03639 - Regional Law

Learning outcomes

At the end of the Regional Law Course, the student, on the basis of the distinguishing criteria that will be provided to him/her, is firstly able to distinguish truly federal experiences from regional, confederal or unitary ones. Secondly, he/she is able to move easily around the legal texts, primarily the Constitution and secondly the primary and secondary sources. Finally, he/she is able to deal with the pronouncements of judges at different levels, with particular regard to the rulings of the Constitutional Court; he/she is thus enabled to interpret and understand these judicial pronouncements.

Course contents

The course of Regional Law focuses on the study of the regional legal system, through the knowledge of the structure and functions of the constituent bodies of the Republic: Municipalities, Provinces, Metropolitan Cities, Regions and the State, in the light of the model envisaged by the Constituent Assembly and the most significant ordinary laws on the subject.
The dynamics of Italian regionalism, in particular, will be examined in the context of the processes of federalisation or strong decentralisation found in European experiences and, in this regard, in-depth seminars will be organised for interested students.
Particular attention will be paid, in the special part of the Course, to the analysis of the most recent dynamics of Italian regionalism and to the study of some regional policies, stimulating students' choral reflection and group work especially in relation to some policies of the Emilia Romagna Region.

Readings/Bibliography

For NON-ATTENDING students, the texts to be studied will be indicated before the beginning of the lessons.
For ATTENDING students, the examination programme will coincide with the ONLY topics and in-depth studies covered in class.

In any case, it is advisable to consult L.MEZZETTI, Codice di diritto pubblico, 2022

It is essential to base the study on the decisions of the Italian Constitutional Court that will be indicated in class. The following Internet sites can be used to find them:

1. www.cortecostituzionale.it
2. www.giurcost.org
The documents required for group work will be made available on virtuale.unibo.it

Teaching methods

The course will be held partly according to the classical lecture model and partly in seminar form, with the active participation of students.
The course is part of the University's teaching experimentation project.

During the course, the lectures will be integrated with the constant use of maps and slide projections to aid comprehension and there will also be some lectures in which students will be involved in group work in which in-depth studies will be carried out on specific regional policies or on cases decided and/or pending before the Constitutional Court.
In this regard, a programme of meetings may be scheduled for in-depth seminars as well as for supplementary teaching activities through the analysis of regional texts/ rulings or documents.
In parallel with the lectures, in order to facilitate students and prepare them for the activity required in any future competitive examinations, one or more written exercises will be organised via the virtual.unibo.it platform. The students will be able to check the correctness of their work as the lecturer will describe the optimal content of the written answer, leaving space for students to ask questions, deepen their knowledge and request verification of any errors made.
In addition, the attending students will be divided into work groups that will be asked to carry out laboratory activities. This activity will be taken into account in the examination.

The lectures will be held in the second semester, therefore the examination can be taken from May 2025.
Please also note that it is preferable to have already taken the Constitutional Law examination.

Class attendance is regulated according to the rules approved by the School of Law. However, the attendance of students who intend to take the examination with the syllabus envisaged for those attending will be documented by the lecturer.

Assessment methods

The examination is designed to assess the achievement of the learning objectives.
The examination consists of an interview with the professor on the topics covered by the course programme.

Particular attention will be paid to the system of regional sources, the form of government, the system of competences and the case law of the Constitutional Court.
The purpose of the oral test is to verify the student's ability to apply his or her knowledge and to make the necessary logical-deductive connections.
The assessment will take into account knowledge of institutional profiles, the ability to analyse doctrinal and jurisprudential orientations, to make connections between the various parts of the programme and to develop critical arguments, as well as clarity of exposition.

The final grade will be determined taking into account the following elements:

- Preparation on a very limited number of topics covered in the course and analytical skills that emerge only with the help of the teacher, expressed in an overall correct language → 18-19;

- Preparation on a limited number of topics covered in the course and ability to autonomous analysis only on purely executive matters, expression in correct language → 20-24;

- Preparation on a large number of topics covered in the course, ability to make autonomous choices of critical analysis, mastery of specific terminology → 25-29;

- Substantially exhaustive preparation on the topics addressed in the course, ability to make autonomous choices of critical analysis and connection, full mastery of specific terminology and ability to argue and self-reflection → 30-30L.

For attending students, the final grade will take into account active participation in the classroom and presentation of group work, as indicated on the first day of class.

Teaching tools

In addition to the traditional tools for studying the subject, such as the adopted texts, slides will be projected and in-depth material on the most significant topics of the syllabus will be distributed during the lessons. Supplementary and in-depth material will be constantly made available to students via the on-line platform.

Students who, for reasons dependent on disabilities or specific learning disorders (DSA), require compensatory aids may inform the teacher of their needs so that they can be referred to the contact persons and the most appropriate measures can be agreed upon.

Office hours

See the website of Caterina Drigo

See the website of Anna Camilla Visconti