoriale Scientifica, 2014; G. Cerrina Feroni, A. Torre, T.E. Frosini (ed.), Codice delle costituzioni, Torino, Giappichelli, 2009, volume I; E. Palici di Suni Prat, F. Cassella, M. Comba (ed.), Le costituzioni dei paesi dell'Unione Europea, Padova, Cedam, 2001; P. Biscaretti di Ruffia (ed.), Le costituzioni di dieci stati di democrazia stabilizzata, Milano, Giuffrè, 1994, volume I; Id., Le costituzioni di sette stati di recente ristrutturazione, Milano, Giuffrè, 1996, volume II.

Teaching methods

Class Timetable

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

Assessment methods

Final Exam

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

It consists in a written assessment, followed by an oral interview. Both parts of the exam will verify the student’s understanding and comprehension of the course’s contents.

In the written part, which will take place just before the interview, students will be asked to respond to an open-ended question on a topic addressed during the course. The assessment’s result will be taken into account for the exam’s final result, but it will not prejudice the possibility of taking the second part of the exam (i.e., the interview). The essay will be evaluated on a scale from unsatisfactory to excellent (unsatisfactory, satisfactory, good, excellent), and it will consider the student’s understanding of the topics being tested, the clarity of exposition, and the ability to synthesize.

Students will have one hour to complete the essay. The written part will take place the same day of the general exam, as scheduled in the exam session. During the written part students are allowed to use a plain text of the Constitution (not annotated).

The oral part of the exam will take place right after the written once, and it will consist in an interview with the teaching assistants (first half) and with the professor (second half). 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 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.

Final Thesis

The thesis topic is given after a talk with the Professor, who will mark the topic and the student name in the Thesis Book. The time and date for the assignment of the thesis will be established by the Professors at the beginning of the course. The editing modalities will be fixed in accordance with the Professors. The final thesis will be delivered to the Professor one month before the delivery to the administration office.

For editing the thesis students may read the following thesis guide:
T.F. Giupponi, A. Morrone, D. Tega, La tesi di laurea in scienze giuridiche, Libreria Bonomo Editrice, Bologna, 2002.

Note for Socrates/Erasmus students

Incoming students - Socrates/Erasmus students are required to study only the textbook A. Barbera, C. Fusaro, Corso di diritto costituzionale, Bologna, il Mulino, 2020. The exam will consist of an oral examination.

Teaching tools

To further the students’ comprehension of the course in Constitutional law and to enhance their exam preparation, the Chair will organize weekly tutorials starting from November. The tutorials will be on a voluntary basis and students will have the opportunity to take mock exams, which will consist in open-ended questions on topics addressed throughout the course.

The tutorials will be made available to students who regularly attend lectures and they will be on a voluntary basis.

The calendar will be published after the course begins.

Office hours

See the website of Tomaso Francesco Giupponi