POLb1103 Czech Constitutional Interpretation

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2020
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. et Mgr. Jiří Baroš, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. et Mgr. Jiří Baroš, Ph.D.
Department of Political Science – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Mgr. Lucie Pospíšilová
Supplier department: Division of Politology – Department of Political Science – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Mon 12:00–13:40 P31 Posluchárna A. I. Bláhy
Prerequisites
! POL353 Constitutional Interpretation && !NOW( POL353 Constitutional Interpretation )
Ability to read scholarly text; willingness to participate in in-class discussions.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 30 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 1/30, only registered: 0/30
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The aim of the course is to provide to students of political science the basic orientations in the constitutional theory and praxis. As potential future politicians or bureaucrats the students should understand the limitations of the popularly elected representatives of the people specified by the our Constitution. In constitutional democracies, some steps of the representatives of the people are strictly forbidden. The outline of basic limitations is elaborated in the jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court. Because of this fact, the course will focus on the jurisprudence of the Czech Constitutional Court. Nevertheless, the course will offer its participants the comprehension of the constitutional theory which enables to understand properly the concrete decisions of the Constitutional Court. Therefore, we will discuss such constitutional notions as democracy and constitutionalism, sovereignty of people, constitution, separation of powers, basic rights, human dignity, equality and discrimination or proportionality.
Learning outcomes
Upon completing the course, students will:
- understand the fundamental categories of constitutional theory and constitutional law;
- interpret the key judgements of the Czech Constitutional Court;
- orient themselves in contemporary constitutinal issues;
Syllabus
  • 1. Democracy and Constitutionalism: On the limits of political authority 2. What is Political Authority I? 3. What is Political Authority II? 4. What is Political Authority III? 5. Sovereignty 6. The Separation of Powers and Constitutional Review 7. The Legitimacy of Constitutional Review 8. Human Rights 9. Emergencies 10. State-funding of art
Literature
    required literature
  • Kysela, Jan 2016. Právo jako relativně uzavřený systém a dvojí pojetí výjimečného stavu. Předběžné ohledání schmittovského tématu. In: Výjimečné stavy a lidská práva. Eds. Veronika Bílková, Jan Kysela a Pavel Šturma. Praha: Auditorium, 19-39.
  • Gümplová, Petr 2017. Kritika suverenity v díle Hanse Kelsena. In: Suverenita panovníka, lidu a státu v moderní politické filosofii. Ústí nad Labem: Nakladatelství Jana Evangelisty Purkyně, 97-112.
  • Wendt, Fabian 2018. Authority. Cambridge: Polity,
  • Troper, Michel 2012. Sovereignty. In: The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Constitutional Law. Eds. Michel Rosenfeld and András Sajó. Oxford: Oxford UP, 350-369.
  • Kollert, Lukáš 2017. Suverenita a diktatura ve filosofii práva Carla Schmitta. In: Suverenita panovníka, lidu a státu v moderní politické filosofii. Ústí nad Labem: Nakladatelství Jana Evangelisty Purkyně, 113-141.
  • Baroš, Jiří 2019. Krize právního konstitucionalismu a hledání alternativ. In: Liberální demokracie v době krize. Perspektiva politické filosofie. Eds. Pavel Dufek a Jiří Baroš. Praha: SLON, 93-115.
  • Baroš, Jiří, Dufek, Pavel 2019. Normativní základy principu dělby moci. In: Liberální demokracie v době krize. Perspektiva politické filosofie. Eds. Pavel Dufek a Jiří Baroš. Praha: SLON, 116-131.
  • Ondřejková, Jana 2016. Pravomoci soudů v otázkách rozhodování o výjimečných staveb. In: Výjimečné stavy a lidská práva. Eds. Veronika Bílková, Jan Kysela a Pavel Šturma. Praha: Auditorium, 55-66.
  • Belling, Vojtěch 2019. Eroze státnosti a krize suverenity v éře postnacionálního vládnutí. Brno: CDK, 247-276.
  • BARTOŇ, Michal, Jan KRATOCHVÍL, Martin KOPA, Maxim TOMOSZEK, Jiří JIRÁSEK and Ondřej SVAČEK. Základní práva. 1st ed. Praha: Leges, 2016, 608 pp. ISBN 978-80-7502-128-1. info
  • KYSELA, Jan. Ústava mezi právem a politikou : úvod do ústavní teorie. Praha: Leges, 2014, 352 s. ISBN 9788075020222. info
  • POSPÍŠIL, Ivo. Ústavní soudnictví a lidská práva (Constitutional Justice and Human Rights). In Pavel Dufek, Hubert Smekal. Lidská práva v mezinárodních vztazích. Praha: Wolters Kluwer, 2014, p. 357-373. Lidská práva. ISBN 978-80-7478-720-1. info
Teaching methods
The teaching method will be short lectures followed by seminar discussions (the two parts will not be always strictly separated). Students are encouraged to actively participate by posing questions of clarification and bringing up topics for discussion. They are expected to read the assigned reading(s) for each seminar carefully and prepare their own comments and questions.

Sumary: lectures
in-class discussions
debate contests
reading and analysis of texts
Assessment methods
(1) Participation in two discussion sessions. For a discussion session three groups will be created: the first one will answer the question positively and defend the corresponding position, the second one will take the opposite stance The third group will act as referees. Students will create groups during the third week at the latest.
(2) 1x position paper
(3) Written test, at least 60 % points
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2019.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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