Focusing on the interface of theories of the good society, globalisation, legitimacy and power.
Political theory is the soul of political science: it’s not about determining what the facts are but about determining what they mean and what should be done with them. It’s about the genuine and the deceptive arguments used to interfere in other people’s lives and business. We need political theory anywhere where power is used both covertly and openly, where policies are made and where choices are questioned and criticised.
As a political theorist, you will ask what would be sensible instead of what people call sensible. Just a handful of questions you will be asking and seeking the answers to: Is there a moral foundation for national sovereignty or self-determination? How far should tolerance go? What can and should be our ambitions for local community building? When does a political theory become a weapon or a form of power? Can authority ever be legitimate? Do we owe anything to future generations, animals, the global poor or minority groups?
This Master’s specialisation offers students an unprecedented opportunity to learn to assess political values, aspirations and dreams in terms of their desirability and reasonability. You will also discover how political theoretical work can be introduced fruitfully in other relevant contexts. This will enable you to help civil initiatives and governmental institutions, not to mention the public at large by imagining and designing policies and ambitions that are both viable and defensible.
See the website http://www.ru.nl/masters/pt
- Our programme is consistently ranked the best Political Science/PT programme in the Netherlands
- The programme has a unique focus on justification and recognition, globalisation and their relationship with power
- Teaching takes place in a stimulating, collegial setting with small groups
- You are encouraged to critically reflect on the staff’s ongoing research in the Nijmegen Political Philosophical Workshop
- We are the conscience of real-world politics and policies and prepare you to interpret and contribute to real-world politics
Graduates of political theory are academics, not politicians. We believe that to be a good policy advisor, manager or administrator, you need to have good research skills. Research is what is going to make your advice be both valid and practical: both sides of the coin of policies are equally important to the political theorists.
Our graduates find employment in a variety of settings, including in consulting, national and international diplomacy and EU institutions. They can work as policy advisors, managers and leaders in local, regional and national government, as well as in business, media, NGOs, think-tanks and civic organisations. Quite a few go on to pursue a PhD degree.
Don’t rules, laws, commands and regulations always imply a violation of human autonomy? Are they not insults to humanity? Is there a way to escape from power?
Political theory is the key to good and valid politics. It is practice-oriented and should not be confused with political philosophy. Political theory is more than a reflection on eternal truths and the essence of concepts; it makes the difference between knowing and understanding. Compared to classical political philosophy it is more concrete, more interdisciplinary in nature, and sensitive both to the workings of power and the limits of feasibility.
Political Theory at Radboud University focuses on four aspects:
1. Critical understanding of theories of the good society
Of course, just like most Political Theory programmes we take a critical look at the theories of the good society. Who is – but also who should be – included in the theories: families or individuals, distinct people or everyone, animals and environment or humans only, future or only present generations?
2. Globalisation
We focus on globalisation in the broadest sense: the globalisation of people, money, technology and values so that we address global, ecological, intergenerational justice, multiculturalism and agonism. We definitely do not limit ourselves to the dominant redistributive justice discourse.
3. Justification and legitimisation
We start off by justifying and discrediting particular policies by the standards of theories of the good society. But we go further. What values, rules, tests and mechanisms are there to help design and assess political choices? Which are appropriate and when? Are they biased? We will discuss deliberative democracy, Habermas’s domination-free discourse, Rawls’s reflective equilibrium, the agora of agonists like Mouffe and, of course, foundationalism.
4. Power
Power is the mother of all political concepts; it is a concept that is too easily taken for granted or ignored by political scientists, political philosophers and politicians. We recognise that power, ultimately the threat of violence, will always be part of politics and that there will always be a gap between what you think you can justify and what others will embrace. At Radboud University we train students to try and chart where power hides in justification practices, both in political theory and political practise.
The combination of these aspects is what makes the Political Theory Master’s specialisation at Radboud University unique.
See the website http://www.ru.nl/masters/pt
This programme will provide you with a firm grounding in political analysis and a critical insight into the real politics behind the headlines.
You will explore the variety, dynamism and relevance of political theory in the modern world, gaining an insight into political thought and practical application of political ideas.
You will consider the various ways in which theory is vital to understanding a range of urgent and pressing problems (such as terrorism, global poverty, social cohesion, immigration, censorship, war and the environment) in contemporary politics and address the practical implications of these ideas.
Throughout the course you will build a portfolio of in-depth study of many of the defining events and dynamics of modern society, across Europe, North America, Africa and Asia, providing an understanding of the world that will prove invaluable in further academic study or a range of postgraduate careers.
The Political Theory and Cultural Values Research Group is an active team of enthusiastic academics, pursuing cutting-edge research into a wide variety of strands of political thought.
The Political Theory Centre is part of the White Rose Association for Political Philosophy, linking you into the complementary political theory teams at York and Sheffield Universities.
Links with the Leeds Centre for Democratisation afford excellent opportunities for discussing the application of many of the ideas studied on the programme. Political theorists form part of a large department of political studies, including International Relations and Development, which additionally provide an auspicious context for the study of applied theory.
Through compulsory and optional modules, this programme will offer you:
You will also be able to hone your research and writing skills in your compulsory dissertation – an independent piece of research on your chosen topic.
The wide-ranging list of optional modules means that you can explore a diverse range of related subjects of interest to you.
If you are a part-time student, you will study over a longer period and take fewer modules in each year.
Compulsory modules
Optional modules
Teaching is tailored for interactive small-group work, and uses a combination of lecture and seminar-discussion modes.
Teaching on political theory modules is predominantly seminar discussion-based, while other modules include more lecture-oriented material.
You will be expected to do a significant amount of preparatory reading before each session, and emphasis will be on student-led discussion to build critical and reflective confidence in a group environment.
Modules are assessed by varying combinations of exam and coursework, depending on the module.
The emphasis on applied use of political thought, particularly from a transformative perspective, means the critical analytical skills learnt here are of use in a wide range of employment sectors, including the civil service, public sector organisations and the third sector.
Many graduates go on to complete PhDs in Political Theory, having had the opportunity to strengthen their command of a certain area of political thought during their Masters studies.
We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.
The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.
The master´s programme Global Politics aims towards you who are interested in global political issues. You will learn how an increasing complex world, where the global and the local meet, presents us with new challenges and opportunities. The programme provides you with a solid practical base concerning concepts like justice, peace, security, power, culture and democracy. You will learn how to analyse conflicts, international relations and human rights claims and violations.
This is a multi-disciplinary programme with a core of political science which address aspects of international relations, human rights and peace and conflict studies. Focus lays on the transformation of society, especially concerning the relationship between the state and other actors such as international organisations and companies.
Changes in political control, from reduced central control towards a greater degree of network control will also be addressed. You will analyze the growing importance of international norms, such as human rights. The emergence of other conflict patterns than those related to socio-economic resources (such as culture, ideology and religion) is important parts of the courses.
This two-year Master's programme draws from the one-year master’s in political science, with additional opportunities for an internship, exchange studies or elective courses. This provides you with the opportunity to deepen knowledge and gain practical experience, as well as the chance to develop relationships and network with people and organisations working with political and global issues.
The programme is thoroughly interdisciplinary and draws on the different strengths from the Department of Global Political Studies, including International Relations, Peace and Conflict Studies, Human Rights, Public Policy, but also ethnography and philosophy. To gain a deeper understanding of the changes in political science, we consider four key development areas:
Global politics: an increasing number of international and intergovernmental organisations impact world politics.
Government and governance: whilst new information technologies and surveillance legislation mean that the administrative powers of the state have never been stronger, the concept of ‘government’ has become increasingly surpassed by ‘governance’ at the transnational level. Few decisions affecting our lives are taken exclusively within the national context.
Existing modes of power are challenged: there has been a significant change in how organisations like NGOs, as well as everyday individuals, challenge existing governance and modes of power. For example, social media has radically changed the transnational political landscape to both enable new forms of protest and contestation, as well as facilitate new political identities.
Global concerns: issues like climate change and terrorism show that increasingly the kind of problems requiring policy solutions far exceed the confines of any nation-state. That is to say, policy problems are increasingly transnational and therefore require transnational solutions.
The programme should be of interest to individuals committed to a career in which knowledge of our changing world is an evident benefit, with relevance to employers including international agencies, non-governmental organisations, transnational businesses, and local/national administrative agencies.
For programme with start Autumn 2018:
Knowledge and understanding
Competence and skills
Judgement and approach
Master's Degree (120 credits).
Degree of Master of Arts (120 credits) with a major in Political Science
The Master’s programme in Political Theory will teach you political theory and applied philosophy in a theoretical, practical and analytical way. You are challenged to critically analyse and reflect on current political contexts and social and political thought.
The Political Theory track provides students with the conceptual tool-kits to analyse the complex normative and methodological issues of contemporary political life. Students are encouraged to take an active role in critical reflection on political practices, institutional arrangements, and social science methods by building on a solid foundation in social and political thought. The track combines analytical rigor with policy relevance.
The Political Theory track provides a unique opportunity to study analytically rigorous political theory and applied philosophy in a political science programme; we apply political theory as a guide to public policy and pressing social problems.
We have an international student body and an international faculty.
The Department of Political Science is consistently ranked among the World’s top-50, and is the largest in the Netherlands. This provides students with a broad foundation in political theory and opportunities for electives and thesis research in a wide variety of related areas of study, from international relations to political economy, from electoral politics to public administration.
The track is designed for independent students that wish to gain a rigorous foundation in political theory and moral philosophy in order to apply these to pressing social problems. It is aimed at students that aim to develop normative and methodological tools that they can apply to complex domestic and international challenges. The programme is writing intensive; students are expected to develop a capacity to work independently and in group settings.
This programme prepares students for careers in government, global business, think-tanks, non-profits, and journalism with a focus on public policy, analysis, and advocacy at the local, national, and international level. The programme also provides a strong foundation for a career in academia. For more information, see the webpage on career prospects.
Political Theory is a track of the accredited degree programme Political Science. After successful completion of this programme, you will receive a legally accredited Master’s degree in Political Science and the title Master of Science (MSc).
How do global economic and political forces shape the lives and future of citizens, business, and civil society? Of political conflict and government? Your Master programme in Political Economy will teach you to answer these questions. The programme covers the ground from ‘economics for non-economists’ to understanding how the ‘rules of the game’ are shaped, to thinking about ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ of an open global economy and how that gives rise to ‘new’ conflicts and to a surge of anti-globalisation political movements. You will in global and comparative terms address the critical issues facing the developed and developing worlds, from Asia to Europe to the Americas - contemporary challenges such as migration, the struggle for development, or better financial market governance.
Our starting point is that the relationship between ‘politics’ and ‘the economy’ is a two-way street: political contestation shapes economic outcomes and their governance, while economic developments generate political conflicts. The causes and consequences of the on-going economic malaise have brought this highly political ‘who-gets-what’ nature of ‘the economy’ back out into the open. We also confront the social dimension of key political challenges by exploring issues such as social inequalities and corporate power so as better to understand how this plays out in different party political or non-democratic environments. These dynamics cut across a rich terrain of contemporary issues and taps into your interest in both the practical and the ‘big issue’ side of global affairs, crossing over with public policy expertise and business strategy, among which:
Our programme also teaches you that the dynamics of change differ starkly across countries: the hopes of a precarious development process poses challenges to authoritarianism in the developing world, while declining trust in business and political elites undermines ‘mainstream’ politics in established democracies.
This track is above all a response to vocal demand from students. It draws on a long political economy tradition at the UvA that is second-to-none in Europe. Those of you with a public policy, comparative politics or international relations background often seek to specialise in the economic policy domain yet outside the confines – often ideologically and methodologically constraining – of traditional approaches in economics and business departments. Many who have taken economics, business, or law seek the way our programme ‘brings politics back in’. Many from the humanities can bring their linguistic, cultural and historical knowledge to the programme’s exploration of political-economic interaction.
Political Economy taps your interest in issues of practical concern in the economy, business, and policy worlds where expertise leads to elite job opportunities. Above all we help you to think and analyse critically and independently where others merely learn to follow. There is strong demand in the society at large for the training we offer. The programme equips graduates to compete successfully with management, public policy, and economics-trained students for relevant jobs in ministries, think-tanks or consultancy, companies, municipalities, International Organisations, and the media. There is little that a good political economist cannot do. For more information, see the webpage on career prospects.
The programme is based at the University of Amsterdam, a major research university, and in one of the highest-ranking departments in continental Europe. The Graduate School of Social Sciences (GSSS) provides a vibrant and international academic community and promotes strong academic and transferable skills development. PE candidates develop a real ‘esprit de corps’ in their year in Amsterdam as we provide you with both academic and professional skills. Our research-oriented MSc in Political Economy taps into your interest in both the practical and the ‘big issue’ side of global affairs, crossing over with public policy expertise and business strategy.
Political Economy is a track of the accredited degree programme Political Science. After successful completion of this programme, you will receive a legally accredited Master’s degree in Political Science and the title Master of Science (MSc).
Does the growing influence of Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRICs) change the way the global political economy is governed? What are the political roots of global trade and finance? What is the impact of the international economy on inequality and development? Answering these questions requires you to combine economics and political science. In our Master’s specialisation in International Political Economy (IPE) you will uncover the economic and political dimensions of global issues and power struggles behind policy choices.
International Political Economy at Radboud University teaches you to go beyond the surface of daily news and to disentangle deeper global structures of economic growth and the distribution of wealth and power that underlie today’s problems of global economic governance. We challenge you to not only understand and explain ‘the world’, but to view and assess it from the perspectives of different stakeholders, while understanding the social and economic structures and institutions enabling or hindering them in pursuing their objectives.
International Political Economy at Radboud University combines approaches from (International) Economics and Political Science. We strongly believe that in order to grasp the complexity of many of today’s global issues it is essential to understand and combine the different approaches political scientists and economists take: the economic and financial crisis; the race for and exploitation of natural resources; attempts of national governments to deal with global change. The programme thus offers courses that combine both disciplines.
Alumni from economics and political science have positions as policy makers in businesses, international organisations, political parties, national ministries, market authorities, the European Parliament and the European Commission. They also work as consultants for profit and non-profit organisations and as researchers at think-tanks or universities. In addition alumni are employed by banks, other financial institutions and the media. This is because our graduates have the competences required by employers, such as sound research and analytical skills, excellent written and oral communication skills, and experience in working in teams and working independently.
Visit http://www.ru.nl/masters/iae to find out all the details and start your application
The master´s programme Global Politics aims towards you who are interested in global political issues. You will learn how an increasing complex world, where the global and the local meet, presents us with new challenges and opportunities. The programme provides you with a solid practical base concerning concepts like justice, peace, security, power, culture and democracy. You will learn how to analyse conflicts, international relations and human rights claims and violations.
This is a multi-disciplinary programme with a core of political science which address aspects of international relations, human rights and peace and conflict studies. Focus lays on the transformation of society, especially concerning the relationship between the state and other actors such as international organisations and companies.
Changes in political control, from reduced central control towards a greater degree of network control will also be addressed. You will analyze the growing importance of international norms, such as human rights. The emergence of other conflict patterns than those related to socio-economic resources (such as culture, ideology and religion) is important parts of the courses.
These are turbulent political times. International power bases are shifting. Political, economic and military threats merge and reform, presenting new political challenges. Examples like China and Russia prompt us to rethink the widely held belief that democratic reform will follow on the heels of economic progress. In these days of the “war on terror” it is also more and more difficult to know what a war is, who fights it, how it starts and how it can end. In the meantime, global inequality is increasing. Half of the world’s population lives in severe poverty, many of them in conflict-ridden regions and/or under failing governments. Problems of development – malnutrition, poverty, preventable diseases – can be solved by a global effort, so why does it not happen?
The one-year master's programme in Global Politics and Societal Change will help you make sense of these issues. It will give you a solid theoretical base concerning the meaning and role of concepts like justice, peace, security, power, culture and democracy.
The programme is thoroughly interdisciplinary and draws on the different strengths in the Department of Global Political studies, including International Relations, Peace and Conflict Studies, Human Rights, Public Policy, but also Ethnography and Philosophy. It focuses specifically on the changing nature of global politics and pays particular attention to how new institutions and patterns of conflict and cooperation affects public policy on different levels, including the local level. In addition to advancing a more nuanced perspective on what ‘globalisation’ means, the programme extends to our understanding of politics as a continuous and often very complex interaction of decision-making, institutions, and advocacy on multiple levels.
After graduation you will be well prepared for qualified social scientific analysis. You will be well equipped to work with issues like international aid, development, conflict prevention, foreign policy, and human rights fulfillment. You attain up to date skills based on the latest research combined with an ability to manage projects and communicate scientific knowledge to various social actors in the field.
Potential employers are international agencies, non-governmental organisations, local and national administration agencies and the diplomatic service. You will also be able to continue for research education studies at advanced and doctoral levels after completing your degree.
For programme with start Autumn 2018:
Knowledge and understanding
Competence and skills
Judgement and approach
Master's Degree (60 credits).
Degree of Master of Arts (60 credits) with a major in Political Science
This course explores the rapidly evolving role of communication in political life, both nationally and internationally, and examines how changes, including the increasing importance of ‘spin doctors’, image-based politics, the 24-hour news cycle and the globalisation of media, are shaping politics.
The MA Political Communication will deepen your understanding of political communication in national and international contexts and, where relevant, your skills in this field.
You will:
The course explores the rapidly evolving role of communication in political life, both nationally and internationally, and examines how changes such as the increasing importance of new online and social media platforms, image-based politics, and the globalisation of media are shaping politics.
MA Political Communication looks at the influence of actors in the political communications process, including politicians, journalists and citizens by drawing on cutting edge research and case studies.
This course is suitable for those interested in an advanced academic study of political communication or a career in political communication, as well as those already working in political communication, political parties, government agencies and bodies, statutory and voluntary organisations and the mass media.
It is also suitable for people looking to undertake PhD research in political communication.
Distinctive features
Studying MA Political Communication will increase your ability to undertake rigorous analytical work, be capable of producing well researched essays, assignments and dissertations to deadline, and you will have refined and improved your practical political communications skills.
How will I be taught?
You will be taught through a mixture of lectures and seminars, which complement the academic nature of the course.
How will I be supported?
You will be allocated a Personal Tutor, for help and support with academic and pastoral needs, who is available when needed to discuss progress, provide advice and guidance.
You will be supported by the Student Support services in the school and through wider university resources.
You will have regular tutorials with programme directors/personal tutors as well as the opportunity to meet with module co-ordinators on request.
Graduates of this course are employed in a range of occupations, such as campaign and press officers, researchers for political parties and institutions, business management leaders, political consultants, international conference and seminar coordinators and PR officers.
Several graduates have also undertaken PhDs in Political Communication.
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