Contents:

•  Overview of different social science approaches and paradigms, their historical development and especially the controversies between these approaches.
•  Reflection on basic social science terms (concepts) from a historical, theoretical and methodological perspective.
•  Social science theory of science

Final module examinations, academic achievements and proof of participation:

Students must attend two seminars in this module.

In one of the two seminars, students only have to provide proof of attendance and receive 3 CP for this.

In the other seminar, students complete a certificate of attendance (3 CP) and a final module examination (4 CP).

The module is completed with a total of 10 credit points.

Contents:

Lecture "Einführung in die Methoden empirischer Sozailforschng":

• Importance of methods in political science
• Overview of research designs and the research cycle
•  Central terms of methodology
•  Important data collection procedures (including in any case different forms of questioning and text analysis)
• Different yields of qualitative and quantitative methods 
• Research ethics
• Exemplary application of empirical research methods in political science

Lecture "Introduction to Social Science Statistics":

• Comprehensive overview of common statistical methods and their application in the social sciences.
• Measures for uni-, bi- and multivariate analyses
• Graphical representation of distributions 
• Application and interpretation of correlation measures for variables with different scale levels
• Fundamentals of probability theory
• Inferential statistical methods (confidence intervals, hypothesis testing).

Contents:

• History of political ideas in systematic terms, with a focus on modern and contemporary development.
• Contemporary political theory and philosophy
• Institutional and state theory, theory of democracy and law
• Political thought and political ideologies

Final module examinations, academic achievements and proof of participation:

Students attend the lecture or seminar "Introduction to Political Theory". If the course is offered as a lecture, students complete a course assignment and receive 3 CP for this. If the course is offered as a seminar, students provide proof of participation and receive 3 CP for this. Students may not take a final module examination in this course.

In addition to the introductory course, students attend two further seminars.

In one of the two seminars, students only provide proof of attendance and receive 3 CP for this.

In the other seminar, students provide proof of attendance (3 CP) and a final module examination (4 CP).

The module is completed with a total of 13 credit points.

Contents:

• Political system of the Federal Republic of Germany
• other political systems (especially Western democracies)
• Comparison of political systems
• Nation state and transnational orders
• Parties, interest groups and social movements
• Citizens and elites
• Governments, parliaments, courts, expert bodies
• Democracy: participation and competition
• Elections, participation and representation
• Interest mediation
• Political communication
• Policy formulation process (policy research)
• Politics and economics

Final module examinations, academic achievements and proof of participation:

Students attend the lecture or seminar "Introduction to Comparative Politics". If the course is offered as a lecture, students complete a course assignment and receive 3 CP for this. If the course is offered as a seminar, students provide proof of participation and receive 3 CP for this. Students may not take a final module examination in this course.

In addition to the introductory course, students attend two further seminars.

In one of the two seminars, students only provide proof of attendance and receive 3 CP for this.

In the other seminar, students provide proof of attendance (3 CP) and a final module examination (4 CP).

The module is completed with a total of 13 credit points.

• Overview of the development of the sub-field "International Relations
• Basic questions, theories and methods of international relations
• 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

Final module examinations, academic achievements and proof of participation:

Students attend the lecture or seminar "Introduction to International Relations". If the course is offered as a lecture, students complete a course assignment and receive 3 CP for this. If the course is offered as a seminar, students provide proof of participation and receive 3 CP for this. Students may not take a final module examination in this course.

In addition to the introductory course, students attend two further seminars.

In one of the two seminars, students only provide proof of attendance and receive 3 CP for this.

In the other seminar, students provide proof of attendance (3 CP) and a final module examination (4 CP).

The module is completed with a total of 13 credit points.

Contents:

Research application:

• Applications of the procedures of empirical social research to a substantive topic (e.g. democracy measurement, research into the causes of war, development policy, elite research, or similar),
• Methodological aspects of pioneering studies in the social sciences
• Methodological pluralism in research design
• Practical implementation of an own (group) research project

Research technique:

• Specific consideration of a research technique (e.g. interview, statistical software, network analysis, observation, etc.)
• Detailed presentation of a methodological technique and its practical testing

Final module examinations, academic achievements and proof of participation:

Students take one seminar each with a focus on research application and one seminar with a focus on research technique. One of the two seminars is completed with a module final examination in the form of a term paper.

In one of the two seminars, students provide proof of participation and receive 3 CP for this.

In the second seminar, students provide proof of attendance (3 CP) and a final module examination (4 CP).

The module is completed with a total of 10 credit points.

Final module examinations, academic achievements and proof of participation:

The awarding of credit points always depends on the organising department.

Electronic examination registration is not possible in the optional module. Students should use the module slip for the optional module.

The module is completed with a total of 8 credit points.

Grades in the optional module are not included in the overall grade.

Contents:

The students gain insight into the structure and work organisation of the institution providing the internship and actively work in it. The internship should be carried out in an area relevant to politics in the broadest sense, e.g. at a public institution, associations, non-governmental organisations, private-sector companies, etc. The students find out to what extent political or social science methods and competences are applied in professional practice and thereby receive impulses and orientation for their future career choice. By being involved in everyday work processes, students acquire practical skills and competences of everyday professional life, which are only acquired to a limited extent in this form during university studies.

Modulabschlussprüfungen, Studienleistungen und Teilnahmenachweise:

At least 330 hours must be completed during the internship. Longer internships are always possible. Students receive 11 credit points for completing the hours. Students receive 1 credit point for successful participation in the study day.

The internship does not have to be registered with the department in advance. There is no electronic examination registration for the internship. It is booked via the module slip for the internship.

The module is completed with a total of 12 credit points. There is no grade for the internship module.

Contents:

• Presentation of one's own exam project and its research design as well as discussion and reflection on the projects of fellow students in a colloquium.
• Independent preparation of the Bachelor's thesis
• Presentation of the results of one's own project in an examination discussion 

Final thesis and proof of participation:

In the colloquium, students provide proof of participation and receive 3 CP for this. If possible, we recommend taking the colloquium in the semester before writing the final thesis or alongside it. If possible, students should attend the colloquium with the person who is also supervising their final thesis.

Students receive 12 credit points for the final thesis. The thesis is not registered via the electronic examination registration. Students use the Bachelor's thesis registration form. Students must find their own supervisor at least one semester in advance. The second supervisor can also be assigned by the Examination Office on request.

Students have 9 weeks from the time of registration to write their thesis. Registration may take place when 7 modules in the main subject have been completed.

Students take the oral examination (defence of the Bachelor's thesis) after the thesis has been corrected. Students coordinate the date with their supervisor. Students receive 3 credit points for the oral examination.

The entire module is completed with 18 credit points.