Constitutional Law
PROF. MASSIMO CARLI
COURSE AIMS
The main objectives of the course are: 1) lay the foundations for a legal education
that does not neglect history, always necessary to understand current positive law;
2) provide with the tools necessary to interpret law with an eye on constitutional
values; 3) convey to students an awareness that the Constitution is a charter of
fundamental values that is a barrier no matter what the majority is.
COURSE CONTENT
– The basic concepts of law, with special reference to the sources.
– The evolution of the forms of State and government in Italy, from the Albertine
Statute to the Republican Constitution.
– The structure and functions of the constitutional organs (electorate, parliament,
government, President of the Republic and the Constitutional Court).
– The structure and functions of the judiciary, ordinary and administrative.
– The structure and function of the regions and local authorities.
– Freedoms and how they are protected.
– The relationship of central government and the regions with the EU system.
READING LIST
The following textbook is recommended to be used to study for the exam:
CARETTI-U. DE SIERVO, Diritto costituzionale e pubblico, Giappichelli, Turin, latest edition or other
textbook agreed with the lecturer.
TEACHING METHOD
Lectures.
ASSESSMENT METHOD
Oral exam on the content of the course textbook. Students are invited to sit an interim
test in mid January on the part of the course already completed at that stage. The final exam
will not contain any direct questions on the part covered by the interim test but students
must still demonstrate that they know all of the material. Students may decline the grade
obtained in the interim test. Students who pass the interim exam in January may sit the exam
on the second part of the course in a special early session scheduled for April or during the
normal later exam sessions.
In order to study for and successfully pass the exam students need to know the
Constitution and the main legislation on constitutional law. It is helpful to have a
compendium for that purpose, for example, A. MATTIONI (ED.), Codice costituzionale, La
Tribuna, Piacenza, latest edition available.
NOTES
Further information can be found on the lecturer's webpage at
http://docenti.unicatt.it/web/searchByName.do?language=ENG or on the Faculty notice
board.