Duration
60h Th
Number of credits
| Bachelor in political sciences : general | 5 crédits |
Lecturer
Substitute(s)
Coordinator
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
The course focuses on constitutional law and political institutions, and is specifically aimed at students studying for a Bachelors in political science. The course is presented by two teachers, a lawyer and a political specialist, who will both look at complementary aspects of the subject.
The part of the course relating to Constitutional Law will be taught by Martin Vrancken, lecturer (30 hours). It aims to build upon the legal knowledge acquired during the Political Institutions and Constitutional Law I course. The themes which were addressed during that class will be reviewed and developed, and new subjects will be added to complete the course. After the introductory part which looks at the major constitutional outline of the Kingdom of Belgium, the focus is on four main subjects: electoral law, federalism, fundamental rights and public finances law.
The part of the course relating to Political Institutions will be taught by Prof. Geoffrey Grandjean (30 hours). It aims to understand and analyse, based on the rules of constitutional law, representative systems from a comparative perspective. More specifically, for the 2021-2022 academic year, three main themes will dominate the course. First, students will be asked to examine the principles of representation, based on constitutional norms. Secondly, students will be introduced to the study of political behaviour, based on the rules of constitutional law. In this way, they will identify the influence that electoral systems have on political life and will understand the explicative models of political behaviour. Thirdly, students are required to analyse the role of post-electoral negotiations in representative systems (through the concepts of compromise, consensus, conflict and agonism).
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
By the end of the course, students will have a better understanding of constitutional law and will be able to answer both general questions on the institutional architecture as well as specific practical questions. They will also understand how representative systems operate, while being able to identify the power relationships between political actors.
These outcomes will be reflected in the ability to :
- understand the constitutional, legislative and regulatory standards that structure representative systems.
- analyse documents, particularly jurisprudence and scientific literature ;
- understand how these rules structure political life ;
- study and analyse political behaviour.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Students must first take the Political Institutions and Constitutional Law I course. In the Political Institutions and Constitutional Law II course, the two parts (Political Institutions, on the one hand, and Constitutional Law, on the other) are designed in a complementary way and are taught in parallel.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
The learning activities and teaching methods will be based around the following:
- lectures based on a number of scientific articles and extracts of decisions issued by the highest jurisdictions ;
- conferences given by invited speakers ;
- reading and analyses of documents distributed to students.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face.
Recommended or required readings
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Assessment methods and criteria
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
written exam ( multiple-choice questionnaire, open-ended questions )
- Remote
written exam ( multiple-choice questionnaire, open-ended questions )
Other : preferred in-person
Additional information:
The assessment consists of a written exam.
The part on Constitutional Law will mostly involve answering open and multiple-choice questions involving comprehension and analysis of the subject studied. Students could be asked to comment upon a legal decision and/or develop legal reasoning on the basis of the facts provided to them.
In terms of the part on Political Institutions, students will have to answer multiple choice questions.
The following criteria are used for the assessment: 1) understanding of constitutional, legislative and regulatory norms and legal decisions, 2) analysis of relationships between the institutions and political actors and 3) explanation of political behaviours.
Work placement(s)
Organizational remarks
The course takes place every year.
The course is given in Block 2 of the Bachelors in Political Science. It amounts to 60 hours and is presented by Prof. Geoffrey Grandjean and Martin Vrancken.
The structure of the course will be presented during the first class.
Contacts
Pr. Dr Geoffrey Grandjean
Professeur
Faculté de Droit, de Science politique et de Criminologie
Place des orateurs, 3
4000 Liège
Boîte 11
Bureau 2.17
Tel./ +32 (0)4/366.96.60
Martin Vrancken
Suppléant
Faculté de Droit, de Science politique et de Criminologie
Place des orateurs, 3
4000 Liège
Pr. Dr Frédéric Bouhon
Chargé de cours
Faculté de Droit, de Science politique et de Criminologie
Place des orateurs, 3
4000 Liège
Bureau R45
Tel./ +32 (0)4/366.31.55
Courriel : Martin.Vrancken@uliege.be; Geoffrey.Grandjean@uliege.be and f.bouhon@uliege.be