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:
Fundamentals of the Social Sciences

• Reflection on fundamental social science concepts from a methodological and theoretical perspective
• Overview of various social science theories and paradigms, their development and controversies. Science theory in the social sciences, history of ideas and social history of state, economy, law, society and international system.
• History and types of empirical research in the social sciences
• Research papers and research reports on individual social science questions

In this module, students must produce proof of active participation in two undergraduate seminars and sit an end-of-module examination.

10

Module 3: Research Skills 1: Statistics

• Comprehensive overview of common statistical methods and their application in the social sciences
• Indicators for univariate, bivariate and multivariate evaluation
• Graphical representation of distributions
• Application and interpretation of correlational indicators for variables with different scale levels
• Fundamentals of probability theory
• Inferential statistics methods (confidence intervals, hypothesis tests)

In this module, students must produce proof of active participation in one undergraduate seminar or lecture with 4 semester hours per week or two undergraduate seminars or lectures with 2 semester hours per week each and sit an end-of-module examination.

10

Module 4: Research Skills 2: Methods of Empirical Social Research

Undergraduate seminar “Introduction to the Methods of Empirical Social Research":

• Key methods
• Important data collection methods (including, in any case, various forms of standardised, semi-standardised and non-standardised surveys; quantitative and qualitative text analysis; observation methods)
• Overview of quantitative and qualitative data analysis methods
• Different outputs of qualitative and quantitative methods
• Research ethics
• Application of empirical research methods in political science on the basis of examples

Advanced undergraduate seminar(s):

• Applications of empirical, especially qualitative social research methods (e.g. democracy measurement, research on the causes of war, development policy, elite research, etc.)
• Methodical aspects of pioneer studies in the social sciences
• Practical exercises based on the example of selected methods, above all in the quantitative area
• Detailed presentation of individual methods and their practical testing in areas of social science research

Students must produce proof of active participation in an undergraduate seminar introducing the methods of empirical social research and an advanced course on a scale of four semester hours per week. This advanced course can be attended as a four-hour undergraduate seminar or as two undergraduate seminars of two hours each. Students must sit an end-of-module examination in the advanced course.

13

Module 5:
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

In Modules 6 and 7, students must choose a focus area. Students must attend three undergraduate seminars in one of the two modules. In the other respective module, they must only attend two undergraduate seminars. The end-of-module examination must be taken separately in each module.

Module 6:
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

10 or 13

Module7:
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

10 or 13

Module 8:
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.

11

Module 9:
Internship

Students gain an insight into the structure of the institution providing the internship and how work is organised there and work actively within it. The internship should be undertaken in an area relevant to politics in the broadest sense, e.g. at a public institution, association, non-governmental organisation, private sector company, etc. Students learn to what extent political or social science methods and skills are applied in professional practice and through this find inspiration and guidance for their future career choice.

The duration of the internship must be at least 10 weeks. The module ends with the Internship Report.

13

Module 10:
Dissertation Colloquium

• Discussion of and reflection on one's own research project
• Presentation of one's own research project

Students must produce proof of active participation in a colloquium. The end-of-module examination is the defence of the bachelor's dissertation in the form of an oral examination.

8

Module 11:
Final Module

Composition of an independent academic paper (bachelor's dissertation)

12