The aim of this subject is to provide students with an in-depth introduction to the complex historical and conceptual reality that explains and justifies the central role played by Constitutions in the legal systems of present day democratic societies. Therefore, beginning with their remote medieval origins, the student will be introduced to the evolution of constitutional thought, through the gradual building and consolidation of the essential defining notions and principles of the new model of the State established as a result of the liberal revolutions, such as sovereignty, legality, separation of powers, or recognition and protection of individual and collective rights. But he or she will also have to opportunity to analyze and compare the different realization and formulation adopted by them through the most important historical constitutional texts, This will allow the student to become aware of the direct link existing between the solutions contained in each Constitution, including the current Spanish Constitution, and the particular political, economic and social circumstances at the moment of their writing.
At the end of the course the student should be able to:
1. Understand the juridical nature of the Constitution as the supreme source of the legal system.
2. Identify cultural factors that explain the historical evolution of constitutionalism from a comparative perspective
3. Perceive political, social and economic transformation in legislative changes.
4. Identify and understand the determinant legal conceptions of the political organization and law in force in contemporary Western societies.
5. Appreciate the historical dimension of legal, political and social institutions.
6. Analyze the keys to interpret the development of the State in Spain.
7. Acquire the ability to argue the analysis and interpretation of the norms from a historical perspective.
8. Perceive the historical dimension of the law and reflect on the factors that determine its evolution