Teaching

Winter Semester 2020-2021
  • Political Mobilization and Violence - MA PELP. Module: Theories and Methods of Comparative Political Science  
  • The Scientific Study of Armed Conflict - MA PELP. Module: Applications and Cases in International Developement II
  • Philosophy of Science, Causation, and Explanation - PhD Program. Co-taught with Merike Blofield and Adam Scharpf
Summer Semester 2020
  • Institutions in Autocratic Regimes - MA PELP. Module: Applications and Cases in International Developement I  
  • Methods of Political Science: Quantitative Methods - BA Political Science. Module (Advanced): Methods of Political Science  

Supervision

I supervise theses in empirical political science. The thesis should aim at answering a substantive research question by developing an original argument, which is then evaluated using empirical (observable/factual) evidence.

Students are urged to follow this iron rule: "Your [thesis] is not a story about the who, what, where, and when of politics; your [thesis] is an analytic effort that answers questions of why, how, to what extent, or under what conditions" (Baglione, 2018: 27).

Students who would like me to advise them on their BA/MA thesis should submit via email a 2-3 page proposal (Times New Roman font, 12pt, 1.5 line spacing, PDF/Word document) with the following information:

  • A research question: clearly state the research question that motivates and guides your BA/MA thesis and that your research provides an answer to (Why…? How…?).
  • An outline of the puzzle or research gap that your thesis is addressing.
  • The theory (main argument) that you develop in your thesis to answer your research question and initial hypothesis/expectation.
  • A tentative research design and/or an overview of the method you intend to use in your thesis.
  • A timeline for the completion of your thesis.

Students are supposed to read the following books before planning their thesis and writing their proposal:

  • Baglione, L. A. (2018). Writing a research paper in political science: A practical guide to inquiry, structure, and methods. CQ Press.
  • Kellstedt, P. M., & Whitten, G. D. (2018). The fundamentals of political science research. Cambridge University Press. Chapters 1-4.