The content profile of the MA Political Science
The program of Bamberg
Our master’s program is research-oriented and has an international focus. You will gain a broad understanding of political processes and institutions, as well as key theories in political science. You will be able to independently analyze and explain complex political contexts using appropriate social science theories and analytical approaches.
We place particular emphasis on theory-driven analysis, careful research designs, and modern empirical methods. As students, you will work in small groups on current research questions, learn to examine complex political contexts with precision, and acquire skills that are versatile and applicable in both practice and research.
Above all, however, with a total of three comprehensive and focused specializations, you have the opportunity to deepen your knowledge in areas that best match your interests and skills. Your chosen specialization will be explicitly noted on your diploma —allowing you to give your master’s degree your own unique profile in terms of content and methodology.
An overview of our focus areas
Global politics is undergoing a transformation. Shifts in power, geopolitical conflicts, new security threats, growing economic inequalities, and the consequences of climate change pose enormous challenges to the international order. International institutions are facing rising expectations—yet at the same time, their effectiveness, legitimacy, and ability to resolve conflicts are increasingly being called into question. In addition, global dynamics are shaping national policymaking more than ever before—from foreign and security policy to migration, trade, and climate.
These developments raise fundamental questions: How do states cooperate within international organizations, and when does cooperation fail? How are international institutions and the norms that underpin them changing under the pressure of global power shifts? What new forms of governance are emerging—and how equitable are they? How do global challenges influence national policy decisions, and why do countries respond differently to the same international stimuli? And finally: What role do issues of global justice play in shaping international and national policy?
The International Relations and Global Public Policy track addresses these questions from both analytical and empirical perspectives. It combines key perspectives from international relations, global governance, and comparative policy research, and provides a deep understanding of how international processes, institutions, and norms emerge, function, and evolve—and how they influence national politics.
Participating Departments:
- International and European Politics (Prof. Dr. Monika Heupel)
- Policy Analysis (Prof. Dr. Carina Schmitt)
- Political Theory (Prof. Dr. Johannes Marx)
Courses
- Lecture: International Institutions
- Lecture: Global Challenges for Public Policy
- Seminar: International Relations and Global Order
- Seminar: Foreign and Security Policy
- Seminar: Public Policies in a Globalized World
- Seminar: National Public Policies and International Organisations
- Seminar: Theories of Global Justice
In the 21st century, representative democracies are facing profound transformations: the decline of traditional party loyalties, the rise of populism and emotional polarization, transnational political challenges such as climate change and migration, and massive changes in political communication and the media landscape.
These developments touch on the very heart of democratic politics and raise fundamental questions: How do voters decide which parties to support? And how do political parties compete for votes among an increasingly diverse and volatile electorate? What forms of government emerge in increasingly fragmented and polarized party systems—and to what extent do governments actually influence political decisions and outcomes? How are political institutions—such as electoral systems, parliaments, and governments—changing in response to these challenges? How well are various marginalized groups and their interests represented politically?
On a more general level, the question also arises as to what extent fundamental societal transformations challenge established research findings on these topics. And finally: How can we empirically investigate such questions, given the abundance of new data sources and computer-assisted methods?
The master’s program addresses these issues from both analytical and empirical perspectives. By combining insights from comparative politics, political sociology, and democratic theory, the program equips students with a broad range of theoretical approaches, methodological tools, and substantive knowledge to conduct independent research on fundamental questions regarding representative democracies in the 21st century.
Participating Departments:
- Political Sociology (Prof. Dr. Sabrina Mayer)
- Comparative Politics (Prof. Dr. Thomas Saalfeld)
- Empirical Political Science (Prof. Dr. Ulrich Sieberer)
- Political Theory (Prof. Dr. Johannes Marx)
Courses
- Lecture: Understanding Political Attitudes and Behaviour
- Lecture: Political Institutions and Political Competition
- Seminar: The Psychological Roots of Political Behaviour and Intergroup Conflict
- Seminar: Immigration and Democracy
- Seminar: Parties, Institutions and Political Competition
- Seminar: Coalition Politics and Public Policy
- Seminar: Theories of Democratic Politics
Global politics is undergoing a transformation. Shifts in power, geopolitical conflicts, new security threats, growing economic inequalities, and the consequences of climate change pose enormous challenges to the international order. International institutions are facing rising expectations—yet at the same time, their effectiveness, legitimacy, and ability to resolve conflicts are increasingly being called into question. In addition, global dynamics are shaping national policymaking more than ever before—from foreign and security policy to migration, trade, and climate.
These developments raise fundamental questions: How do states cooperate within international organizations, and when does cooperation fail? How are international institutions and the norms that underpin them changing under the pressure of global power shifts? What new forms of governance are emerging—and how equitable are they? How do global challenges influence national policy decisions, and why do countries respond differently to the same international stimuli? And finally: What role do issues of global justice play in shaping international and national policy?
The International Relations and Global Public Policy track addresses these questions from both analytical and empirical perspectives. It combines key perspectives from international relations, global governance, and comparative policy research, and provides a deep understanding of how international processes, institutions, and norms emerge, function, and evolve—and how they influence national politics.
Participating Departments
Courses
- Lecture: Computation, Data, Politics
- Seminar: Selected Topics in CDP
- Seminar: Empirical Approaches to CDP
- Seminar: Modeling Complex Systems
- Seminar: Theories of Democratic Politics