| Comparative Public Law and Governance

This is a core course mandated by the UGC for the one-year LL.M. programme. The course builds on the study of Indian constitutional law which a student would be familiar with, and offers a comparative perspective across legal traditions and legal cultures in selected jurisdictions. The course begins by examining why a comparative approach is useful, how we ‘do’ comparative law, and the methodologies a comparative approach requires. The course focuses on constitutional law, in selected country-settings, to understand key constitutional developments. The course then examines how post-colonial constitutions and their legal systems have responded to the reception/transplant of legal systems. The course also examines the constitutional choices made in each jurisdiction studied, and the extent to which these countries drew upon comparative law to shape their constitutional developments. The course offers a more detailed study on issues with regard to federalism and power sharing across selected jurisdictions. The course will be based on the constitutional developments in India as a
starting point in order to analyse and deepen our understanding of constitutional developments across jurisdictions.

Students are expected to complete the readings and take part in class discussions in each session. Every student is expected to participate in the classroom discussion of the readings in each session. Class participation will be evaluated.

There will be an in-class response paper writing assignment. A previously discussed reading will be selected, and students will be required to write a response paper to the specific questions posed in class.  In addition, students are required to submit one 2500-3000-word essay on a topic of their
choice (falling broadly within the scope of the course).  The closed book, end-term examination will cover the entire course.