PowerPoints
Fundamental Concepts in the Study of Constitutions and Constitutionalism (Lecture Nos. 1-3).
Lecture 1: Nature and character of Constitutions—From Constitution to Constitutionalism. 001_ECUPL-CompConst_F2019
Lecture 2: Constitutional Interpretation 002_ECUPL-CompConst_F2019
Lecture 3: Federalism and Internationalism Within and Around Constitutions 003_ECUPL-CompConst_F2019
From First Through Fifth Generation Constitutions–Are Constitutional Ideals Endogenous or Exogenous to National Constitutional Orders (Lecture Nos., 4-8)
Lecture 4: First Generation Constitutions (U.S.; France and a look back at the U.K.) .004_ECUPL-CompConst_F2019
Lecture 5: Second Generation Constitutions (Germany, Japan, the rise of the transnational element in constitutionalism).005_ECUPL-CompConst_F2019
Lecture 6: Third Generation Constitutions (Post Colonial and Post Soviet Constitutions and the discipline of the global ideal type of constitutional form and norms).006_ECUPL-CompConst_F2019
Lecture 7: Fourth Generation Constitutions (A challenge to the post-soviet ideal type and the crisis of constitutionalism; Iran, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and the rise of Theocratic constitutionalism).007_ECUPL-CompConst_F2019
Lecture 8: Fifth Generation Constitutions (The emergence of “New Era” Marxist Leninist Constitutions).008_ECUPL-CompConst_F2019
Lecture Readings
Larry Catá Backer, Elements of Law and the United States Legal System (Carolina Academic Press (forthcoming 2019). ISBN: 978-1-61163-927-8 • e-ISBN: 978-1-61163-984-1
Larry Catá Backer, From Constitution to Constitutionalism: A Global Framework for Legitimate Public Power Systems, 113(3) Penn State Law Review 671-732 (2009).
Larry Catá Backer, God(s) Over Constitutions: International and Religious Transnational Constitutionalism in the 21st Century, 27 Mississippi College Law Review 11-65 (2008).
Larry Catá Backer, Theocratic Constitutionalism: An Introduction to a New Global Legal Ordering, 16(1) Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies 85-172 (2006). Available at: http://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/ijgls/vol16/iss1/5
Constitutions (Resources)
For each of these constitutions some key points of comparison: (1) By whom is the constitution made (locus of sovereignty and direct connection between constitution and constituting body; e.g., the people, the monarch, the vanguard, etc.); (2) to whom is the constitution directed (e.g., to the people, to the holders of political authority, to vanguard groups, etc.); (3) to what extent is the constitution directly effective and for whom; (4) who may interpret and apply the constitution and with reference to what; (5) mechanisms for resolving constitutional disputes? (6) the allocation of power (vertical and horizontal allocations of political authority); (7) organization of representation in the executive, administrative and legislative organs; (8) how are representatives selected; (9) how is the representation of the people reflected in the organization of the legislature (and other organs)–e.g., by residence in a specific territory (state, province, etc.), by membership in a specific ethnic, religious or other group, etc.; and (10) the elaboration of the rights and responsibilities of government (the architecture of basic protections for the people).
Germany:
Imperial Constitution (Verfassung des Deutschen Reiches) (1871-1918) German Imperial Constitution;
German Basic Law (contemporary) German Basic Law
Japan:
Imperial Constitution (1889);
Contemporary Constitution (1946);
South Africa (Constitution; Amendments to the Constitution; Previous Constitutions (1993 Interim Constitution; 1983 (Tricameral) Constitution).
Argentina Argentina-Constitution;
Bosnia Herzegovina Bosnia_Herz_constitution_fbih;
Iran Iran_Constitution_en;
Afghanistan Afghanistan_Constitution;
Malaysia Malaysia Federal Consti (BI text);
Israel Israel_Basic_Law;
China
Constitution of the Communist Party of China CCP_Constitution.
INDEX OF LECTURES AND OVERVIEW
课程名称
比较立宪主义
Comparative Constitutionalism
教师简介
Larry Catá Backer(白 轲)教授是一位古巴裔美国学者，他就职于美国宾夕法尼亚州立大学（Penn State University）法学与国际事务学院，担任法学和国际事务学教授（the W. Richard and Mary Eshelman Faculty Scholar Professor of Law and International Affairs），著名的宪法学、中国法、比较公司法和国际法学者。白轲教授的研究领域非常广泛，包括了宪法、中国法、公司法、欧盟法、比较宪法学与比较公司法学、国际商业交易以及全球化过程中的法律问题等。他的著述颇丰，已发表近百篇学术论文，出版专著十余本。他担任了Ashgate Publishing全球化法律与政策丛书编辑（Ashgate Publishing Globalization Law & Policy Series editor, 2010–），华盛顿非政府组织和平与伦理联盟执行董事（the executive director of the Washington-based NGO Coalition for Peace and Ethics, 2006–），美国法律学会和欧洲公司治理学会的成员（the American Law Institute and the European Corporate Governance Institute）。他曾担任荷兰海牙法律国际化研究所（The Hague Institute for the Internationalisation of Law in the Netherlands），加拿大社会科学与人文研究委员会（Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada）等的同行评议专家。
语言要求（Requirements of Language）
No special requirement, working language is English, and there will be translator.
无要求，英语授课，有华政教师翻译。
课程简介（Introduction）
The course examines the foundations of constitutionalism with national characteristics in the 21st Century, and then examines various important constitutional frameworks as they have been developed since the 18th century. We start with a general consideration of the nature and character of constitutions – what are they, how do they differ from statutes or other laws. We then add the issue of interpretation – who ought to enforce and interpret constitutions, should it be a judicial function, a political function, or a political function of a judiciary. We then turn to a consideration of constitutions in action, looking first at the way constitutions resolve the issue of allocations of powers between different levels of government (federalism) and within the state apparatus.
We pay special attention to the evolution of constitutional form and function(there is no sequence of evolution, but only time.): (1) first generation constitutions – principally the United States the United Kingdom and France; (2) second generation constitutions created in the aftermath of the Second World War – principally those of Germany and Japan; (3) third generation constitutions adopted after the fall of the Soviet Union– from those adopted in Eastern Europe, Latin America and South Africa; (4) fourth generation constitutions proposed and enacted for theocratic states and proposed for the emerging political orders in Afghanistan and Iraq; and then explore (5) a possible stage of fifth generation constitutions in the new era.
本课程共32课时，分八次课讲授。该课程将考察21世纪具有民族特色的立宪主义的基础，然后考察了自18世纪以来发展起来的各种重要的立宪主义框架。我们首先从总体上考虑宪法的性质和特点——宪法是什么？它们与普通立法或其他法律有何不同。然后，我们再着手解决——应该由谁来执行和解释宪法？执行和解释宪法是司法职能、政治职能还是司法机构的政治职能？接着，我们转向现行宪法，着眼于宪法如何解决各级政府（联邦制）之间以及国家机构内部的权力分配问题。
我们对宪法的形式和功能及其演变给予特别的关注（代际之间只有时间顺序的差异，并非进化关系）：（1）第一代宪法，主要是美国，英国和法国； （2）第二次世界大战后产生的第二代宪法，主要是德国和日本的宪法； （3）苏联解体后的第三代宪法，东欧，拉丁美洲和南非采用的宪法； （4）第四代宪法，主要为神权国家提出和颁布，以及为阿富汗和伊拉克新兴的政治秩序所采纳；然后我们将探讨（5）新时代第五代宪法的可能阶段。
教学大纲（Outline and Schedule）
A class is 45 minutes, there is 5-15 minutes between a class
| 上课时间 | 授课内容 | |
| 1 | 11月11日（星期一）
November 11, Monday 第1—4节 8:30-11:45 |
Introduction— nature and character of constitutions; Constitutions and theoretical paths to constitutionalism in national and international context. What are they, how do they differ from statutes or other laws; must constitutions be written; must be found in unitary documents; and the like.
简介：宪法的性质和特征；国家和国际语境下的宪法与通向立宪主义的理论路径。宪法是什么？宪法与立法或其他法律有何不同？为什么必须制定宪法？宪法必须写在统一的文本中吗？ |
| 2 | 11月12日（周二）
November 12, Tuesday 第9—12节 18:00-21:15 |
Constitutional interpretation; various theories of who interprets and how interpretation ought to be undertaken, including schools of interpretation (textualism, living constitution, formalism/functionalism, originalism, the role of legislative history, etc.) and constitutional reference points (custom and tradition or political principles, etc.).
宪法解释：关于谁来解释以及应该如何进行解释的各种理论，包括解释流派（文本主义，活的宪法，形式主义/功能主义，原旨主义，立法历史的作用等）以及宪法解释的参考（习惯、传统或政治原则，等等） |
| 3 | 11月13日（周三）
November 13, Wednesday 第5—8节 13:30-16:40 |
Allocation of constitutional authority within states (federalism) and in the supra national sphere (the effect and role of treaties and Public International Organizations)
宪法分权：在各州（联邦制）和超国家范围内分配宪法权力（条约和国际公共组织的影响和作用） |
| 4 | 11月15日（周五）
November 15, Friday 第1—4节 8:30-11:45 |
First generation constitutions—the rise of the form and the centrality of national characteristics in constitution making (U.S.; France).
第一代宪法：宪法制定中民族国家特征的形式与中心地位（美国；法国）。 |
| 5 | 12月2日（周一）
December 2, Monday 第1—4节8:30-11:45 |
Second generation constitutions—the rise of substantive constitutional ideology and constitutional internationalism (Germany; Japan).
第二代宪法：实质性宪法意识形态和宪法国际主义的兴起（德国；日本）。 |
| 6 | 12月3日（周二）
December 3, Tuesday 第9—12节18:00-21:15 |
Third generation constitutions—mature constitutional internationalism in the West (South Africa); constitutional crisis in Honduras and Venezuela.
第三代宪法：西方成熟的宪法国际主义（南非）；洪都拉斯和委内瑞拉的宪法危机。 |
| 7 | 12月4日（周三）
December 4, Wednesday 第5—8节13:30-16:40 |
Fourth generation constitutions—the rise of theocratic constitutions (Iran, Iraq, Pakistan); and the different paths to managing the religious element of constitutions.
第四代宪法：神权宪法的兴起（伊朗，伊拉克，巴基斯坦）；以及处理宪法中宗教因素的不同途径。 |
| 8 | 12月6日（周五）
December 6, Friday 第1—4节8:30-11:45 |
Fifth generation constitutions –rethinking separation of powers, the role of vanguard parties；Review and drawing general conclusions from the study of constitutions and constitutionalism
第五代宪法：新时代可能的方向；回顾并得出宪法和宪政研究的一般结论。 |
其他要求（Other Requirements）
There will be reading materials before the class. Every student need to be part of the discussion in English or Chinese.
需完成课前阅读材料，并积极参加课堂讨论，课堂讨论可用中文或英语。
人数限制（Limit of Seats）
No more than 60 students.
60人以下。