Teaching
Below you find descriptions of seminars I teach. I mostly teach in comparative politics on public policy, institutions, political behavior and research design. In addition, I advise Bachelor and Master theses addressing these topics.
You can find a video of an example of a lecture I held in German on the German Federal Constitutional Court here.
Seminar: The Comparative Analysis of Public Policy
Description. Why do policies on education, immigration, or the environment vary greatly across countries, despite similar global challenges? Why are some governments more successful than others in solving particular policy problems? This course offers an advanced introduction to the comparative analysis of public policy to address these questions. Understanding public policy involves comprehending what governments choose to do or not do (description & explanation), examining the motivation behind their actions (analyzing causes), and assessing the resulting impact (understanding consequences). To achieve this, we will first familiarize ourselves with major theoretical approaches used to understand policy processes. Next, we learn how to apply comparative designs to engage in public policy analysis. Lastly, we will examine empirical examples from various policy areas and countries, including real-life policy concerns that you will bring to the class.
Seminar: Judicial Politics in Comparative Perspective
Description. This seminar provides an overview of research on courts as political institutions and judges as political actors. While Judicial Politics is an established subfield in U.S. political science, this area has only recently received increasing attention in European Comparative Politics. This seminar will examine legal institutions from a political science perspective. You will learn about different approaches to explaining judicial action, and we will discuss theories of judicial influence on the political system. Our discussions will always be applied to specific countries, cases, and institutions.The aim of this seminar is to learn how to apply scientific methods and effectively use comparative methods. You will also practice using English as an academic language. Additionally, you will develop the ability to systematically classify different legal systems and describe how the political system of a country and the actions of the judiciary influence each other.
After providing an overview, we will first compare the Anglo-American supreme court model with the European constitutional review model. Next, we will explore the (political) motivations of judges, discuss intra-judicial processes, and examine the political constraints on judicial behavior. Finally, we will discuss the potential impact of the judiciary on political processes and institutions. Furthermore, we will consider possible future developments in judicial politics.
Seminar: Comparative Legislative Research
Description. Legislatures are the lawmaking branches of government composed of appointed, indirectly or directly elected representatives. Therefore, analyzing legislative politics is crucial for understanding developments in modern democracies. Throughout this seminar, we will familiarize ourselves with the design, functions, and workings of legislatures, applying sophisticated theoretical approaches to gain practical insights into legislative politics. To comprehend the diversity in legislative research, we will draw on comparative examples from the European Union, the U.S. Congress, and the British Parliament. The aim of this seminar is to learn how to apply scientific methods and effectively use comparative methods. You will also practice using English as an academic language. Additionally, you will develop the ability to systematically classify different parliamentary systems and describe how the political system of a country and the actions of the legislature influence each other.
First, we will analyze the inner workings of legislative bodies, considering the political implications of different institutional designs of legislatures. Second, we will examine legislative behavior and the major functions of legislatures, such as lawmaking, the budgetary role, confirming executive appointments, investigating the executive branch, and impeaching members of the executive or judiciary. Third, we will place significant emphasis on assessing the relations between the legislature and other branches of government, as well as society at large. The seminar will conclude with a discussion on future developments in comparative legislative research.
Seminar: Advanced Readings in Comparative Politics
Description. This seminar aims to survey major topics and contributions in the field of comparative politics by focusing on the original writings. Additionally, we will compare classic approaches with newer research in the field. This will enable us to outline the evolution of the discipline and develop a comprehensive map of comparative politics. Thus, we will address questions such as: How does state and nation-building occur? How can we classify political regimes? What characterizes the political culture of a nation? Why do some parties rely on patronage while others focus on policy programs? In answering these and other questions, we will summarize the theoretical and empirical foundations of comparative politics. We will begin with a broad overview of the field, and then shift our analysis to the macro-level by focusing on state and nation-building. This section will be followed by a meso-perspective on political mobilization and political culture. Finally, we will adopt a micro-level view of the policymaking process.
The seminar has four major learning objectives: First, students will internalize the theoretical diversity in comparative politics by explaining theories to each other and evaluating them collectively. Second, students will develop an understanding of the methods used in various areas of comparative politics and will be asked to apply these methods in their own work. Third, students will learn to compare classic theoretical approaches with recent empirical findings, allowing them to better grasp the complexity of comparative politics. Finally, students will become familiar with the English academic language.
Seminar: Moderne Demokratien im Vergleich
Beschreibung. Was ist eine Demokratie? Wie können demokratische Regime klassifiziert werden? Welche Unterschiede und Gemeinsamkeiten bestehen zwischen demokratischen Ländern? Um diese Fragen zu beantworten, beschäftigen wir uns in diesem Proseminar mit der Entwicklung der modernen Demokratie im internationalen Vergleich. Dazu werfen wir zunächst einen Blick auf moderne Demokratietheorien, angefangen von der Elitendemokratie über die pluralistische Demokratie bis hin zur Postdemokratie. Anschließend befassen wir uns mit der Ausgestaltung verschiedener Institutionen, die Bürger:innenbeteiligung ermöglichen und demokratisches Regieren absichern. Schließlich vergleichen wir die Ausgestaltung der Demokratie in verschiedenen Ländern. Das Ziel dieser Veranstaltung ist es, dass Sie grundlegendes Wissen über Demokratietheorien und demokratische Institutionen erlangen. Gleichzeitig werden wir wesentliche Methoden der vergleichenden Politikwissenschaft kennenlernen und anwenden. Abschließend werden wir, im Hinblick auf die Techniken wissenschaftlichen Arbeitens, das Verfassen wissenschaftlicher Texte üben.
Seminar: Der Rational Choice Ansatz zur Theoriebildung in der Regierungslehre
Beschreibung. Moderne theoretische Betrachtungen der Vergleichenden Regierungslehre bedienen sich häufig des Rational-Choice-Ansatzes. Die zentrale Annahme dieses Ansatzes ist, dass das Handeln eines einzelnen Akteurs durch die Maximierung des eigenen Interesses motiviert wird. Politik entsteht überall dort, wo Menschen mit ihren Eigeninteressen in Gruppen zusammenkommen. Um effektiv Ziele im Austausch mit anderen verfolgen zu können, schaffen Menschen Institutionen, die das gemeinsame Handeln erleichtern und langfristig strukturieren. Dieser Blick auf die Politik ermöglicht es, unter Verwendung sparsamer Annahmen stringente theoretische Modelle über politisches Verhalten zu formulieren und daraus überprüfbare Aussagen abzuleiten. Das Ziel dieses Seminars ist es, anhand des Rational-Choice-Ansatzes Methoden der systematischen Theoriebildung zu verstehen und zu erlernen, die für Ihre Masterarbeit relevant sind. Dazu werden wir zunächst die Grundannahmen der Theorie studieren und uns mit (politischen) Handlungsproblemen beschäftigen. Anschließend entwickeln wir ein Verständnis für zentrale Methoden dieser theoretischen Richtung und wenden sie in detaillierteren Anwendungen an, wie der Erklärung parlamentarischer und parteipolitischer Prozesse. Nach einer kritischen Auseinandersetzung schließt das Seminar mit neueren Überlegungen zum Rational-Choice-Ansatz.