The subject Constitutional Law I has a propaedeutic character in relation not only to Constitutional Law II and Constitutional Law III, but also to the other legal disciplines taught in the Degree in Law. This explains why the study of basic concepts such as the legal norm, the form of State and the Constitution have a prominent place in the programme. They are key to being able to tackle the study of the rest of the legal subjects and for a full understanding of the legal system as a system whose unity bases precisely on the Constitution, the supreme norm of the legal system and the keystone of its legitimacy.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

1. To make the student understand the basic concepts of Public Law and the specific relationship between the legal and the political that characterises Constitutional Law.

2. To make the student understand the meaning and scope of Law and of the legal norm (legal system).

3. To make the student understand the meaning and scope of the rational-normative Constitution as well as its guarantees.

4. To give the student an understanding of the process of the formation of the modern state, its development and historical evolution up to the emergence of the constitutional state and its evolution.

5. To provide the student with a global vision of the process of political transition centred on the drafting and approval of the 1978 Constitution.

6. To provide the student with an overview of the basic constitutional decisions adopted in 1978.

7. To provide the student with an overview of the Theory of Constitutional Reform, of its regulation in Title X of the Constitution and of the problems it raises.



TRANSVERSAL COMPETENCES

8. To enable the student to use constitutional norms and principles as criteria for interpreting the rest of the legal system.

9. To ensure that students are capable of reasoning and debating the problems and challenges of current constitutionalism, and which project onto the rest of the legal system, with a basis and rigour.

10. To ensure that the student acquires a capacity for analysis, synthesis and exposition of the problems dealt with in the subject.

I. THE FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS

Lesson 1. The legal system.

Lesson 2. The State.

Lesson 3. The Constitution.

II. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE 1978 CONSTITUTION.

Lesson 4. Historical Spanish Constitutional Law.

Lesson 5. The Transition. Elaboration and general characteristics of the Spanish Constitution of 1978.

III. PRINCIPLES OF THE 1978 CONSTITUTION

Lesson 6. The Social State.

Lesson 7. The Rule of Law.

Lesson 8. The Democratic State

Lesson 9. Reform and mutation of the Constitution.

Lesson 10. The State of the Autonomous Communities.

IV. FORM OF STATE, GLOBALISATION, EUROPEAN UNION

Lesson 11. Relationships between supranational, global and internal legal orders from a constitutional perspective

Classroom lectures: gathering basic information on the subject matter of the course by attending lectures given in the classroom.

Practical classroom classes: the classes will try to promote the understanding of a practical case and the assessment of the learning of the theoretical part of the subject for its practical application, with critical analysis of the constitutional jurisprudence. The ability to present and synthesise will be valued, with demonstration of the assimilation of theoretical and practical knowledge.

• Final Assessment System
• Tools and qualification percentages:
  • Multiple-Choice Test (%): 70
  • Realization of Practical Work (exercises, cases or problems) (%): 30

A written final exam will account for 70 per cent of the grade.

Practical activities will account for 30 per cent of the final grade.

In accordance with article 9 of the regulations on student assessment, the assessment in this call will be carried out exclusively through the final assessment system.

Spanish Constitution, available at: https://www.congreso.es/constitucion/ficheros/c78/cons_ingl.pdf
*The teacher will provide students with materials in English.

Basic bibliography

Detailed bibliography

Carlos de Cabo Martín. Sobre la función histórica del constitucionalismo y sus posibles transformaciones. Universidad de Salamanca, 1978.

Carlos de Cabo Martín. Teoría Histórica y del Derecho Constitucional. Volúmenes I y III. PPU, 1988.

Miguel Ángel García Herrera. Estado económico y capitalismo financiarizado: propuestas para un constitucionalismo crítico. Constitucionalismo crítico: liber amicorum Carlos de Cabo Martín / Carlos de Cabo Martín (hom.), Miguel Angel García Herrera (dir.), José Asensi Sabater (dir.), Francisco Balaguer Callejón (dir.), Vol. 1, 2016, ISBN 978-84-9119-759-1, págs. 145-250.

Gonzalo Maestro Buelga. Del estado social a la forma global de mercado. Constitucionalismo crítico: liber amicorum Carlos de Cabo Martín / Carlos de Cabo Martín (hom.), Miguel Angel García Herrera (dir.), José Asensi Sabater (dir.), Francisco Balaguer Callejón (dir.), Vol. 1, 2016, ISBN 978-84-9119-759-1, págs. 59-100.

Journals

International Journal of Constitutional Law: https://academic.oup.com/icon/issue
Revista española de derecho constitucional: http://www.cepc.gob.es/publicaciones/revistas/revistaselectronicas?IDR=6
Revista de Estudios Políticos: http://www.cepc.gob.es/publicaciones/revistas/revistaselectronicas?IDR=3
Revista de Derecho Político: http://revistas.uned.es/index.php/derechopolitico
Teoría y Realidad Constitucional: http://revistas.uned.es/index.php/TRC
Cuadernos Constitucionales: https://ojs.uv.es/index.php/cuadernosconstitucionales/index

Web addresses

Base de datos de legislación del BOE: http://www.boe.es/legislacion/legislacion_ava.php
Base de datos de legislación de Noticias jurídicas: http://noticias.juridicas.com/base_datos/
Jurisprudencia constitucional:http://hj.tribunalconstitucional.es
Base de datos de legislación y jurisprudencia de La Ley digital (desde la red UPV-EHU: http://www.laleydigital.es/
Base de datos de jurisprudencia del CGPJ:http://www.poderjudicial.es/search/indexAN.jsp
Boletín Oficial del País Vasco: http://www.lehendakaritza.ejgv.euskadi.net/r48-bopv2/es/bopv2/datos/Ultimo.shtml
Textos constitucionales de todos los Estados del mundo: http://www.justiniano.com/constituciones/constituciones_del_mundo.htm
Derecho comunitario: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/es/index.htm
Tribunal de Justicia de las Comunidad Europea: http://curia.europa.eu/jcms/jcms/j_6/
Tribunal Europeo de Derechos Humanos: http://www.echr.coe.int/
Congreso de los Diputados: http://www.congreso.es/
Senado: http://www.senado.es
Parlamento vasco: http://www.parlamentovasco.euskolegebiltzarra.org/es