Public Law

The aim of the course is to provide students with the tools to understand and master the main concepts of contemporary constitutionalism and the fundamental institutions of - not only - Italian public law, with particular regard to: the legal phenomenon; the State and its constituent elements; the forms of State; the forms of government; the relationship between the state system and the other legal systems; the institutional system of the European Union and its impact on national law; the system of sources of law in the Italian legal system and its relations with the sources of the European Union; the general principles of the Italian constitutional order; the electoral body and the institutions of direct democracy; the Italian constitutional organization (Parliament, President of the Republic, Government); the regionalism and the local government system; the constitutional principles relating to public administrations; freedoms and fundamental rights; the organization of the judiciary and constitutional justice. The issues will be addressed through the analysis of the institutions, of the constitutional text (to which constant reference will be made during the lectures) and of the main laws, which will also be examined considering the most recent institutional, political and social developments. Furthermore, the necessary tools to develop legal reasoning and to study other legal subjects will be provided.

At the end of the course the student will acquire a correct legal methodology and the fundamental notions of Italian public law in its historical evolution, in its current structure and in the light of the process of European integration. The student will be able to: develop critical and in-depth skills in public law and comparative public law, thanks to the analysis of some jurisprudential cases that will be presented during the lectures; recognize and interpret the constitutional rules and the main laws considering the main issues related to contemporary constitutionalism and public law; communicate knowledge through the proper legal language and logical reasoning. Attending the lectures is strongly recommended in order to acquire an adequate methodological approach to the study of the discipline.