Balance of Power and Constitutional Enforcement (Juristprogrammet)
Congratulations! It is with great pleasure to inform that you have been admitted to the course Balance of Power and Constitutional Enforcement at Umeå University. On this page you will find important information that will be useful, so please read it carefully. If you have any questions, you can use the contact form below. We wish you a warm welcome and hope that you will enjoy your period of studies here in Umeå.
In order to start your studies at the course, you need to register for the course on the Student Website between the 11th of Janaury and the 19th of January. Otherwise you risk losing your place (seat) at the course. You also need to be registered to be able to follow the course and to get your results recorded during the course.
The course introduction is Wednesday January 20th, 2021, at 13.15 in Hörsal UB.A.240 Lindellhallen 4 The course introduction is immediately followed by the first lecture on the course.
The course consists of lectures as well as seminars. The seminars are mandatory. The course concludes with a written, take-home exam.
Teaching, readings, discussions at seminars and the examination will all take place in English.
The course is the third course on the Master's Program in Constitutional Law and Human Rights, but may also be taken as an individual elective course.
Course content
The course Balance of Power and Constitutional Enforcement is an advanced level course. As follows from the name the course focuses on two of the most central constitutional issues: balance of power and enforcement of constitutional rights, rules and principles. The approach of the course is comparative, and not limited to a single constitutional system. Rather, the course will study the issues, outlined below, by discussing examples from different jurisdictions, with some emphasis on European systems such as the European Union and the Council of Europe.
Balance of Power includes both vertical (actors on different constitutional levels) and horizontal perspectives (actors on the same constitutional level). The vertical perspective can be applied both within and beyond a nation state. An example of the former is the relationship (i.e. distribution of power and responsibility) between central and regional powers in a unitary state and between the federal and state level in a federation. An example of the latter is the relationship between a nation state and an international organization, such as the EU or the Council of Europe. Similarly, the horizontal perspective can be applied both within and beyond a nation state. Within the state it includes issues such as the division of power and responsibility between the government and the legislator, and beyond the state it includes division of power between bodies in an international organization, for example the powers awarded to the different EU institutions.
Constitutional Enforcement concerns the issue of moving from paper to reality, i.e. the legal protection of constitutional rights (including fundamental human rights) by courts and other authorities. In other words, what happens, and what legal action can be taken by what actor, if my constitutional rights are violated? The position and power of the courts as a guardian of constitutional rights is a central aspect of constitutional enforcement, including issues such as judicial independence, judicial review and constitutional interpretation.
Har du inte pluggat hos oss tidigare så kan det vara mycket att komma in i och hålla reda på. Välkommen till våra digitala föreläsningar 10-13 januari då vi guidar dig genom studiestarten. Föreläsningarna är ca en timme lång och ges i Zoom. Vad vill du veta mer om?
Under din studietid har du gratis tillgång till hela Microsoft Office 365. I Office 365 ingår bland annat Teams, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Whiteboard Forms, din studentmejl och en mängd andra tjänster. Allt för att underlätta studierna och ditt samarbete med andra studenter. För att få tillgång till Office behöver du först aktivera ditt Umu-id.
Infocenter hjälper dig med det du kan behöva för att ta dig genom de första veckorna som ny student. Här kan du till exempel få hjälp med ditt Umu-id, att hitta rätt i lokaler eller träffa en studievägledare. Och skulle de inte ha ett svar direkt, så vet de var och hur de vägleder dig vidare. Infocenter håller till i huset Universum, mitt på Campus Umeå.
