500881 - HISTORY OF POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS

courses

ID:

500881

Duration (hours):

40

CFU:

SSD:

STORIA DELLE ISTITUZIONI POLITICHE

Year:

2025

Date/time interval

Primo Semestre (29/09/2025 - 12/12/2025)

Course Objectives

The course aims to present the key features of Western constitutional development during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Political institutions will be examined through a comparative approach, with particular attention to the convergences and divergences among the main European constitutional models. By the end of the course, students should demonstrate a solid understanding of the topics covered in lectures and assigned readings. They will be expected to employ appropriate terminology, apply relevant conceptual frameworks to the course material, and engage in critical analysis.

Course Prerequisites

Students are expected to possess a foundational knowledge of modern European history.

Teaching Methods

The course consists of lectures and seminar activities, encouraging active student participation through debates, analysis of primary sources, and presentations or discussions of assigned readings. Lectures will be supported by PowerPoint presentations, which will be made available to students via the Moodle KIRO platform in the section dedicated to the course.

Assessment Methods

The final examination will be oral. Students must demonstrate the following competencies: • a) Thorough knowledge of the topics addressed in lectures or covered in the assigned texts; • b) Clear and accurate presentation of acquired content; • c) Ability to apply learned concepts to current public debates; • d) Critical analysis of interpretative paradigms discussed in class or presented in the readings. o Attending students will prepare for the exam using lecture notes and the recommended readings. They are also required to submit a written report (maximum 10,000 characters) on a topic agreed upon during the course. The report must be sent via email to ecolombo@unipv.it by the end of the course. Evaluation will also consider active participation in seminar sessions and the written report. o Non-attending students will take an oral exam based on the texts listed under “Required Readings” (Testi di riferimento).

Texts

Attending students will prepare for the exam using lecture notes. The reading list will be provided during lectures. Non-attending students are required to study the following texts: o R.C. van Caenegem, Il diritto costituzionale occidentale. Un’introduzione storica, Carocci, Rome, 2010, Chapters 7 and 8. o Selected entries (“Accentramento dei poteri”, “Antico Regime”, “Assemblee rappresentative”, “Assolutismo”, “Costituzionalismo”, “Democrazia diretta/democrazia rappresentativa”, “Sovranità” and “Stato”) from the volume F. Motta e S. Pavone, Lessico della storia moderna. Concetti, processi, spazi, Roma, Carocci, 2024.. o One of the following:  L. Blanco, Le origini dello Stato moderno. Secoli XI–XV, Carocci, Rome, 2020.  F. Bonini, Storia costituzionale della Repubblica, Carocci, Rome, 2008.  P. Colombo, Storia costituzionale della monarchia italiana, Laterza, Rome–Bari, 2001. The recommended readings provide sufficient material for autonomous exam preparation, including for students participating in the Inclusive Teaching initiative (Modalità Didattiche Inclusive).

The course will explore constitutional developments in Europe from the nineteenth to the twentieth century, with a focus – though not exclusively – on the experiences of France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom. It will highlight the antecedents of nineteenth-century constitutionalism and analyze its essential features. Particular attention will be given to comparing state and government structures, parliamentary systems, and the expansion of political citizenship.

Course Language

Italian

More information

Professor Colombo meets with students by appointment during the hours listed on the department website or at other times arranged via email: ecolombo@unipv.it She ensures that students benefiting from inclusive teaching methods are granted up to two hours of weekly office hours, including online sessions, with flexible scheduling tailored to individual needs.