Constitutions, Cultures, and Context

A constitution is a country’s most important text: it creates State institutions, allocates powers and recognizes rights and responsibilities for those within its territory. More than that, constitutions express a state’s identity and provide the framework for all other laws and policies. This course will expose students to the challenges attendant on making constitutions work in real life to address present-day societal problems and challenges. At the same time, it will sensitize them to the extent to which the wider social, political and economic context and a country’s underlying culture affect the implementation of constitutional rules and values.

Instead of exploring models and constitutional solutions in the abstract, the course invites students to explore the practical impact and outcomes particular constitutional models and ideas produce in daily life. In other words, we look at how constitutions (fail) to work. To that end, we will amongst others compare the responses that different countries provide to contemporary challenges such as how to provide recognition for a country’s constitutional identity in a manner that is intelligible and interesting for the general public; how to ensure effective public participation in governance without encouraging populism; the pervasiveness of migration for our understanding of citizenship and its entitlements; making sure that everyone is treated equally while respecting individual autonomy and personal life choices; the role of technology in public life and the implications for privacy and free speech; and the role of a constitution in fostering economic development.

This is a SMU-X course which combines academic with experiential learning through the heavy use of projects. It challenges talented students to use their disciplinary knowledge and skills to tackle real world problems through interdisciplinary approaches and activities. The course will partner with the National Museum of Singapore in project design and content delivery.