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Curricular information is subject to change
On completion of this module, diligent students should:
1. have gained a general knowledge of comparative law and comparative constitutional law methodologies and approaches;
2. be able to relate Irish (or another referent system) legal system and constitutional (and political) experience to a broader range of legal and constitutional systems;
3. have acquired research skills in comparative law and comparative constitutional studies;
4. have developed the ability to express themselves on comparative law and comparative constitutional legal issues in writing, and orally through the presentation of a group project;
5. have further developed the ability to work individually and as part of a group.
Diligent students should also be able to study in situ (face to face) or remotely (online) using appropriate technological means including Brightspace.
Substantively, the course falls into three parts: examination of Comparative law methodology (first part); examination of comparative constitutional law methodology; exploration of key constitutional issues in a comparative perspective such as constitutional foundations (i.e., definition and classification of constitutions, constitutional design and reform), the organisation of power (i.e., principle of democracy, separation of powers principle, national sovereignty, parliamentary and presidential systems, federal and unitary states), aspects of constitutional justice (i.e., structure and role of the judiciary, rights of citizens with models of rights protection, comparative forms of judicial review) (second part) in order to help with the writing of the group project (third part).
Guest speakers specialised in the comparative study of law may be invited to deliver a guest seminar as part of the trimester schedule.
| Student Effort Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 24 |
| Autonomous Student Learning | 86 |
| Total | 110 |
Not applicable to this module.
| Description | Timing | Component Scale | % of Final Grade | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Journal: Learning Journal (four entries required on pre-indicated themes, 2,000 words) | Week 8 | n/a | Graded | No | 50 |
| Group Project: Writing of provisions of a fictitious constitution on a pre-determined topic (1,500 words) | Week 10 | n/a | Graded | No | 50 |
| Resit In | Terminal Exam |
|---|---|
| Spring | No |
• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment
Feedback will be given on two occasions during T1 to students in LAW10470 Comparative Study of Law: - Prior to the submission of their Learning Journal, students will be given individual feedback on their Journal entries, including their entry on the planning of their group project. The feedback will be given in writing via Brightspace. - After the delivery of their Group Project, each group will be given relevant collective feedback on the content of their project and also on the way it was presented. More details will be made available in the Module Handbook.