Fundamental Rights

Code:

MD110

Acronym:

DF

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Public Law

Instance: 2011/2012 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Course/CS Responsible:	Law

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MD	24	Plano Oficial de MD	1	-	10	-

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

Please see portuguese version

Program

A. TOPICS

FUNDAMENTAL SOCIAL RIGHTS

Functions, scope, content, interpretive questions and issues of justiciability

I. The structure of fundamental social rights
II. The diversity of “status” of fundamental social rights
III. The protection of fundamental social rights through legal binding rules
IV. Forms of protection
V. The limits of constitutional interpretation


B. DEVELOPMENT


I. THE STRUCTURE OF FUNDAMENTAL SOCIAL RIGHTS

§ 1. Functions, scope and content
§ 2. The distinction between positive rights, equality rights and negative rights
§ 3. The distinction between protection rights, social rights and procedure and organizational rights

II. THE DIVERSITY OF “STATUS” OF FUNDAMENTAL SOCIAL RIGHTS

§ 1. The different “strategies” or “methods” of positive recognition
§ 2. Rights, entitlements and expectations
§ 3. Social rights and public policies
§ 4. Enforcement questions
§ 5. Progressive enforcement
§ 6. Social irreversibility

III. THE PROTECTION OF FUNDAMENTAL SOCIAL RIGHTS THROUGH LEGAL BINDING RULES

§ 1. The concept of “norm” of fundamental social rights
§ 2. Two concepts of the “constitution”
§ 3. The “subjectivity” of fundamental social rights
§ 4. The question of justiciability

IV. FORMS OF PROTECTION

§ 1. The margin of structural action and the Legislature
§ 2. The margin of epistemic action and the Constitution
§ 3. The praxis of the Constitutional Court

V. THE LIMITS OF CONSTITUTIONAL INTERPRETATION

§ 1. The interpretation of fundamental social rights
§ 2. Conceptual change and constitutional change

Teaching methods and learning activities

Please see portuguese version

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

Description	Type	Time (hours)	Weight (%)	End date
Attendance (estimated)	Participação presencial	26,00
	Total:	-	0,00