How to Study Constitutional Law

• Autor: García Belaunde, Domingo
• Formato: artículo
• Fecha de Publicación: 1985
• Institución: Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú
• Repositorio: Revistas - Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú
• Lenguaje: español
• OAI Identifier: oai:ojs.pkp.sfu.ca:article/5883
• Enlace del recurso: http://revistas.pucp.edu.pe/index.php/derechopucp/article/view/5883
• Nivel de acceso: acceso abierto
• Materia: Constitutional law; institutional stability; educational system; Constitution; systematic study; Derecho constitucional; estabilidad institucional; sistema educativo; Constitución; estudio sistemático

This paper reflects on how Constitutional Law should be studied, highlighting that it tends to be considered an “infused” knowledge due to its apparent simplicity, which leads to unfounded opinions. Unlike other branches of law, Constitutional Law tends to be approached with less academic rigor. The author analyzes the lack of institutional stability in the history of the Peruvian government, the weakness of the educational system and the scarcity of specialized books as reasons for the general lack of knowledge. In addition, he argues that constitutional study must go beyond reading the Constitution; a systematic approach is necessary, supported by adequate bibliography and a deep knowledge of the fundamental concepts. To that extent, he offers criteria for selecting good manuals of Constitutional Law and emphasizes the need to approach this discipline with the same respect and rigor as other branches of law.