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Content & Structure B.A. Political Science Minor - Study Regulations 2014

​Important Information

The following information applies only to students who are enrolled in the Political Science Minor with 60 CP. If you are not enrolled in Faculty 03 and want to study Political Science as part of optional modules of your degree programme, click here.
The following information is only intended for students who began their studies before the winter semester 2022/2023.

At a Glance

Standard period of study:

6 semesters (3 academic years)

Programme start:

Summer and winter semester

Admission restrictions:

Admission to the programme is restricted.

Scale:

60 credit points (CP)
Number of modules

5 compulsory modules
Module examination formats:

Term paper
Written test

Language(s) of instruction:

German, English

Programme Director:

Professor Claudius Wagemann

Video presentation on the organization of studying the B.A. Political Science Minor

Modules & Content Structure of the B.A. Political Science Major

The BA Political Science is divided into five modules. A module is a stand-alone thematic unit which – with the exception of the internship and the dissertation – consists of several courses.

Module Name

Module Contents

CP

Module 1:
Preparatory Course
  • Overview of political science as a discipline, its history in the context of neighbouring disciplines and its subdomains as well as the general fundamentals of the social sciences
  • Practice in various forms of work on the basis of practical examples (own research on various topics, text analyses, presentation of results, discussions)

Here you attend the lecture and an accompanying practical class or tutorial. The module ends with a small project (term paper).

10

Module 2:
Political Theory
  • Political history of ideas since antiquity from a systematic perspective, with a focus on modern and recent developments
  • Contemporary political theories, e.g. critical theory, post-structuralism, feminist theory, liberalism, communitarianism, system theory and rational choice
  • Institutional and state theory in a national and international context
  • Democratic theory and legal theory

Students must produce proof of active participation in two undergraduate seminars and sit an end-of-module examination.

10

Module 3:
Comparative Politics

Systems:

  • Political system of the Federal Republic of Germany
  • Other political systems (especially Western democracies)
  • Political systems in comparison

Stakeholders:

  • Parties and elections
  • Interest groups and social movements
  • Citizens and elites

Processes:

  • Intermediation of interests
  • Political communication
  • Policy formulation process
  • Politics and economics

13

Module 4:
International Relations
  • Fundamental questions, theories and methods of international relations and international political economy
  • Foreign policy analysis and foreign policy of selected states
  • Regional integration and global governance
  • North-South relations and research on developing countries
  • Security policy, peace and conflict research

13

Module 5:
Specialisation

Students can choose their own focus area. Suitable contents can be selected individually from:

  • Political Science: Political Theory
  • Political Science: Comparative Politics
  • Political Science: International Relations
  • Political Science/Sociology: Current research priorities at the faculty
  • Political Science/Sociology: Further research skills

Students must produce proof of active participation in two seminars (advanced courses) and sit an end-of-module examination.

14

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