Lehre

Lecture

Diese Ringvorlesung bietet eine Einführung in die Politik­wissenschaft und ist für Studierende im ersten Semester konzipiert. Die Veranstaltung stellt grundlegende Konzepte der politik-wissenschaft­lichen Forschung dar und gibt einen Überblick über zentrale Grundbegriffe, Fragen, Theorien und Methoden der Politik­wissenschaft.

Lecture

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Lilli Banholzer

This module provides an introduction to international relations by giving students the basic tools and theoretical concepts necessary to analyse international politics, to understand specific historical events or contemporary issues. Key elements and terms of international relations theory will be introduced and explained and core themes will be discussed, including the role of different actors and institutions in the international system, theories of war and peace, international political economy and questions of development and transnational politics.

Lecture

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Lilli Banholzer

This lecture focuses on the outbreak and the dynamics of civil strife  and violent conflict as well as ways to end wars and sustain peace and stability. We will examine why people decide to fight, how armed  groups are formed and sustained and which structural condition increases the risk of civil war in a country. Likewise, we will look  at scientific studies as well as practical cases to understand how violent conflict can be ended, the role of development aid and  democratization in this process as well as political, economic, social, and psychological consequences of war.

Übung

Dozentin: Cosima Meyer

Quantitative research in conflict studies is of high societal interest but still remains a challenging task. In this course, students will tackle common problems that arise during data management processes in conflict research by being introduced to R. Using standard datasets in conflict studies, students will submit a first research project with R as part of their final submission. The goal of this course is to provide students with guidelines for good data management practices.

Übung

Dozentin: Prof. Sabine Carey, Ph.D.

This seminar will teach you how to read academic texts critically and efficiently, how to write papers required for your courses, and how to do oral presentations. The seminar will walk you through the important stages of researching and writing about a subject that interests you, from choosing a topic, through narrowing down your interest in the form of a research question and finding relevant literature, to making a research plan. In addition to this, you will learn how to use library resources and cite correctly your references. To help acquiring these skills you will be assigned a number of small home exercises.

Übung

Dozentin: Anna-Lena Hönig

This seminar introduces students to theory and empirical applications of network analysis. Based on an introduction to the basic functionality of R (objects, functions, data management, plotting) students learn how to use R to perform basic social network analyses. We apply social network analysis to study various forms of conflict such as protest, terrorism, and civil war. This theoretical and empirical network perspective allows us to enhance our understanding of conflict processes.

The seminar is tailored to students who have not worked with R before. Students learn programming in R with a focus on the basics of social network analysis. They learn about the relevant data sources in conflict studies and research design strategies. This seminar prepares students intensively for writing their final paper and is taught in English.

Proseminar

Dozent: Christian Gläßel

n this seminar we engage with research on autocracies and dictatorships. The main goal is to develop a deeper understanding of the key actors, strategies, and processes that shape authoritarian politics. What is authoritarianism and how do autocrats come to power? What are the strategies authoritarian regimes use to stay in power? How do dictators organize their security apparatus and what are the consequences for state repression? And under what conditions do autocrats fall? We will thoroughly address these kinds of questions in class and discuss existing explanations. By the end of the semester, students should be able to critically assess relevant contemporary research in terms of both theory and empirical evidence. The course is highly reading-intensive and requires active participation in class to allow for fruitful discussions. Basic knowledge of research design and methodology is strongly recommended. Course language is English.

Proseminar

Dozent: Prof. Dr. Lilli Banholzer

Proseminar

Dozent: Christoph Steinert

This course focuses on human rights violations as a theoretical concept and as an empirical phe-nomenon. It tackles questions such as: What are human rights violations? How can we studyhuman rights violations empirically? When are human rights violations most likely to occur? Which groups of individuals face an elevated risk of human rights violations? And which typesof interventions are effective to promote human rights? The course will be structured accordingto different political contexts analysing distinct dynamics of repression during ’peace’ and conflict.A particular emphasis will lie on the immediate aftermath of conflicts and the implementation ofdiverse means of transitional justice. The course will also cover different logics underlying distincttypes of human rights violations. To bridge the gap between theory and practice, current real-world examples of human rights violations will be discussed in relation to the theoretical concepts introduced in class.

Research Seminar

Lecturer: Prof. Sabine Carey, Ph.D.

This seminar discusses seminal and current work on agents of political violence. We analyze the role and characteristics of the military, including drivers and co­unter­strategies to coup d’états. A large part of the course will focus on irregular armed agents that are aligned with the stage, engaging with the growing research on militias, death squads, civil defense forces and paramilitary groups. We assess national and transnational drivers of their formation, their termination, how they affect political violence during and outside of civil wars. The seminars will be student-led. Over the course of the seminar you will develop your own research question on one of the topics discussed in the seminar and carry out your own research. Additionally, you are expected to write one book review, read all required materials, engage in the discussions and provide feedback on other student’s work.