Information Package
baskent.edu.tr

Program of Political Science and International Relations (English 30%)

PSIR226

CONSTITUTIONAL LAW

Course Code
PSIR226
Semester
Fourth Term (Spring)
Theory+Practice
3 + 0
ECTS
3
Course TypeCompulsory Course
Course LevelBachelor's Degree
Year of Study2
SemesterFourth Term (Spring)
ECTS3
Name of Lecturer(s)
Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, the students;

  1. Have necessary knowledge to understand the normative and political nature of Constitutional Law.
  2. Have necessary knowledge to understand the history of Turkish Constitutionalism.
  3. Examine the characteristics of Turkish Republic, carry out a comparative analysis of legislative, executive and judicial power within constitutonal system.
Mode of DeliveryFace to face
PrerequisitesNo
Recommended Optional Programme ComponentsThere is no recommended optional programme component for this course.
Course DescriptionThis course examines constitutional law as a field of political theory. Constitutions are not merely legal texts; they are instruments that establish the political order, confer authority on state power, and serve to manage conflict and legitimacy. The first section covers fundamental concepts such as constitutionalism, sovereignty, constituent power, constitutional review, and the limits of law under states of emergency. The second section examines the United States and France as case studies to discuss, in a comparative manner, different trajectories of constitutional development and institutional compromises. The final section examines Turkey?s constitutional development within a framework spanning from the late Ottoman period to the present; it evaluates this process through the lens of founding turning points, re-foundations, reform processes, and the centralization of executive power, as well as struggles over authority and governance.
Course Contents
WEEK TOPICS
1st Week Introduction
2nd Week Constitutionalism: Limiting Power, Establishing Order
3rd Week Sovereignty and Founding: Founding Power
4th Week Courts, Politics, Democracy
5th Week When the Limits of the Constitution Collapse
6th Week The United States: Founding, Federalism, Judicial Authority
7th Week Midterm Exam
8th Week France: Revolution, Regime Cycles, Stability of the Executive
9th Week Constitutionalism in the Ottoman Empire: Reform, Crisis, Survival
10th Week From War to Nation-Building
11th Week The Pluralist Republic and Its Limits
12th Week Authoritarian Reconstruction After the Military Coup
13th Week Controlled Reform and the EU Challenge
14th Week Centralization of the Executive Under the AKP
Recommended or Required ReadingDemirkent, Dinçer (2025). OHAL KHK Ekli Listeleri Vasıtasıyla İhraç İşlemlerinin İdari ve Yargısal Denetimi Sorunu. İstanbul Hukuk Mecmuası, 83(4), 1586-1600.
Eroğul, Cem (2016). Anatüzeye Giriş. İmaj Yayınevi.
Loughlin, Martin (2018). Kamu Hukukunun Temelleri. Dipnot Yayınları.
Özbudun, Ergun & Gençkaya, Ömer Faruk (2010). Türkiye'de Demokratikleşme ve Anayasa Yapımı Politikası. Doğan Kitap.
Özbudun, Ergun (2019). Anayasacılık ve Demokrasi. Yetkin Yayınları.
Özbudun, Ergun (2019). Türk Anayasa Hukuku. Yetkin Yayınları.
Sevinç, Murat (2014). Anayasa. İçinde Gökhan Atılgan & Atilla Aytekin (Ed.), Siyaset Bilimi: Kavramlar, İdeolojiler, Disiplinler Arası İlişkiler (ss. 215-227). Yordam Kitap.
Sevinç, Murat & Demirkent, Dinçer (2021). AKP Dönemi Anayasacılığı, Yaklaşımlar ve Eleştiriler. Toplum ve Bilim, 158, 87-147.
Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods
  • Lecture
  • Discussion
  • Questions/Answers
Assessment Methods and Criteria
Quantity Percentage (%)
Mid-term 1 40
Other 1 15
Total(%) 55
Contribution of In-term Studies to Overall Grade(%) 55
Contribution of Final Examination to Overall Grade(%) 45
Total(%) 100
ECTS Allocated Based on Student Workload
Activities Quantity Duration (Hour) Total Workload (Hour)
Midterm exam 1 1.5 1.5
Preparation for Quiz
Individual or group work 14 1 14
Preparation for Final exam 1 20 20
Course hours 14 3 42
Preparation for Midterm exam 1 15 15
Laboratory (including preparation)
Final exam 1 1.5 1.5
Homework
Total Work Load94
Total Work Load / 30 (h)3.13
ECTS Credit of the Course3
Language of InstructionTurkish
Work Placement(s)No

Programme Qualifications / Learning Outcomes

LO1 LO2 LO3
K1 X X
K2
K3 X
K4
K5 X X
K6 X X
K7 X X
K8
K9 X
K10 X
K11 X X
K12
K13