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Incoming
- Where do I find general information regarding my stay in Berlin?
- Where can I find the commented course catalogue (KVV) and is there also an English version available?
- What courses can I take?
- Which types of courses are held at the OSI?
- Are courses held in English at the OSI?
- How many ECTS can I obtain in the various courses?
- What are the differences between a participation certificate (“Teilnahmeschein”) and a certificate of achievement (“Leistungsschein”)?
- There are two different written examinations offered in a lecture. Which one do I have to take in order to obtain a certificate of achievement (“Leistungsschein”)?
- How can I obtain a confirmation of my participation or of an assignment taken at an OSI-course?
- What do I have to do, if I leave before I receive my certificates (“Scheine”)?
- How can I obtain a transcript of records?
- What is a Learning Agreement and whom should I send it to?
- May I complete an internship as part of the Erasmus program?
- I did an internship during my Erasmus stay in Berlin. Can the FU Berlin give me ECTS credits for this and can the credits be included in my transcript of records?
Where do I find general information regarding my stay in Berlin?
General information regarding your stay in Berlin can be found on the Website of the general Erasmus office of Freie Universität Berlin: http://www.fu-berlin.de/studium/international/studium_fu/auslandssemester/erasmus_in/infos_incomingstudents/index.htmlWhere can I find the commented course catalogue (KVV) and is there also an English version available?
You can find the OSI-course catalogue here: http://www.fu-berlin.de/vorlesungsverzeichnis/ss12/ Unfortunately there is no English version of the OSI course catalogue available. There is, however, a list of all courses offered in English language at the entire Freie Universität Berlin (http://www.fu-berlin.de/vorlesungsverzeichnis/ss12/english.html). You can use this catalogue to search for courses held at the OSI. Please take into account that we do not guarantee completeness and immutability of the commented course catalogues, due to the fact that there can be changes at any time.What courses can I take?
Generally, the majority of courses have to be chosen from the political science course offer (commented course catalogue KVV: http://www.fu-berlin.de/vorlesungsverzeichnis/ss12/pol-soz/009002001001001001.html). With few exceptions, all courses in the political science KVV can be taken. Courses with the addition “PS/TWA” (for information please see the next question) are only adequate for students in the first semester and may NOT be taken by Erasmus students. One-third of credit points can be acquired at other institutions, e.g. through a German language course.Which types of courses are held at the OSI?
The OSI offers different kind of courses.
One type of course is the lecture (“Vorlesung (V)”), which provides you with an introductory overview of the respective study area. Generally, the assignment you have to complete to receive a certificate of achievement (“Leistungsschein”) in this type of course is a written exam. There is also the tutorial (“Tutorium (T)”) and the exercise (“Übungen (Ü”), which are held to provide you with further information about the subject of the lecture and give you the possibility to ask questions on the topic. They may be valuable to you, even if no ECTS are awarded for them.
Another form of courses is the seminar (“Seminar (S)”). There are three different kinds of seminars available at the OSI. In general, they treat specific subjects more deeply than lectures. In these types of courses your participation, your questions and taking part in discussions will add to the functioning of the seminar. There are introductory seminars (“Proseminare (PS)”) and advanced seminars (“Hauptseminare (HS)”), as well as core advanced seminars (“Kernhauptseminare (K-HS)”). Besides these seminars the OSI also offers introductory seminars/techniques of scientific work (“Proseminare/Techniken des wissenschaftlichen Arbeitens (PS/TWA”) and career-oriented seminars (“Berufsfeldorientierte Seminare(BS)”).
Introductory seminars (PS) are suitable for undergraduate students (up to about the fourth semester), while the advanced seminars (HS) are only available for students in higher education (e.g. students in the end of their Bachelor course or Master students). The core advanced seminars (K-HS) are the basic seminars, belonging to the advanced seminars (HS) of the Master programme. They all give you an overview over a certain field of studies. Introductory seminars/techniques of scientific work (PS/TWA) are held for first year students only and you may not be attended by advanced students. Career-oriented seminars (BS) provide you with information about possible careers and prepare you for your future work.
All courses are held weekly and every session lasts two lessons (“Semesterwochenstunden” (SWS)), which are 90 minutes.
Are courses held in English at the OSI?
In the BA and MA programs some courses are regularly held in English and in other languages. However, this offer varies each semester. In the most cases the language of the course is indicated in the commented course catalogue (KVV: http://www.fu-berlin.de/vorlesungsverzeichnis/ss12/pol-soz/009002001001001001.html) in brackets behind the respective course title or in the outline of the course. The KVV appears each semester and is usually available at the end of the previous semester (about March/July). If you are not able to find out in which language a specific course is taught, please contact the specific lecturer.
How many ECTS can I obtain in the various courses?
The number of ECTS points obtained at the OSI differs according to the type of seminar you choose and the type of assignment you complete.
If you complete an introductory seminar (“Proseminar” (PS)), an advanced seminar (“Hauptseminar” (HS)) or a lecture (“Vorlesung” (V)) with a certificate of participation (“Teilnahmeschein”) you will receive 3 ECTS for each. A Teilnahmeschein requires regular participation and preparatory reading, but no written exam or research paper. Teilnahmescheine are not graded.
Moreover, if you finish the mentioned types of courses with a certificate of achievement (“Leistungsschein”) you will be awarded with 7 ECTS for each. Besides regular participation in class a Leistungsschein requires writing an exam or a research paper. Leistungsscheine are graded.
For career-oriented seminars (“Berufsfeldseminare” (BS) you get 5 ECTS.
If you attend courses at other FU institutions, e.g. language courses, you receive the number of ECTS points determined by the other institution. If you wish to know the number of ECTS points awarded for classes taken outside the OSI, please contact the ERASMUS coordinators of the respective departments or institutes.
The ECTS awarded for German-language courses depend on the number of lessons you have taken per week and per semester (“Semesterwochenstunden (SWS)”).
What are the differences between a participation certificate (“Teilnahmeschein”) and a certificate of achievement (“Leistungsschein”)?
In general, the required work for a certificate of achievement (“Leistungschein”) is more complex than the one for a participation certificate (“Teilnahmeschein”).
The latter is awarded with 3 ECTS for your general participation in the specific course, which usually means regular attendance, literature reading and a presentation, if required, as well as sometimes a review (for the specific requirements please contact your lecturer at the beginning of the course). This kind of certificate may NOT be graded.
However, a certificate of achievement requires also the completion of an assignment (e.g. paper or exam), which will be graded (specific information on the assignment will be given by the lecturer at the beginning of the course). You will be awarded with 7 ECTS for the total work.
The number of ECTS will be filled in by the Erasmus office and NOT by the course instructor.
There are two different written examinations offered in a lecture. Which one do I have to take in order to obtain a certificate of achievement (“Leistungsschein”)?
For some courses, both two- and four-hour lasting written exams are offered. The reason for this is that courses are held for students of different study programs and they often require distinct examinations.
You may choose which exam you want to take. You will receive 7 ECTS if you pass one of them.
There are two different written examinations offered in a lecture. Which one do I have to take in order to obtain a certificate of achievement (“Leistungsschein”)?
For some courses, both two- and four-hour lasting written exams are offered. The reason for this is that courses are held for students of different study programs and they often require distinct examinations.
You may choose which exam you want to take. You will receive 7 ECTS if you pass one of them.
How can I obtain a confirmation of my participation or of an assignment taken at an OSI-course?
Erasmus students in political science cannot sign in the Campus Management System. Course instructors will fill in a certificate on paper (“Schein”), which must contain information on the title of the course, the course number, the type of the course, and on the kind of assignment (written exam, oral examination etc.) you have completed. If you finish a course with a certificate of achievement (“Leistungsnachweis”), this certificate will be graded. The certificate (“Schein”) must be signed and stamped by the lecturer. The ERASMUS office will fill in the respective ECTS-points. You can find a blank certificate here: http://www.polsoz.fu-berlin.de/polwiss/studium/auslandsstudium/llp_erasmus/papierschein-2009-Erasmus.pdf .
If the course instructor is not an employee at the OSI, but an external lecturer, he can obtain the required stamp in the office of the coordinator of the respective field of study (e.g. political theory).
What do I have to do, if I leave before I receive my certificates (“Scheine”)?
Setting up the certificates needs time. You can leave before you get them, but you have to talk to your lecturers to clarify the transmission of the certificates to you.How can I obtain a transcript of records?
If you are coming from a partner university of the OSI, the OSI Erasmus office will issue you a transcript of records at the end of your stay at the FU. In order to obtain that transcript of records, you have to provide the OSI Erasmus office with information on your person, as well as photocopies of your FU student ID and your certificates(Scheine). Please, submit your records only once they are complete (via post or mail to the OSI Erasmus office). Please let us know, whether you want us to send the transcript of records to your personal address or to your home university. Details can be found here:
What is a Learning Agreement and whom should I send it to?
The Learning Agreement is a contract (study contract) between an exchange student, the sending university and the receiving university.
The receiving university's coordinator agrees (preliminarily) to the student's choice of courses prior to her or his arrival in Berlin on the Learning Agreement, ensuring their availability for attendance. Then, the sending university confirms that this study programme is in line with the requirements of their own study programs and that courses can be successfully integrated into the student's studies.
The Otto-Suhr-Institute of Political Science at Freie Universität Berlin allows ERASMUS-students to choose the courses they want. There are no mandatory courses and no minimum number of ECTS-credits that need to be achieved. Exchange students can decide for themselves how many and which courses they wish to take.
Important: The graduation requirements of the sending university have top priority. Please check with your ERASMUS-coordinator before you leave for Berlin what terms and conditions apply! You are solely responsible for meeting your home university's requirements!
A first draft of the Learning Agreement for the winter semester has to be forwarded to the ERASMUS bureau of the Otto-Suhr-Institute or to the Freie Universität Berlin's central ERASMUS bureau in June. Students planning to come in for the summer semester, have to send their learning agreement in December.
May I complete an internship as part of the Erasmus program?
Yes, it is possible to complete an internship. Please contact the Career Service for detailed information: http://www.fu-berlin.de/sites/career/angebot_studierende_und_absolventen/auslandspraktika_europa/erasmus/index.html
(Unfortunately the website information is only in German available. If you need any help please contact the Career Service office.)
I did an internship during my Erasmus stay in Berlin. Can the FU Berlin give me ECTS credits for this and can the credits be included in my transcript of records?
No, we cannot give you credits for internships completed during your stay inBerlin. You will have to ask for credits at your home university.
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