What is political science?

How do we explain conflicts and crises? What holds the EU together? How does politics work in other countries? Why are there tensions in society? As a modern social science, political science deals with a wide range of socially relevant questions. Among other aspects, it studies political actors, institutions and processes, the political culture of different countries and their citizens, as well as selected policy fields (e.g. education, economy, democracy, and environment) and political phenomena (e.g. authoritarianism and populism). In doing so, political science examines which power structures and interests exist, which conceptions and motives steer political actors, and which institutional regulations and norms shape political action.

Top-level research & top-level teaching

The Department of Political Science and its members are committed to the highest standards of academic research and education. Over the past decade, it has become one of the leading international political science institutes in research, ranked among the top 100 in the world according to the ShanghaiRanking on academic excellence in research. The department’s international members publish in leading international journals and are highly successful in attracting external funding for their research. Their expertise is regularly consulted by public institutions, government agencies, and the media. The high-quality courses offered at the department enroll up to 100 new students each year and a total of 400 students overall in the Bachelor’s and two Master’s programs. Among the department’s particular strengths are the student-centered orientation with comparatively small class sizes, the individual support for students of all levels, and the personal atmosphere. As part of a restructuring of the Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD programs in Political Science, the curriculum was updated to the effect that the MA and PhD programs are now offered completely in English and the number of courses offered in English in the BA programs has been significantly increased.

Research Profile & Outlook

The Department of Political Science is an essential pillar of social science research and teaching at the University of Salzburg. In recent years, the spectrum of the academic offer has broadened and the profiles have sharpened. A sustained process of internationalisation through the recruitment of members from top institutions in Europe and North America and a clear focus on excellence in research have become distinctive features. The strengths of Salzburg Political Science lie particularly in the areas of comparative democracy and populism, political institutions, international trade policy and interest groups, international organizations, European Union politics, and gender studies. The close ties of the Department of Political Science with the Salzburg Center of European Union Studies (SCEUS), which was recognized as a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence in 2008, should also be emphasized.

1) Among the numerous projects, the ERC-funded Tradepower project needs to be mentioned as well as new fewer than three EU Horizon grants.

2) Following the successful submission to the doc.funds program of the Austrian Science Fund, the department is working with high-level partners to acquire funding under the FWF’s Cluster of Excellence program.

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Link to the department: www.plus.ac.at/politicalscience

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