Module LAW1013 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
LAW1013: French Constitutional Law
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
This French Constitutional Law module is intended to provide you with a sound knowledge of topical French Constitutional features and questions, especially the Constitutions of the Third and the Fifth Republics. A key aim of the module is to give you the opportunity to acquire the necessary ways of thinking and communicating accurately about a foreign legal system. The module aims to enable you to acquire a confident grasp of the principles of the French constitutional regimes and political systems so that you develop the ability to express yourself on French legal and political issues, to analyse them critically and to apply the law skillfully. In addition, the module aims to give you a solid grounding in French legal methodology and assessment techniques. This induction to French methods of legal thinking and writing (dissertation juridique level 1) is essential to prepare you for your year abroad and the study leading to the French Maitrise en Droit (Master 1).
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. Demonstrate accurate knowledge of French Constitutional Law, using appropriate interpretative techniques and terminology; 2. Identify and analyse (with guidance) the general concepts and principles of French Constitutional Law, together with related theories, academic commentary and contextual matters; 3. Research a legal question and demonstrate competence in applying French Constitutional Law in order to formulate and evaluate a response to it; 4. Express yourself comfortably in French on legal and political issues relating to the module, and in particular write a French law essay correctly using French legal methodology (la dissertation juridique) |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 5. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a range of legal rules, concepts, values and principles, and the ability to explain and discuss the relationships among them; 6. Incorporate comparative elements into your work and, by doing so, be able to relate your English legal and political experience to your knowledge of the specificity of the French constitutional regimes and political systems; 7. Make an informed judgement about the merits and relevance of particular French legal material and information, make reasoned choices between alternative solutions or arguments and to present them according to French methodological standards and assessment techniques; |
| Personal and Key Skills | 8. Have a clear understanding and a practical knowledge of French legal vocabulary and the proficiency to take well-structured and reliable study notes in French; 9. Demonstrate ability to take responsibility for your own learning (with support), and to work effectively with others within a group; 10. Demonstrate ability to identify, retrieve and use efficiently a range of resources with some guidance; 11. Demonstrate ability to manage time efficiently in preparing for learning activities, and to work independently within a limited time frame, to complete a specified task; |
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
It is envisaged that the syllabus will include the following topics in the following order although precise content and order may vary.
General Introduction: Definition of the concepts of State and Constitution; French Constitutional history and the French concept of Republic
The Third Republic;
Foundation
The Executive Power (President of the Republic, Government, Système d’Assemblée)
The Legislative Power (Parliament)
The Fifth Republic;
Foundation
The Executive Power (President of the Republic, Government, Présidentialisme et cohabitation);
The Legislative Power (Parliament);
The Rule of Law (hierarchy of norms and control of constitutionality, the Constitutional Council).
Learning and Teaching
This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 65 | 235 | 0 |
...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity | 44 | Lectures |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity | 14 | Tutorials |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching activities | 7 | 7 x 1hr Individualised Feedback Sessions |
| Guided Independent study | 90 | Tutorial preparation and essay |
| Guided Independent study | 55 | Consolidation of lecture notes |
| Guided Independent study | 90 | Pre lecture reading |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
Legifrance; official websites of the main French political institutions; further guidance will be provided in lectures.
Other Learning Resources
Folders on topical subjects or institutions related to the course are regularly distributed at the beginning of each term as the work involved in the LLB European (French) / Maîtrise (Master 1) degree programme is heavily research based.
Indicative Reading List
This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.
Basic reading:
- La Constitution du 4 Octobre 1958, Documents di études, La Documentation Francaise, Latest edition;
- S.-L. FORMERY, La Constitution Commentée Article par Article, Hachette.
- Ph. ARDANT, Institutions Politiques & Droit Constitutionnel, L.G.D.J.
- L. FAVOREU, P. GAIA, R. GHEVONTIAN, J.-L. MESTRE, O. PFERSMANN, A. ROUX, G. SCOFFONI, Droit Constitutionnel, Dalloz.
(Editions are published every year)
