Comparative Constitutional Law

This course will focus on the comparative study of constitutional law in both older and newer democracies around the world.  It will begin with discussion of the contemporary issue of "democratic erosion" or "illiberal democracy," as manifested by the rise to power of populist political leaders in such countries as the United States, Brazil, Venezuela, Hungary, Poland, Italy, Turkey, and India in recent years.  We will then turn to selected topics in comparative constitutional design and structure, which may include processes and contexts of constitution-making, variations in the institutions and practices of judicial review, judicial activism in certain "transformative constitutions" in the Global South, constitutional amendments, executive-legislative relations, and the differing forms and goals of federalism.  In the second half of the semester, we will study various constitutional rights and their limits, including freedom of speech and expression, freedom of religion, race and sex equality, and socio-economic rights.  Examination.