Parliamentary Monarchy in the 21st Century

Director: Elviro Aranda.

Secretary: Lucía González Baos.

 

Inscripción

Location: Room 1.0.A03*
(Miguel de Unamuno Building) Colmenarejo Campus.

*This course takes place at the Colmenarejo Campus from June 29 to July 2. The closing ceremony, featuring Alfonso Guerra as speaker, will be held at the Madrid-Puerta de Toledo Campus on July 3 from 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM in the Auditorium.

Target Audience

This course is aimed at a diverse audience, although it may be of particular interest to undergraduate and graduate students whose disciplines converge in Political Science, Law, and History. However, its appeal and openness transcend academic boundaries, generating widespread interest among the general public, making this course suitable for any individual interested in understanding and contributing to informed dialogue. Therefore, the course methodology adapts to diverse learning preferences, integrating theoretical approaches with case studies and vibrant debates with speakers according to the proposed topics. This comprehensive approach ensures that participants, regardless of their academic level or experience, gain deep and contextualized knowledge on a subject that will enable them to be aware of the reality of constitutional institutions. Thus, the social relevance of the course lies in its capacity to address topics that are not only fundamental in the academic sphere but also directly impact citizen understanding and participation.

 

Speakers

Director: Elviro Aranda. Link to CV.
Speakers:

  1. Elviro Aranda Álvarez, Professor of Constitutional Law UC3M.
  2. Juan José Laborda Martín.
  3. Enriqueta Expósito.
  4. Miguel Satrústegui Gil-Delgado.
  5. Javier María Tajadura Tejada.
  6. Yolanda Gómez Sánchez.
  7. Álvaro Sánchez Martín.
  8. Alfonso Guerra.

Program

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The course takes place Monday through Thursday at the Colmenarejo Campus and the Friday session will be in Madrid.

Monday, June 29
10 AM to 12 PM. Opening by the Director and presentation of topics for debate. Elviro Aranda Álvarez.
12 PM to 12:30 PM. Break.
12:30 PM to 2:30 PM. Parliamentary monarchy in an era without a name. The Honorable Mr. Juan José Laborda Martín.

Tuesday, June 30
10 AM to 12 PM. Monarchy and Constitution. Some adjustments to the constitutional text. Enriqueta Expósito.
12 PM to 12:30 PM. Break.
12:30 PM to 2:30 PM. The King in the investiture of the President of the Government. Miguel Satrústegui Gil-Delgado.

Wednesday, July 1
10 AM to 12 PM. The functions of the King. Javier María Tajadura Tejada.
12 PM to 12:30 PM. Break.
12:30 PM to 2:30 PM. The King as moderating power. Javier María Tajadura Tejada.

Thursday, July 2
10 AM to 12 PM. Succession and Regency in the Crown. Yolanda Gómez Sánchez.
12 PM to 12:30 PM. Break.
12:30 PM to 2:30 PM. Renunciation and Abdication of the Crown. Yolanda Gómez Sánchez.

Friday, July 3
10 AM to 1 PM. Visit to the Royal Collections Gallery in Madrid, Coordinator Álvaro Sánchez Martín.
1 PM to 1:30 PM Break.
1:30 PM to 2:30 PM. Closing ceremony at the Madrid-Puerta de Toledo Campus: Monarchy or Republic. What is the problem? The Honorable Mr. Alfonso Guerra.

Course Objectives and Motivations

The 1978 Constitution established the Monarchy as the institution that assumes the Head of State, attributing to the King the status of symbol of its unity, permanence, and continuity. Based on this constitutional configuration, it is the monarch’s responsibility to exercise functions of arbitration and moderation of the regular functioning of institutions, as well as to hold the highest representation of the State in the sphere of international relations, as provided in Article 56.1 of the Fundamental Law.

These principles define the framework of action for the parliamentary Monarchy, whose duties are developed on the basis of the “auctoritas” derived from its position of neutrality and independence with respect to political powers. The experience of Spanish democracy has demonstrated, especially in situations of particular complexity, the relevance of this moderating function of the Head of State.

In a context characterized by growing political tension and by challenges that directly question the Rule of Law, it is particularly appropriate to promote a space for plural and open reflection that allows analysis of the role played by the monarchical institution in the ordinary functioning and preservation of the constitutional system.

 

Upon completing the course, students will be able to realize that the most emblematic value of the classical world is not the elitist character of its education nor a particular monumental aesthetic (to cite two typical categories of interpretation throughout the 19th century), but rather the capacity to thematize each human problem, transforming it into a source of personal and collective teaching, fruitful and always enriching. From this experience, capable of converting the intimate drama of existence into a rational theme (and thus allowing the birth of philosophy and Attic tragedy), or the difficulties of community life into political reflection, or the imitation of nature into art and technique, emerges that freedom of spirit that permeates all humanisms throughout history and that continues to be one of the priority ideals of the contemporary world.

Furthermore, the classical tradition is much closer to the paradigms of digital culture than one might imagine: if the “digital humanities” constitute in a certain way a form of re-imagining the traditional humanities, rethinking the development of the human being in relation to its history and culture through new possibilities for creating and disseminating knowledge, it is well known that the legacy of Greco-Roman civilization has been performing this same task for centuries, updating itself in each era, according to the urgencies of the societies that return to study Antiquity, to find in it answers about their own time.

 

CURRICULUM

Director: Elviro Aranda.

Elviro Aranda Álvarez is Professor of Constitutional Law (UC3M, 2020). Four research six-year periods. Five teaching merit five-year periods (last recognized 9-30-2015). Vice Dean of Law of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Law UC3M in Colmenarejo (1999-2004) and currently Deputy Vice-Rector for Teaching and Research Staff UC3M and Director of the Institute of Comparative Public Law “Manuel García Pelayo”. Author of 5 monographs, director of another and more than 60 works including articles and collective works. Principal Investigator in 6 competitive publicly funded projects. Participation as researcher in numerous projects, one ALFA project of the European Union. Technical advisory expert in Constitutional, Parliamentary and Electoral Law with three research stays at foreign university centers, I have been for eight years a national Deputy for the constituency of Madrid. During this period of time I have had the opportunity to hold different positions: Vice President of the Constitutional Committee of the Congress of Deputies, Deputy Spokesperson of that same Committee, Deputy Spokesperson of the Labor and Immigration Committee and I was part of other Committees such as Education and Science, Justice and Interior. Professor of Constitutional Law (UC3M, 2020). Four research six-year periods. Five teaching merit five-year periods (last recognized 9-30-2015). Vice Dean of Law of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Law UC3M in Colmenarejo (1999-2004) and currently Deputy Vice-Rector for Teaching and Research Staff UC3M and Director of the Institute of Comparative Public Law “Manuel García Pelayo”. Author of 5 monographs, director of another and more than 60 works including articles and collective works. Principal Investigator in 6 competitive publicly funded projects. Participation as researcher in numerous projects, one ALFA project of the European Union. Technical advisory expert in Constitutional, Parliamentary and Electoral Law with three research stays at foreign university centers, I have been for eight years a national Deputy for the constituency of Madrid. During this period of time I have had the opportunity to hold different positions: Vice President of the Constitutional Committee of the Congress of Deputies, Deputy Spokesperson of that same Committee, Deputy Spokesperson of the Labor and Immigration Committee and I was part of other Committees such as Education and Science, Justice and Interior.

Teaching Team

The teaching team for the course “The Classical World in the Digital Era: New Challenges” consists of six people, including the Directors, with equal representation between men and women (3+3). Coming from different but complementary disciplines such as Philology, Law, Archaeology and History, all of them have been cooperating for many years, working together on the research lines of the Institute of Classical Studies “Lucio Anneo Séneca” at UC3M. This institute is at the forefront in the Spanish and international sphere in the field of “digital humanities”, developing a series of projects for the online publication of databases and digitization of documents related to the classical world and its survival throughout history. With respect to teaching activity related to the promotion, updating and scientific presentation of various aspects of the classical world, the six course instructors demonstrate a long teaching trajectory, of which the following activities are worth highlighting:

Francisco L. Lisi Bereterbide was for many years coordinator of the Classical Studies area in the Department of Humanities at UC3M and instructor of the undergraduate courses “Classical Culture” and “Transmission of the Classical Legacy” and the graduate course “The Transmission of the Classical Legacy”. Founder and first director of the Institute of Classical Studies “Lucio Anneo Séneca”.

Rosa M. Carreño Sánchez has been teaching, both in Spanish and English, the Humanities Course “Daily Life and Norms in Rome/Daily life and norms in Rome” for more than five years. This course is taught at the Getafe and Colmenarejo Campuses and is offered to students of different nationalities and from the most diverse degree programs (Law, Economics, Business Administration, Computer Engineering, etc.). She has experience in creating digital libraries, participated in the digitization and publication of the ancient legal collection “Antecessores” of the Library of the Universitat de Girona.

Ana M. Rodríguez González was coordinator of the Conference on Greco-Roman Criminal Law: on crimes and punishments in antiquity, organized by the Institute of Classical Studies “Lucio Anneo Séneca” in 2008. Since then and until today, one of the lines of her teaching activity is dedicated to disseminating how criminal justice was perceived and organized in ancient history. On this topic and others also related to Roman culture, society and law, she has taught numerous Humanities Courses and has published several didactic works intended to explain these subjects based on a careful selection of texts. She has also participated in various research projects aimed at analyzing the relationship between Law and religion in the past of Greece and Rome.

Jesús Bermejo Tirado is director of the “Open Digital Archaeology Laboratory”, to integrate citizens in the process of digitization, analysis and function of the archaeological and documentary heritage of the Community of Madrid; this activity has just been awarded the Yerun Open Science Award. In addition, JBT is coordinator and instructor of the undergraduate course “Classical Culture” at the Faculty of HCD and Director of the Department of Humanities: History, Geography and Art.