Course: Parliamentary practice

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Course title Parliamentary practice
Course code KPOL/N306
Organizational form of instruction Seminary
Level of course Master
Year of study not specified
Semester Winter and summer
Number of ECTS credits 3
Language of instruction Czech
Status of course Compulsory-optional
Form of instruction Face-to-face
Work placements This is not an internship
Recommended optional programme components None
Lecturer(s)
  • Charvát Jakub, Mgr. Ph.D.
Course content
PART 1 (Parliament and parliamentarism in the theoretical perspective) 1. Role and functions of parliaments in democracy and parliamentarisms. 2. Bicameral parliaments: functions, establishment of the second chambers, symmetrical vs. asymmetrical bicameralism, congruent vs. incongruent bicameralism. 3. Czechoslovak parliaments 1918-1992. 4. Czech parliamentarism (since 1993). 5. Institutional analysis of parliaments - composition, internal structure. 6. Electoral systems for the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate and their changes since 1993. PART 2 (Parliamentary practice - Parliamentary institute) 7. Rules of procedure, status of MPs and senators, legislative process, European affairs in Parliament. 8. The role of parliamentary caucuses, professional services for MPs, senators and bodies of both chambers of Parliament, lobbying. 9. Visiting committees and other bodies of the Chamber of Deputies. 10. Visiting committees and other bodies of the Senate. 11. Roundtable discussion with experts from the Parliamentary Institute and possible guests. 12. Final colloquium of students with the supervisor and lecturer of the course.

Learning activities and teaching methods
unspecified, unspecified, unspecified, unspecified, unspecified
Learning outcomes
The aim of the course is to acquaint students with the position and function of parliaments in democratic regimes, with a special focus on the parliamentary form of government as such and the most important aspects of the organization and activities of the Parliament of the Czech Republic. The course is divided into two blocks. The first combines a political science and legal approach to the researched issues and will take the form of expert discussions and solutions to practical tasks. Attention will be paid to a general theoretical interpretation, as well as to defining the functions and role of parliament in the Czech constitutional and political system. The second block is based on the practice in the Parliament of the Czech Republic and will be implemented in cooperation with the Parliamentary Institute. Students will get acquainted with the internal workings of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, meet with deputies and / or experts from the Parliament of the Czech Republic, attend meetings of the plenary and / or committees of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament and participate in the Parliamentary Institute which the Parliamentary Institute prepares for the needs of deputies and bodies of the Chamber of Deputies). Students of the course should not only gain theoretical knowledge about the role of parliaments in democratic regimes, but also gain the opportunity to gain a closer look at the practice of the Czech Parliament.
The student is able to use professional terminology. The student is able to characterize the specifics of parliamentary processes and understand them.
Prerequisites
None

Assessment methods and criteria
unspecified
To successfully complete the course, the following is required: 1) seminar activity and preparation for the seminar; 2) successful completion of an internship at the Parliamentary Institute; 3) seminar work corresponding to the requirements of an expert study published by the Parliamentary Institute. Credit will be awarded for a successfully completed interview on the submitted tasks.
Recommended literature
  • Ústava České republiky.
  • Zákon č. 107/1999 Sb., o jednacím řádu Senátu, ve znění pozdějších předpisů.
  • Zákon č. 90/1995 Sb., o jednacím řádu Poslanecké sněmovny, ve znění pozdějších předpisů..
  • Boháč, R. et al. Legislativní proces (teorie a praxe). Praha, 2011. ISBN 978-80-7312-0.
  • Bureš, J., Charvát, J., Just, P., Štefek, M. Česká demokracie po roce 1989: institucionální základy české politiky. Praha, 2012. ISBN 978-80-247-4283-0.
  • Cabada, L., Vodička, K. Politický systém České republiky: historie a současnost. Praha, 2011. ISBN 978-80-7367-893-7.
  • Charvát, J. Politika volebních reforem v České republice po 1989. Praha, 2013. ISBN 978-80-247-4700-2.
  • Kolář, P., Kysela, J., Syllová, J., Geogiev, J., Pecháček, Š. Parlament České republiky. Praha, 2013. ISBN 978-80-87576-95-3.
  • Kysela, J. a kol. Dvacet let Senátu Parlamentu České republiky v souvislostech. Praha, 2016. ISBN 978-80-7502-166-3.
  • Kysela, J. Dvoukomorové systémy: teorie, historie a srovnání dvoukomorových parlamentů. Praha, 2004. ISBN 80-86432-89-0.
  • Lijphart, A. Patterns of Democracy: Government Forms and Performance in Thirty-Six Countries. New Haven, 1999. ISBN 978-030007893.
  • Lorenz, Astrid. Politický systém Česka. Brno, 2019. ISBN 978-80-7325-483-4.
  • Wintr, J. Česká parlamentní kultura. Praha, 2010. ISBN 978-80-87284-.


Study plans that include the course
Faculty Study plan (Version) Category of Branch/Specialization Recommended year of study Recommended semester