Political Science – (M.Sc.)

Contents

International Relations

The courses in International Relations are:

• Current Debates in International Relations Theory
• Global Political Economy
• Cooperation and Conflict in the 21st Century
• Elective Course/Internship IR
• Master's Thesis IR

Current Debates in International Relations Theory

This course focuses on recent developments in International Relations theory. Special attention will be paid to social constructivism, critical theory, foreign policy analysis, international political economy, gender and geopolitics. Themes we discuss are: identities, norms, ideas, importance and preferences of the actors in the international system. We will also discuss how empirical research based on these approaches can be set up.

Global Political Economy

The course Global Political Economy (GPE) focuses on the political dimensions of global economic power relations. GPE seeks to explain why global economic relations are structured the way they are, and to uncover the political content of the changing nature of state-market relations in the context of post-War capitalism, and the emerging neoliberal world order. The dynamic interplay of (transnational) agents and their interests in shaping and contesting the nature of global political economy power relations, as well as the underlying material and institutional structures enabling or hindering them, stand central. The course introduces students to theoretically informed studies and analyses belonging to the realm of GPE as one of the subdisciplines of Political Sciences. Specific themes addressed in the course are the emergence and political role of transnational corporations in shaping the contemporary global economy and its governance; the international trade regime and questions fair trade; the governance of corporate social responsibility codes; the emergence of multilateral competition policy and trends of regulatory convergence; the geopolitics of oil, and the topical issue of the current global economic crisis, processes of financialisation, the regulation of the global financial system, and the role of new financial actors. As a focal point of discussion, the global distribution of wealth and power that results from the economic interdependencies spanning the globe will be addressed. Next to identifying important agents that transform the current system, as well as their institutional strongholds, both internationally and domestically, the important question of cui bono?, i.e. who are the winners and losers of the current system, will be posed.

Cooperation and Conflict in the 21st Century

"It was twenty years ago today,....": the fall of the Berlin Wall symbolizes the end of an era: the easily predictable, stable world of the Cold War. This momentous change in the international system coincided with other major transformations: since the mid 1980s the world economy had been changing into a truly globalized economy, which had many social, political and cultural ramifications; parallel to that development the member states of the European Community decided to deepen their forms of cooperation with the adoption of the Single European Act and subsequent treaties. Elsewhere in the world states intensified regional cooperation, witness the development of ASEAN, AU, Mercosur, and SADC. These changes have led many observers to claim that world politics had fundamentally changed, most succinctly phrased as a change from a Westphalian towards a post Westphalian international political system. In this course we will focus on the origins of current intra-state conflict. At the same time, we will assess the extent to which traditional alliance politics in the interstate system has remained important. In doing so, we will examine the importance of identity today; the current battles for energy; the privatization of security; the new regionalism; and the so-called new interventionism (on moral grounds). In studying these themes we make us of the current theoretical debates within IR.

Elective Course/Internship IR

Suggested courses will be published soon.

Master's Thesis IR

The thesis is a central element of the master's programme. Students conduct original research on a topic of their choice under the supervision of one of the academic teaching staff. Students choose a topic in the subdiscipline International Relations during their first semester and begin conducting research in the second semester.
In the past several years, students have written theses on topics such as the role of transnational advocacy networks in international landmine treaty negotiations; the privatisation of national defense in the United States; and the impact of the United States on Indian Pakistani relations 1992 - 2002

Comparative and European Politics

Courses in Comparative and European Politics:

• Theoretical Approaches to Comparative Politics: Actors & Institutions
• Challenges to 21st Century Representative Democracy
• The Politics of Reform: Welfare, Immigration, and Inequality
• Elective Course/Internship CEP
• Master's Thesis CEP

Theoretical Approaches to Comparative Politics: Actors & Institutions

This course addresses theoretical and conceptual debates within comparative politics. The course begins with a discussion of the most influential theoretical approaches within the field, focusing on rational choice, culture, pluralism, elites, class, neo-institutionalism, and political economy. For each approach, the emphasis is on the epistemological and ontological underpinnings of the theoretical perspective under investigation and the implications for empirical research. Students are encourage to think about the relation between theory, how we acquire knowledge and the assumptions behind different theoretical approaches. The weekly readings combine classic texts with more recent applications of the theoretical perspective in question.
The second half of the course focuses on a series of core concepts from within the field of comparative politics. The purpose of this second half of the course is to unpack some of central concerns of comparative politics and to focus on how different schools of thought address each of these concepts. The discussion begins with the state: we examine liberal, Marxist, and post-structuralist theories of the state. The course then moves from the state to the nation. We examine concepts of the nation, highlighting competing explanations of nationalism, ranging from Gellner (industrialization), Anderson (the imagined community), to Hobsbawm (invention of tradition), and Keating (minority nationalism). We then discuss the concept of civil society. Since the 1990s civil society has been a core concept for comparative politics as it relates to democratization, social movements, and social capital. We seek to define civil society and clarify its role within comparative political analysis.
The course then moves to questions of political representation, focusing on political parties, party systems, and social movements: here the emphasis is on the origins of political parties and party systems, we discuss cleavage theories, theories of party systems, models of party organization (i.e. mass, catchall, cartel party), and the rise of new political parties. In addition, we examine the role of social movements and their importance for new forms of political representation and their role within civil society.

Challenges to 21st Century Representative Democracy

The overall theme of this course is the functioning of democratic political systems in the 21^st century. The course discusses theories as well as empirical research on related topics and as such prepares the student for his or her master thesis. The seminar starts with a more general discussion of the concept of Democracy and several theories describing the relation between political institutions and citizens. In the weeks to follow we focus on recent developments in (Western) representative democracies and study a variety of related themes.
One development is the growing dissatisfaction of citizens with regard to the representative political institutions such as political parties and politicians. According to the ‘new politics' hypothesis' especially highly educated and emancipated citizens demand a more active say in political decision making. Another theory is the ‘political dissatisfaction theory' stating that people with low educational levels feel alienated and do not participate in politics.
A second profound development is the changing role of the media in politics. The media for a large part have filled the gap left by parties in the communication between representative institutions and civil society. They and not political parties provide information to politicians about citizens' opinions and politicians reach out to the electorate through the media. Television, these days, constitute for a large part the real public space through which citizens experience ‘politics'. Given this pivotal role in political communication, scholars talk about the mediatization of politics: media influencing candidates, parties' behavior and voting behavior. A further trend is the commercialization of the media and consequently more ‘market driven journalism' meaning (political) news with little news value, a greater emphasis on human interest and private life and the use of different techniques and formats for presenting the news, such as tabloids and sound bites instead of longer background stories.
The third development we will discuss extensively is personalization of politics. De-alignment as well as the de-emphasis of ideology for identifying oneself with a political party, has resulted in a constantly growing emphasis on the role of individuals in politics. Politics is perceived as a competition between individuals and it is less about party contestation. And voters tend to base their decisions upon their evaluations of individual politicians as opposed to larger party concerns. The role of political leaders is also emphasized, which is often referred to as presidentialism or as Americanization. It means for example that more autonomy in decision-making is left to the leader and that more focus is placed on the personality of the individual during the electoral campaign.
Given these developments European political institutions are reforming. For example more European countries than before have incorporated direct democratic institutions such as referenda and citizens initiatives and countries are also introducing electoral reform. This is the fourth theme that will be studied. We will read recent literature on political reform and the why, what, by whom and how questions, will be studied extensively.
Apart from these broad categories three lectures will be devoted to more specific topics : Islam and democracy, European Integration and democracy and Populism and democracy.

The Politics of Reform: Welfare, Immigration, and Inequality

This seminar focuses on the reform processes surrounding the political origins and development of welfare states in the affluent, democratic countries of the OECD. Historically, one of the core functions of social policy has been to reduce economic inequalities by insuring citizens/workers against the risks of old age, sickness, disability and unemployment. Early social policies were premised on the so-called "male breadwinner model" and the absence of large scale immigration. Over time, social policies have expanded to encompass gender equality and the integration of immigrants. In this course, we will analyze the ways that social policies designed to provide protection against standard social risks have been expanded and/or reinterpreted to take into account not only gender, but also "new" social risks such as combining work and family.
The course begins with an examination of competing theories of welfare state development, including Esping-Andersen's regime approach (as well as critiques of it). Key questions here include: what are the most important dimensions of variation across welfare states? What is the relationship between the state, family and market in the provision of welfare? Next the course examines competing explanations for the emergence and development of different "worlds of welfare," including Esping-Andersen's class coalitions approach, Swenson and others' focus on the role of employers, and other factors. Finally the course examines challenges to the welfare state arising from demographic change, globalization and European integration.

Elective Course/Internship CEP

Suggested courses will be published soon.

Master's Thesis CEP

The thesis is a central element of the master's programme. Students conduct original research on a topic of their choice under the supervision of one of the academic teaching staff. Students choose a topic in the subdiscipline Comparative and European Politics during their first semester and begin conducting research in the second semester.
In the past several years, students have written theses on topics such as the organization of Green Parties in Europe; the drivers of democratic reform in the UK and the Netherlands; and the role of public policy in the promotion of social capital.

Political Theory: Recognition, Justice and Power

Courses in Political Theory: Recognition, Justice and Power:

• Contemporary Debates in Political Theory
• Power in Political Theory
• Recognition, Redistribution, and Citizenship
• Elective Course/Internship PT
• Master's Thesis PT

Contemporary Debates in Political Theory

Contemporary Debates in Political Theory is revised and updated every year so as to tie in with the most recent developments in political theory, and so as to best help you identify and develop a relevant and viable topic for a thesis. We try to distance ourselves a bit from the hottest social and political topics of the day, and instead focus on intrinsically interesting questions.
Students prepare and execute all the meetings themselves; we attempt to recreate the setting and atmosphere of a genuine academic conference (workshop, panel) as much as possible. Lecturers, guest lecturers and authors are present only in their capacity as expert witnesses; research staff may use the meetings to try out their own most recent work in progress. While most topics are chosen just before the beginning of the course, there will always be room for at least one topic chosen by students themselves.
Topics discussed in the past - topics that might return in this course if they remain sufficiently prominent on the international research agenda - include animal rights, welfare and capabilities; sociobiology and social justice; cosmopolitanism; Evil (from Robespierre to Manson); justice for future generations; and Ayn Rand. The course concludes with your presentation of a thesis proposal.

Power in Political Theory

Isn't each and every instance of authority, every rule and every law a violation of human autonomy? Is there any way we can escape power? In this course we investigate the mother of all political ideas: power - an idea on which most contemporary normative political thought remains silent at worst, or seems curiously naive at best. The starting point for the course is the disturbing discovery of the absolute incompatibility of authority and autonomy. This seemingly abstract problem has immense practical implications: it strikes at the roots of arguments in support of law and order, as well as more popular products of politics like democracy and toleration - leaving anarchy as the only legitimate political system. We subsequently analyze a representative selection of (half-hearted and sometimes spectacularly unsuccessful) attempts to legitimize the exercise of power, understood (in the analytical tradition) quite simply as ‘making x do something s/he would otherwise not do'. Borrowing from more Continental traditions, we further complicate life by introducing alternative, more subtle conceptions of power - Steven Lukes' three-dimensional concept of power, for instance, and Foucaultian discursive power. Armed with these extra weapons, we turn to a number of contributions to mainstream political debates like those on multiculturalism or international justice, and learn that these attempts at excusing the exercise of state power as morally legitimate can be read both sympathetically as what they claim to be, invitations to participate in a debate, and more skeptically as instances of power in themselves.

Recognition, Redistribution, and Citizenship

The subject of this course is the relationship - or tension - between recognition, redistribution and citizenship. During their undergraduate education, students of Political Science have gained insight into questions of redistribution, as in the case of Rawls or Dworkin. But the recognition-theoretic approach is a different, alternative approach to social justice. The debate between Axel Honneth and Nancy Fraser clearly brings out the contrast between the two. Honneth argues that "recognition" is the fundamental moral category and that redistribution should be seen as derivative. For Honneth, the normative significance of the relationship between "recognition" and "personal identity" is key here, especially in terms of the conditions for the possibility of self-worth and self-respect. Fraser on the other hand denies that questions of redistribution can be translated into recognition: that is why she defends a dualistic framework in which the two categories are interpreted as dimensions of justice that cannot be reduced to each other.
The emphasis in this debate is currently on what citizens can rightly expect or demand - whether this is being put in terms of "recognition" or "redistribution." The third theme of this course, citizenship (especially civic virtues), deals explicitly with the question of how to understand the responsibilities of citizens themselves concerning desirable attitudes and competences. The question this raises is what kind of institutions and practices can play a cultivating role in this regard, such as education, political participation and the city.

Elective Course/Internship PT

Suggested courses will be published soon.

Master's Thesis PT

The thesis is a central element of the master's programme. Students conduct original research on a topic of their choice under the supervision of one of the academic teaching staff. Students choose a topic in the subdiscipline Political Theory during their first semester and begin conducting research in the second semester.
In the past several years, students have written theses on topics such as a reappraisal of Rawls' unique arguments for toleration; and possible foundations for a right to unilateral secession.

Accreditation

NVAO is entrusted by law (the Higher Education and Scientific Research Act) to accredit all existing Bachelor’s and Master’s degree courses and to validate new study programmes at government-funded institutions of higher education and at institutions approved (but not funded) by the Dutch government. Institutions that have neither government funding nor approval can apply for accreditation of post-initial Master’s degree courses.

With regard to the nature of accreditation in higher education, the Netherlands and Flanders (Flemish-speaking Belgium) have opted for accreditation at the level of study programmes. NVAO has laid down accreditation frameworks for this purpose for Flanders and the Netherlands.

In the Netherlands and in Flanders, accreditation is a precondition for government funding of a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree programme, for the right to award recognised diplomas and, in the Netherlands, to grant financial assistance to students. In the context of the internationalisation of education and the labour market, accreditation provides for an equivalence of quality assurance in higher education.

Funding details

There are various scholarships available for studying at Radboud University Nijmegen. Please check which scholarship is applicable in your case.

• Radboud Scholarship Programme
• Erasmus Mundus ERANET
• Erasmus Mundus SAPIENT
• Erasmus Mundus Scholarship for Master in System Dynamics
• Erasmus Mundus Scholarship for Master PLANET Europe
• Programmes under the auspices of the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science
• National scholarships
• Nuffic Grantfinder
• Grant finder EU scholarships

Radboud Scholarship Programme

Radboud University Nijmegen has its own Radboud Scholarship Programme. This programme offers a selected number of talented prospective non-EEA students the opportunity to receive a scholarship to pursue an English-taught Master’s degree programme at Radboud University Nijmegen.

Erasmus Mundus ERANET

The ERANET - Mundus project offers a selected number of talented prospective Russian students the opportunity to receive a scholarship to pursue an English-taught Master's degree programme at Radboud University Nijmegen.

Erasmus Mundus SAPIENT

The Erasmus Mundus programme (2009-2013) is an EU cooperation and mobility programme in the field of higher education. SAPIENT provides all South African students the possibility to study at one of the top universities of the International Research Universities Network (IRUN).

Erasmus Mundus Scholarship for Master in System Dynamics

The Erasmus Mundus is a scholarship of the European Union offered for the talented students from within and outside the EU that can be obtained for the Joint European Master's programme in System Dynamics, a two year full-time master programme coordinated by Radboud University. The Erasmus Mundus scholarship covers students' tuition fees, travel and installation costs, insurance, and living expenses.

Erasmus Mundus Scholarship fo Master PLANET Europe

The Erasmus Mundus is a scholarship of the European Union offered for the talented students from within and outside the EU that can be obtained for the Joint Master's Programme PLANET Europe, a two-year full-time integrated European Masters programme on European spatial planning, environmental policies and regional development. The Erasmus Mundus scholarship covers travel, participation, and subsistence costs.

NetherlandsFellowship Programme

This Fellowship Programme offers scholarships for selected NFP programmes including selected programmes of Radboud University Nijmegen.

Dutch study grant system

EU/EEA students who wish to take a degree programme in the Netherlands can sometimes be eligible for a Dutch student grant.

STUNED

The Stuned programme is applicable to midcareer professionals from Indonesia.

National scholarships

Please also check if there are scholarships or grants available in your own country for studying in the Netherlands. Below we have listed a number of scholarships that are available from specific countries.

Fulbright scholarships

Fulbright Scholarships are available for American graduate students and researchers.

Ford Foundation

Sometimes private foundations may be willing to fund your study period abroad. The international Fellowship Programme from the Ford Foundation is one example.

Soros Foundations

Grants, scholarships and fellowships are available for students and researchers coming from 23 countries, especially in Central and Eastern Europe.

HEC

The Higher Education Commission was set up by the Government of Pakistan and has created a scholarship programme for students from Pakistan.

Colfuturo

This programme is available for students from Colombia.

Grantfinder Nuffic

Please check also the grantfinder of the Netherlands Organisation for International Cooperation in Higher Education (NUFFIC). This grantfinder enables you to find scholarships applicable to students from particular countries.

Grant Finder EU scholarships

A centralised European platform providing information on all scholarships offered for study in Europe. The database contains over 700 programmes and in total there is an estimated EUR 15.6 billion of scholarship funds available annually. Students, including PhD candidates, can now find and compare relevant programmes based on their nationality, background, and where and what they want to study, among other search criteria.