Course | Columbia Law School

This course provides a survey of major themes in comparative constitutional law. It is open to students who have taken the basic course in Constitutional Law.

In the first part, we examine the evolution of constitutionalism, focusing on the emergence and diffusion of three forms: the codified, entrenched constitution; the charter of rights; and constitutional (judicial) review. We then turn to the question of how contemporary systems of rights protection vary structurally. We contrast the "American model" of judicial review and the "European model" of constitutional review and assess the role of review in democratizing and authoritarian states. The third part is devoted to topics associated with rights adjudication. In the last part of the course, we examine the alleged "constitutionalization" of treaty regimes and debate the prospects for consolidation of a truly "global constitutionalism."