Block Course (Foreign Lecturer) 2 - HOPV0263

• Title: Block Course (Foreign Lecturer) 2
• Form of teaching: seminar
• Guaranteed by: Department of Business Law (22-KOBCHP)
• Faculty: Faculty of Law
• Actual: from 2026
• Duration in semesters: 1
• Semester: both
• Points: 0
• E-Credits: 4
• Examination process: written
• Hours per week, examination: 0/2, Ex [HT]
• 4EU+: no
• Virtual mobility / capacity: no
• State of the course: taught
• Language: English
• Teaching methods: full-time
• Level: basic
• Note: course can be enrolled in outside the study plan; enabled for web enrollment; you can enroll for the course in winter and in summer semester
• Guarantor: doc. JUDr. Mgr. Magdalena Pfeiffer, Ph.D.
• Teacher(s): doc. JUDr. Mgr. Magdalena Pfeiffer, Ph.D.
• Incompatibility : HP0681

Annotation

English

The course is taught by a visiting lecturer in English. The specific topic and content of this course are always determined according to the specialist field of the lecturer teaching the course in the relevant semester. Students are informed about the topic and content of the course for the given semester (if the course is offered) via the faculty’s website or, where applicable, through other communication channels.

Prof. Andrea Buratti
University of Rome Tor Vergata
Constitutional Democracy under Pressure: Challenges and Transformations in the Western World
2–5 November 2026
The seminar provides a comparative analysis of the transformations currently affecting constitutional democracy in Western countries. It focuses on the growing tensions between political leadership and constitutional constraints, the changing role of representative institutions and courts, ongoing attempts at institutional reform, and the capacity of supranational legal orders to preserve common standards of democracy and the rule of law.

Last update: Šenoltová Tereza, Bc. (17.09.2026)

Course assessment methods and requirements for successful completion, grading scheme

English

The final assessment will take the form of a written examination; students are informed in advance of the specific form of assessment (test, essay, etc.).

Last update: Šicnerová Barbora, Mgr. (01.09.2026)

Syllabus

English

The specific academic content of this course is always determined with regard to the visiting lecturer teaching the course in the given academic year. Teaching usually takes place in blocks comprising three to four seminars per week over a period of one to two weeks.

The seminar consists of four classes:

1. The Classical Architecture of Constitutional Democracy and Its Contemporary Transformations
2. Democracy and Executive Power in the United States: The Trump Administration and Constitutional Constraints
3. Reforming Democracy: Constitutional and Institutional Change in Contemporary Europe
4. Defending Constitutional Democracy: European Union Standards and Democratic Backsliding

Last update: Šenoltová Tereza, Bc. (17.09.2026)

Learning resources

English

Students are informed in advance of the compulsory and/or recommended study materials for this module (usually at least one week before the start of the module).

Last update: Šicnerová Barbora, Mgr. (01.09.2026)

Learning outcomes

English

Upon completion of the course, students will generally be able to:

·         Apply theoretical knowledge to specific case studies in accordance with the lecturer’s chosen approach.

·         Interpret specialist texts in English using academic reading and analysis techniques.

·         Discuss specialist topics using the terminology of the relevant field.

·         Compare different approaches to solving specialist problems within the relevant area of law.

·         Propose solutions to specialist issues based on the methods presented by the lecturer during the short-term intensive course.

·         Assess the quality of specialist arguments in the context of academic discussions.

·         Present the results of their own specialist work in English.

·         Collaborate on solving tasks in a English-speaking team environment.

·         Reflect on their own learning, drawing on feedback from the lecturer in the context of the short-term intensive study programme and the completion of the final the completion of final course requirements.

 

Further learning outcomes are derived from the specific course content for the relevant semester.

Last update: Šicnerová Barbora, Mgr. (17.09.2026)