Teaching

Teaching Focus of the Chair:

In accordance with the dedication of the chair, teaching focuses on the following:

• Empirical comparison of Western political systems.
• Teaching the relevant theories of political system research, which can explain the comparative empirical findings

In addition to Germany and the EU, special consideration is given to the political systems of France, Great Britain, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and the USA. The aim is thus to cover the spectrum of Western governmental systems as broadly as possible. Other states will be considered depending on the topic of the event.

The theoretical and empirical priorities each consist of three subgroups:

1. The functional logic of national and supranational political systems (e.g. democracy and authoritarianism, parliamentarism and presidentialism, federalism, constitutional courts)
2. Political actors and decision-making (e.g. elections and election systems, parties and party systems, interest organizations)
3. Political attitudes and policy content (e.g. political culture, social policy, security policy)

Here, too, key areas not explicitly mentioned in this list (e.g. system transformation, environmental policy, etc.) will also be taken into account on a selective basis, provided that it is thematically appropriate within the framework of a course.

The courses offered are primarily tailored to the Bachelor's program in Political Science and the Master's program in Democratic Studies, but are also open to students of other programs. Please refer to the comments on the individual courses for details (group of participants, performance requirements).

Current courses and seminars: