Einführung in die Vergleichende Politikwissenschaft (Daniel Bischof)
Die Vorlesung führt Student*innen an die Theorie, Methoden und Forschungsergebnisse der Vergleichenden Politikwissenschaft heran. In diesem Zusammenhang beschäftigen wir uns mit politischen Institutionen, deren Auswirkungen auf politisches Verhalten, sowie mit zentralen Problemen, die die derzeitige Politik beschäftigen wie beispielsweise die Erfolge radikaler Parteien. Dazu lernen Student*innen zu verstehen welche Methoden in der vergleichenden Politikwissenschaft angewandt werden und welche Chancen und Grenzen die jeweiligen Methoden und bearbeitet werden. Die Klausur findet am 08.07.2025, 12-14 Uhr, statt.Die Nachschreibeklausur findet am 26.08.2025, 12-14 Uhr, statt.
Was wir von wissenschaftlichen Studien lernen können (Kausale Inferenz I) (Daniel Bischof)
Besteht ein kausaler Zusammenhang zwischen steigenden Flüchtlingszahlen und dem Erstarken rechtsextremer Parteien? Stimmt es, dass deutsche Universitäten “linkslastig” sind und eine “Cancel Culture” vorherrscht? Ist es tatsächlich so, dass ein Spaziergang im Wald das individuelle Wohlbefinden signifikant steigert? In diesem Kurs setzen wir uns anhand prominenter Beispiele aus der öffentlichen Debatte mit Fragen zur Qualität wissenschaftlicher Forschung auseinander. Wir versuchen schrittweise, ein Gedankengerüst aufzubauen, mit dem wir wissenschaftliche Studien evaluieren können, die tatsächliche Erkenntnisse aus empirischer Forschung erkennen lassen und mögliche Vorschläge zur Verbesserung bestehender Forschung herausarbeiten können. Ein zentraler Fokus wird hierbei auf Fragen der Kausalität liegen: Was versteht man in der Sozialwissenschaft unter Kausalität, und wie können wir anhand empirischer Studien kausale Aussagen treffen? Ziel des Kurses ist es, den Teilnehmer*innen die Möglichkeit zu geben, empirische Studien schnell zu verstehen, gezielt zu hinterfragen und die Grenzen sozialwissenschaftlicher Forschung zu erkennen.
The key challenges our societies are facing and how to address them: from climate change to inequality (Daniel Bischof)
This seminar explores pressing societal challenges and the potential solutions to address them. Students will examine topics such as climate change, economic inequality, political representation deficits, populism, far-right extremism, terrorism, pandemics, and global crises like starvation and war. Each week, we will focus on one major issue by analyzing a key academic text, discussing the roots and proposed policy responses to the issue. Through structured debates and critical evaluations, students will explore whether and how these challenges can be mitigated. Student engagement is central: participants can propose additional topics of interest. The seminar emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches, encouraging participants to connect political, economic, and social perspectives. By the end of the course, students will have developed a deeper understanding of complex global issues, gained analytical tools to evaluate policy responses, and sharpened their ability to critically engage with contemporary policy debates.
Applied Introduction to R for Political Scientists (Elena Leuschner)
What is the relation between water scarcity and violent conflict? Did the Black Lives Matter protests shift public opinion on issues such as the police or racism? How likely are rural voters to cast a vote for far-right parties? To answer such questions, political scientists analyze large data samples with statistical methods. One tool to conduct data analyses is the programming language R: an open-source software and a powerful tool for data analysis, visualization, and statistical computing. You will learn how to get started in R and clean, visualize, and statistically analyze different kinds of data that are relevant to political science. You do not need to have any prior knowledge about programming or R. Basic knowledge about statistics is helpful, though. Every week, we will work through an R-script together. Weekly assignments provide you the opportunity to apply the learnings yourself and test your progress. By the end, you will be equipped with the basics of R to conduct your own analyses of political science data in your own empirical seminar papers or theses.
Voices of Change? The Political Effects of Protests (Elena Leuschner)
Political street protests are popular around the world, across political ideologies, and in democracies as well as autocracies. But while protests are ever-present in the media and political discourse, their political effects are often contested. Was Friday’s for Future successful in changing the political agenda to a more environmentally friendly one? Did the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s ameliorate the political representation of Blacks in the United States? In this seminar, we will discuss potential answers to these questions and study the newest research on the political effects of political protests. The course is organized in two thematic blocks in which we will discuss 1) How protesters can influence their chances at political change and 2) How political actors respond to protests. Among other things, we will critically reflect on the political effects of protesters using violence or consolidating their demands, the various ways in which governments, politicians, and parties respond to protests, and whether political outcomes that seem like a success for protesters can always be considered a true success. To enable an in-depth discussion, we will focus each week on a limited selection of two empirical papers that have shaped the current discussion on the political effects of protest. Based on the papers, we will deduct strategies to read and write scientific studies effectively and familiarize ourselves with the variety of empirical methods used. Basic knowledge of statistics and quantitative research methods is helpful.
Gender and Political Representation (Mirko Wegemann)
Up until today, women remain underrepresented in political offices. According to the United Nations, the global average of female parliamentarians is approximately 27%, and only 30 countries are led by women. Issues that are particularly important to female voters often play a subordinate role in political decision-making. In this seminar, we will first engage in an empirical investigation into the possible causes of gender inequality in politics. This will include examining the influence of norms that are sometimes passed down through generations. Following this, we will address various forms of gender discrimination in political institutions, while also considering the effectiveness of tools designed to reduce gender inequality. The seminar is based on English-language readings, primarily international empirical research articles. Prior knowledge of quantitative methods is advantageous; otherwise, a willingness to engage with quantitative research is beneficial.
Party Competition in Western Europe: Voters, Strategies and Institutions (Mirko Wegemann)
This seminar zeros in on the role of political parties for democracies in Western Europe. After a brief recap on their origins and functions in the democratic system, we will proceed in three blocks. In a first block, we will focus on the demand side, discussing existing approaches explaining voting behaviour. Do voters try to maximize their own utility when voting for a party or do they rather follow their peers or more emotional motives? We will then proceed by analysing political parties as strategic actors. How do parties find their niche in existing party systems, under which conditions do they decide to change their position on a political issue? Finally, in a third block, we will discuss the impact of political institutions, such as the electoral system, on party competition. When do electoral systems increase party system fragmentation, which systems lead to a personalization of political parties? The seminar combines extensive empirical readings on the subject with an introduction in several datasets that can help us to measure ideology of voters and parties, and the influence of institutions. Hence, a general willingness to engage in empirical, quantitative research is required.