Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - Comparative Politics and Political Systems of Eastern Europe

Lecturers: Prof. Dr. Silvia von Steinsdorff, Dr. Ertug Tombus

Wednesday, 14:00-16:00

#53047 Wahlsysteme und Wahlrechtsreformen im Vergleich: „Institutional engineering“ zum Schutz oder Schaden demokratischen Regierens?

The procedures used to make political decisions in elections and referendums often have at least as much impact on the outcome as the decision itself. This applies to the demarcation of constituencies, voting options, and counting procedures in general elections, as well as to the procedural requirements for parliamentary votes. Alternative procedures, such as drawing lots or the number of likes on social media, have also been the subject of increasing debate in recent times. In addition, the targeted modification of electoral systems through “institutional engineering” is currently playing an important role in the context of (re-)autocratization tendencies in many political systems.

In the first part of the seminar, we will develop an overview of the theoretical and “technical” foundations of electoral law research and then apply these findings to various empirical examples. A comparative perspective is particularly desirable here. Students will actively participate in selecting specific cases during the seminar. The aim is to develop connections to possible topics for independent in-depth term papers in all phases of the seminar and to discuss their methodological foundations in depth.

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Silvia von Steinsdorff

Thursday, 14:00-18:00

#53052 Free Speech, Academic Freedom, Freedom of Assembly: Protecting (and Limiting?) Communicative Rights for the Sake of Democracy

This interdisciplinary course is part of the Princeton-Humboldt-Partnership Program “Constitutionalism und Stress“ (CONSTRESS). The second half of the seminar will be taught in a block session (June 22-24, 2024) together with students from Princeton University as well as HU law students, collaborating on common presentations.

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Silvia von Steinsdorff

Friday, 10:00-12:00

#53113 Gender and Political Science Research

The course is an introduction to the study of gender and politics with a particular focus on empirical political science research. It aims to offer an overview on a variety of issues, such as women’s participation in political parties and in political elections, feminist movements, the concept of feminist foreign policy, LGBTQI+ movements and rights, and the dynamics surrounding anti-gender politics.

The course is designed for advanced students who have a sound knowledge of comparative politics (i.e. completed the basic modules of comparative politics and methods classes). The course places a strong emphasis on active student participation, including critical engagement with both the course content and its structure. Students are highly encouraged to contribute to the course by suggesting readings during the first session of the semester.

The main language will be (mostly) German, yet the literature will be mainly in English.

Lecturer: Dominika Tronina

Thursday, 16:00-18:00

#10626 Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Assembly and Academic Freedom (Princeton-Humboldt-Partnership Program CONSTRESS)

Free speech and academic freedom have been subject to major controversies in both the US and Germany in recent years. In this interdisciplinary course, we examine the general normative underpinnings of free speech and the different forms that the legal (and specifically constitutional) operationalization of free speech has taken in the United States and Europe, Germany in particular. The US and Germany are often taken as paradigmatic examples of a more libertarian versus a “dignitarian” approach to free speech: we investigate to what extent that contrast is justified; we also ask how these traditions of thinking about free speech have evolved. We also inquire how free speech relates to academic freedom (today, they are often equated), and how both, in turn, relate to democracy. Finally, especially in the US, freedom of assembly appears to be a relatively neglected basic communicative right: it is often confused with freedom of association; according to many critics, it also has been subject to increasing restrictions. Is the right more protected in Germany, as some might think? In any case, which normative and legal arguments do European courts make for the importance of freedom of assembly?
At the end of the course, students will be familiar with a range of crucial debates at the intersection of political and legal theory. They will also have a sense of different approaches to these debates in Europe and the United States. Lastly, they will be able effectively to draw on some of the key findings of scholars working in the area of comparative constitutional law and comparative politics.

Lecturers: Prof. Dr. Silvia von Steinsdorff, Prof. Dr. Jan-Werner Müller, Prof. Dr. Anna Bettina-Kaiser

Block Seminar, 22-24.06.2024

#53111 Bedrohungen der liberalen Demokratie

Liberal democracy as a normative ideal is under enormous pressure. In various parts of the world where it has established itself as a form of government, authoritarian counter-movements are emerging that cast doubt on its legitimacy. Even if the idea of a “golden age of democracy” is increasingly proving to be an illusion, the nature of the threat currently facing liberal democracy appears to be a new one. The aim of this seminar is to first examine the normative foundations of liberal democracy and then to discuss the various threats (populism, authoritarianism, fascism).

Lecturer: Lennard Gottmann

Tuesday, 12:00-14:00

#53092 Analysing the Conference on the Future of Europe

The European Union is an important actor when it comes to law-making. While this often appeears to be very abstract, it does impact our lifes as European citizens very much, also on the national level. In 2021, the European Commission opened a series of citizen-led debates, the Conference on the Future of Europe. These meetings, taking place in various formats, allowed cititzens from allover Europe to share their ideas and provide suggestions on how to improve their future in Europe.

This seminar will offer students the opportunity to investigate this process more closely, its results, achievements and implications for all inhabitants of European member states. Connecting them in a better was with EU institutions is crucial considering that European elections will take place in May 2024 and that Eurosceptical voices are rising in many European societies. At the end of the seminar, students will have fostered their background on theoretical perspectives to critically analyse Europeanisation, integration and multi-level governance, including institutional, feminist and sociological approaches.

Lecturer: Dr. Claudia Matthes

Monday, 14:00-16:00

#53169 BA-, MA- und Doktorand*Innen-Kolloquium Vergleichende Demokratieforschung und politische Systeme Osteuropas

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Silvia von Steinsdorff

Friday, 12:00-14:00