Political Science

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Political science is the traditional name for an interdisciplinary concept of those scientific disciplines that deal with the nature and organization of the state .

From today's perspective, these are:

Modern concepts of political science encompass large parts of the above-mentioned disciplines in order to be able to deal with complex issues in the field of tension between society , law and economics . For this reason, parts of the disciplines relevant to the private sector and the non-profit sector (e.g. selected parts of private law and business administration ) are integrated into these concepts.

Historical development

After the differentiation and professionalization of law and economics around 1850, the term political science developed into an umbrella term for national economy . Another historical influence is camera science . Before the university reforms of the 1960s and 1970s, law and economics were therefore often combined in a "law and political science faculty". From the self-image of many economists, the expression political science is mostly a purely historical reminiscence .

Current situation

With the increasing complexity of various issues, people began to think back to the advantages of interdisciplinary approaches. In a knowledge society that is becoming more and more complex, more importance is being attached to interface competence in the areas of business, law and society. For some years now, political science has been able to be studied again at various universities in German-speaking countries. The University of Erfurt was the first university to re-establish a political science faculty in which sociologists, economists, lawyers and political scientists conduct interdisciplinary research and teach.

The interdisciplinary study program Philosophy, Politics and Economics , originally widespread in the Anglo-Saxon area, uses a similar concept.

Political sciences as a university subject

Study opportunities

The University of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich offered a diploma course from 1988 , which was restructured into a bachelor's / master's degree in the autumn of 2007. Bachelor courses in political science are also offered at the University of Erfurt and the University of Passau . Masters courses in this area can be taken at the University of Erfurt, the University of Potsdam , Passau and Lüneburg ; all of these offers differ somewhat in terms of their content. For example, history is part of the course at the University of Passau, but not at the University of Erfurt. A Master of Laws in Comparative Political Science and Law can be obtained at the German-speaking Andrássy University in Budapest .

In Switzerland there are corresponding courses at the University of Geneva and the University of St. Gallen . At the ETH Zurich aspiring graduate professional officers of the Swiss army to Bachelorstudiengang political science.

Studying at Sciences Po Paris is also compatible with the concept of political science. Since 2002, a corresponding interdisciplinary undergraduate course can be completed in French, English and German on the Franco-German campus in Nancy .

Career opportunities for graduates of political science courses

Graduates of political science courses work in a variety of professional fields in specialist and management positions. Although the name suggests employment in the state or at least state-related labor market, a significant proportion of the graduates also work in the private and non-profit sectors. Since political scientists have a multidisciplinary and more generalist education, they have a wide range of possible career prospects open to them. In addition to their extensive actual specialist knowledge, political scientists are primarily characterized by their high level of methodological and problem-solving skills , which is an important part of their training.

Frequently represented fields of work are mainly:

Companies
Above all, internationally operating banks, insurance companies and other internationally operating companies ask questions from graduates of political science, because here it is important to consider highly complex issues from different perspectives. With their interdisciplinary training, their interface and methodological skills, political scientists are particularly attractive here. Therefore, about half of the graduates work in this field.
Public administration, diplomacy and international organizations
Political scientists are predestined for this field of work due to their extensive specialist knowledge, their more generalist training and their special understanding of issues in the social, economic and political area.
Consulting firm, non-profit sector and science
The corporate , administrative and policy advice are major employers for government scientists. A special field of work is “Governmental Relations”, which deals with the relationship between economic or social organizations and the state.

Other frequently represented fields of work are the non-profit sector as well as work in think tanks and scientific research .

literature

  • Wolfgang Drechsler : On the Viability of the Concept of "Political Science". In: European Journal of Law and Economics. Vol. 12, No. 2 (Sept. 2001), pp. 105-111.
  • Klaus König : Knowledge interests of administrative science. Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1970.
  • Gunnar Folke Schuppert : Political Science. Nomos, Baden-Baden 2003.
  • Rüdiger Voigt : Thinking about the state. The Leviathan in the sign of crisis. 2nd Edition. Nomos, Baden-Baden 2009.
  • Rüdiger Voigt, Ulrich Weiß (Ed.): Handbook of state thinkers. Franz Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart 2010, ISBN 978-3-515-09511-2 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ University of the Federal Armed Forces Munich: Degree in Political and Social Sciences . Retrieved April 6, 2013.
  2. ^ University of Erfurt: Political Science Faculty , as of April 3, 2013. Accessed April 6, 2013.
  3. ↑ University of Passau: Philosophical Faculty, information on the Bachelor's degree in Governance and Public Policy Political Science (BA) (PDF; 136 kB), as of August 2012. Accessed April 6, 2013.
  4. ^ University of Passau: Master of Arts in International Economics and Business , as of October 11, 2012. Accessed April 6, 2013.
  5. ^ University of Passau: Master's Governance and Public Policy - Political Sciences , as of January 31, 2013. Accessed April 6, 2013.
  6. ↑ Leuphana University of Lüneburg: Master's degree in Political Science - Public Economics, Law and Politics (PELP) ( Memento from December 30, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), as of March 21, 2013. Accessed on April 6, 2013.
  7. ↑ Comparative Politics and Law (LL.M.) / AUB . In: Andrássy University Budapest . ( andrassyuni.eu [accessed February 28, 2018]).
  8. ↑ Military academy at the ETH Zurich : degree course career officer - Bachelor of Arts ETH in political science . Retrieved April 6, 2013.