Teaching

I am regularly teaching the following courses:

International Relations:

• International Politics (lecture course): This lecture course offers an introduction to the political science subfield of International Relations. The first part of the course presents four major theories of international relations. The second part outlines the answers that these theories give to a variety of interesting empirical questions. The central aims of the course are a.) to show students how international politics can be analysed scientifically and b.) to give students the necessary knowledge that is necessary for the successful participation in proseminars and seminars in the field of international relations.

• Key Readings in International Relations: In this course we will read and discuss a series of both classic and current texts that have made a major contribution to theory formation in the area of International Relations. The readings and discussion will not only offer an overview of different theories in this field, but also uncover the strengths and weaknesses of these theories. The most important aim of the proseminar, however, is to lay the foundations for a critical examination of political science research. Such a critical examination is vital in the preparation of your own research projects. Moreover, the capacity to critically analyse texts is an integral part of the transferable skills that you should acquire as part of a political science degree.

• International Political Economy (graduate seminar): Syllabus and reading list.

• International Institutions (graduate seminar)

• International Cooperation (undergraduate seminar)

Methods and Research design:

• • Methodik I: Syllabus. A course that covers qualitative and quantitative methods used in political science research.

• Research Design for PhD Students in the Social Sciences: Research design encompasses the formulation of a research question, the elaboration of a causal mechanism, the formulation of a hypothesis (or of several hypotheses), and the choice of a method to test the hypothesis (hypotheses). This course discusses all of these aspects of research design, and also provides a short introduction to the philosophy of science that forms the basis of much of social science. In terms of methods, the course touches upon both qualitative and quantitative approaches to testing arguments, with the precise contents depending on students’ prior knowledge. The aim is to give students in the social sciences a first overview of research design that will allow them to engage in additional self-study to deepen their understanding of the methods they require for their research. Students are encouraged to present their own research design problems for discussion in class.

• Master Seminar