Chair in Constitutionalism and Political Systems

The Chair in Constitutionalism and Political Systems at the Institute of Political Science and International Relations of the Jagiellonian University was created in 2002, after the Institute of Political Science and International Relations emerged from the Faculty of Law and Administration and became a part of the newly-established Faculty of International and Political Studies, but the history of studies on constitutionalism at the Jagiellonian University is much longer, though, as it goes back to the beginning of 19th century. In 1801, when the Chair in Political Skills was founded at the Faculty of Law, a new discipline - political sciences - started to develop. In the ‘80s of the 19th century the Chair in Administrative Law and Statistics was established. The lectures in political law were delivered then by prof. Franciszek Kasparek. At the beginning of 20th century a separate Chair in Political Law, led by prof. Michał Bobrzyński, was formed at the Faculty of Law. During the interwar period, when the School of Political Sciences operated within the Faculty of Law JU, the lectures and seminars in political law were conducted by prof. Michał Rostworowski and prof. Maciej Starzewski. After the Institute of Political Science JU was established in 1969, specialists in constitutional law, such as professors Konstanty Grzybowski, Marek Sobolewski and Witold Zakrzewski, were among the first lecturers. As a result of close relations with the Faculty of Law, from the very beginning constitutionalism has featured prominently as an academic discipline in political science, thus shaping the face of the school of political science in Kraków.

Prof. dr hab. Andrzej Zięba has been the head of the Chair since its foundation. There are four assistant professors currently in employment at the Chair: dr hab. Beata Kosowska-Gąstoł, dr hab. Tomasz Wieciech, dr Łukasz Jakubiak and dr Mateusz Kolaszyński. Eleven doctoral theses and more than two hundred magister theses were written at the Chair. Doctoral degrees were conferred to: dr Sabina Batko-Jakubiak, dr Aleksander Dańda, dr Justyna Eska-Mikołajewska, dr Łukasz Jakubiak, dr Roman Kilar, dr Mateusz Kolaszyński, dr Agnieszka Nitszke, dr Elżbieta Sadowska-Wieciech, dr Tomasz Wieciech, dr Bartosz Włodarski, dr Anna Zaroda-Dąbrowska. In the years from 2012 to 2016 the staff and doctoral students at the Chair published 12 monographs and joint publications and received 7 grants from the National Science Centre.

The area of research interests

I. CONSTITUTIONALISM IN ANGLO-SAXON COUNTRIES

  • Great Britain

- political constitution of the United Kingdom

- partial codification of the principles of the political system

- transformations of the House of Lords

- the administrative and territorial division of the country (devolution)

- constitutional conventions

- party system

  • The United States of America

- federal system and the act of state doctrine

- republican constitutionalism in 18th century and in the first half of 19th century

-the institutions of direct democracy at state level

- the principle of the separation of powers at federal and state level

- legal system

  • New Zealand

- legal-political culture

- party system

  • The legal system of common law

- legal culture of Anglo-Saxon countries

- the doctrine of precedent

- the history of common law

 

II. CONSTITUTIONALISM IN FRANCE AND FRANCOPHONE AFRICAN COUNTRIES

  • rationalised parliamentarism in French Fifth Republic
  • second chamber against the backdrop of the transformation of parliamentary system
  • the institution of a referendum in political practice
  • cohabitation
  • the reception of French models of politics in Francophone African countries

 

III. POLITICAL PARTIES IN A POLITICAL SYSTEM AT A NATIONAL, INTERNATIONAL AND TRANSNATIONAL LEVEL

  • the theory of political parties and party system
  • organizational structures of political parties
  • European political parties
  • Europeanisation of political parties
  • international organisations of political parties
  • multilevel party system

IV. CONSTITUTIONAL AND POLITICAL ASPECTS OF THE FUNCTIONING OF MODERN DEMOCRATIC COUNTRIES

  • Political systems
  • Comparative constitutional law
  • Federalism
  • The institutions of direct democracy
  • The executive in the contemporary world
  • The party systems of Scandinavian countries

V. CONSTITUTIONAL ASPECTS OF NATIONAL SECURITY

  • Secret services in the political systems of democratic countries
  • Uniformed services in the Polish system of internal security
  • States of exception

VI. HISTORY OF CONSTITUTIONALISM

VII. HISTORY OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AT THE JAGIELLONIAN UNIVERSITY

Contact details

Visit our website!

The Chair in Constitutionalism and Political Systems IPSIR JU
address: ul. Jabłonowskich 5
31-114 Kraków
rooms No. 11 and 13

 

Mail should be sent to the following address:

 

Instytutu Nauk Politycznych i Stosunków Międzynarodowych
ul. Jabłonowskich 5
31-114 Kraków

prof. Andrzej Zięba, PhD

Position: professor

 

Research interests:

 

Constitutionalism and the party systems of Anglo-Saxon countries history of constitutionalism history of political science

 

USOSWeb profile

Publications and more information

Head of the Chair: Beata Kosowska-Gąstoł, PhD

Position: assistant professor with a habilitated doctor degree

 

Research interests:

 

Broadly understood political systems with particular emphasis on political parties at the national, international and transnational level, including:

  • The theory of political parties and party system
  • Organizational structures of political parties
  • International organisations of political parties
  • The relations between the organizations of Christian democratic parties and conservative parties at European level
  • European political parties, transnational organisations of political parties, political groups of the European Parliament
  • Europeanisation of political parties
  • Multilevel party system

 

USOSWeb profile

Publications and more information

Tomasz Wieciech, PhD

Position: assistant professor with a habilitated doctor degree

 

Research interests:

 

  • American constitutionalism in the early period of the republic
  • Constitutionalism of Anglo-Saxon countries
  • Federalism
  • Parliamentarianism

 

USOSWeb profile

Publications and more information

Łukasz Jakubiak, PhD

Position: assistant professor

 

Research interests:

 

  • Political system of France
  • Political systems of Anglo-Saxon countries
  • The institutions of direct democracy

 

USOSWeb profile

Publications and more information