Incoming Students

Our institute boasts a staff of 7 professors and about 20 teaching and research associates. Each professor heads a subdivision in a specific field of political science and is responsible for the related teaching and research activities. The institute, therefore, offers the full spectrum of political science as an academic discipline with some specializations.

The following subdivisions form our institute:

• Comparative GovernmentExternal link – Prof. Dr. Torsten Oppelland
• Didactics of PoliticsExternal link – Prof. Dr. Michael May
• Environmental PoliticsExternal link – Prof. Dr. Sina Leipold
• European StudiesExternal link – Prof. Dr. Olaf Leiße
• International OrganizationExternal links – Jun. Prof. Christian Kreuder-Sonnen
• International RelationsExternal link – Prof. Dr. Rafael Biermann
• Political System of GermanyExternal link – Prof. Dr. Marion Reiser
• Political Theory and the History of Political ThoughtExternal link – Prof. Dr. Michael Dreyer

Our institute offers the study programs you can see below. Please follow the links to find more information on the individual programs as well as the application details.

• Bachelor of Political Science (3 years, mainly taught in German)
• Master of Political Science (2 years, mainly taught in German)
• Master in International Organizations and Crisis Management (2 years, taught in English)
• Master Political Studies and Governance (1 year, mainly taught in German)

HereExternal link you can find further information about the study programs.

For individual questions regarding the full-time study programs, please contact our Study Coordinators, Dr. Sven Leunig: studienberatungpw@uni-jena.de (BA/MA Political Science and MA Political Studies and Governance) and Philip M. Tantow: info.iocm@uni-jena.de (MA IOCM only).

If you plan to come  to Jena for one or two semesters as part of an exchange program (e.g., Erasmus+), you have access to courses across the study programs offered at the institute mentioned above. These courses are grouped into modules (usually 2 courses per module) and are displayed in the module catalog for guest studentspdf, 1 mb · de. It is important to note you have to complete entire modules in order to receive the corresponding credit points. 

Our course offer does not generally follow a fixed curriculum and therefore varies with each semester. It covers classes from all subdisciplines covered by our institute (International Relations, Political Systems (esp. Germany), International Organizations, European Studies, History of Political Thought, Comparative Politics) and offers various opportunities to pursue your interests. Courses (seminars and lectures) usually comprise 5 ECTS credit points. Besides Political Science, incoming students at our institute also have access to related disciplines like Economics, Law, and History through our interdisciplinary modules.

You are further, of course, also invited to attend courses taught in German, given a sufficient language proficiency. We recommend level B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Generally, exams and term papers can also be submitted in English; however, please coordinate this with the responsible lecturer.

Please contact us if you have further questions concerning the course offer or other study-related aspects: powi.international@uni-jena.de.

Summer Semester 2024

• Chinese Global Governance – seminar
• Environmental Crises and International Politics – seminar
• Exploring Southeast Asia: Between Diversity and Regionalism – seminar
• Federalist Papers – seminar
• Global Food Security – seminar
• Humanitarian Aid – seminar
• International Human Rights and Armed Conflict – seminar
• Pol. Thought and the American Presidency II – Reading 20^th/21^st Century Inaugural Addresses – seminar
• The EU as a Global Actor – seminar
• The Tragedy of the Blue Commons – seminar

Winter Semester 2023/24

• Foreign Policy of Small States - seminar
• Korea and Europe from Comparative Perspective – seminar
• Managing Peace and Conflict – lecture
• Pol. Thought and the American Presidency – Reading 19^th Century Inaugural Addresses – seminar
• Sovereign States in a Global World – seminar
• Ethnic Conflict and Conflict Resolution – seminar
• Life Cycles of International Organizations – seminar
• Natural Resources and Global Justice – seminar
• Populism un Germany – A Comparative Perspective – seminar

Summer Semester 2023

• Between Power and Morality – Debating the Ethics of Peace and Conflict – seminar
• Chinese Global Governance – seminar
• Climate Change and Global Justice – seminar
• Competitive Regionalism and Order Contestation in Eastern Europe and Eurasia – seminar
• E Pluribus Unum? The Progressive-Conservative Divide in the United States – seminar
• Environmental Crises and International Politics – seminar
• Global Health Governance and Crises – seminar
• Introduction to the UK Parlament– seminar
• Leading Humanitarian Bureaucracies: Current Challenges and Essential Skills – seminar
• Patron Client Relations in the Post-Cold War Era – seminar
• Understanding Conflict: Social-Psychological Theories and Experiments – seminar

Winter Semester 2022/23

• A House divided: Congress vs. President – seminar
• EU Foreign and Security Policy – seminar
• Model United Nations (UN simulation) – seminar
• Korea and Europe from Comparative Perspective – seminar
• Political Theory and the American Vice Presidency – seminar
• Populism and International Politics – seminar
• Populism in Germany - A Comparative Perspective – seminar
• Sovereign States and Justice in a Global World – seminar
• The Tragedy of Global Commons – seminar
• Understanding Peace and Conflict – lecture

The International Office of FSU Jena is your main point of contact whenever you have general questions. At the start of each fall semester, the staff organizes the so-called Welcome Days, which we highly recommend! The program spans over 30 days from September to October and gives you an insightful overview of the relevant services of our university. In addition, it is an excellent opportunity to meet other students. Further, the different mentoring programscould be interesting if you are looking for student-to-student support.

The Institute of Political Science also welcomes you at the beginning of each semester. To this end, we will send you a mail with an invitation to the institute’s welcome event and show you how to find more information about our various activities (e.g., mailing listExternal link and Instagram (@fsr.powi.jenaExternal link)). In addition, we organize a mid-semester get-together for (international) students and a feedback meeting before your departure.

If you are looking for more information about Jena as a destination for your studies, please see the international website of the FSU’s central International Office. Additionally, Jena 360°External link will give you an interactive tour through Jena.