Constitutional Amendment in Constitutional Democracies
This course will offer the occasion to learn about all aspects of constitutional amendment. The course will be taught by Richard Albert, who will lead discussions on the following subjects with registrants:
1. Why do constitutional designers codify amendment rules?
2. Are all constitutional amendments properly called "constitutional amendments," or should we distinguish small constitutional changes from big ones? If yes, what counts as a small or big constitutional change?
3. How do we measure amendment difficulty across jurisdictions? Is it possible to identify with some reliability the world's most rigid constitution? Is it the United States Constitution?
4. How do constitutional designers manipulate time in the design of amendment rules?
5. Is it possible to amend constitutional amendment rules?
6. How do we know when a constitution has been amended?
Each session will begin with remarks from Richard Albert, followed by an open discussion and debate involving course registrants. Readings will be circulated in advance.
This five-week course will be held live on Zoom on consecutive Wednesdays starting on September 2, 2020. Sessions will begin at 12:30pm EDT and end at 1:30pm EDT.
This course is open to all, including faculty and students in law, government, history, world affairs, and other fields.