Helpful information regarding academic research, writing, presenting and on how to find a topic and develop a rationale in the field of political theory can be found on the German part of our website (in German only).

Current taught courses in summer term 2025

(Detailed information in English is only available for those courses taught in English.)

15040 Lecture
Political Theory

Prof. Dr. Dorothea Gädeke

Schedule: Tuesday, 12-14h (Class starts on: 2025-04-15)
Location: Garystr. 35-37, HFB, Lecturehall D

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15433 Seminar
Rule of Law

Prof. Dr. Dorothea Gädeke

Schedule: Wednesday, 12-14h (Class starts on: 2025-04-16)
Location: Ihnestr. 22, Lecturehall G

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15549 Colloquium
Colloquium Political and Legal Theory

Prof. Dr. Dorothea Gädeke

Schedule: Monday, 18-20h (Class starts on: 2025-04-14)
Location: Ihnestr. 22, Seminarroom UG 2

The colloquium Political and Legal Theory is a weekly discussion of work in progress in political and legal theory. Sessions with guest speakers who present a paper they are working on at the moment offer the opportunity for you to read work in progress from different areas of political and legal theory, to learn how to reflect on their methodological approaches and how to engage critically and constructively with theoretical texts in direct conversation with their authors. Sessions dedicated to discussing your own work in progress offer the opportunity to relate what you learn by engaging with their work in progress to your own theses, articulate and reflect on problems that you face as well as discussing conceptual frameworks and practical tips to address them. The colloquium is held in English (you may write your own thesis in German).

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15042 Proseminar
Defensive Democracy

Prof. Dr. Markus Patberg

Schedule: Monday, 14-16h (Class starts on: 2025-04-14)
Location: Ihnestr. 21, Lecturehall B

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15431 Seminar
Governance in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Prof. Dr. Markus Patberg

Schedule: Monday, 16-18h (Class starts on: 2025-04-14)
Location: Ihnestr. 22, Seminarraum UG 1

Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing modern governance, both through the use of AI technologies by public authorities and through the deployment of AI in areas of society that provide the wider context of political decision-making, such as the formation of public opinion on social media. In this seminar, we will examine this development from the perspective of political theory. The focus is on the legitimacy of governance with AI and of AI. What are the potential contributions of AI to legitimate governance and how should democratic societies regulate AI innovation and deployment? Topics to be addressed include the implications of AI for the shape and functioning of contemporary institutions of (democratic) governance, the AI-driven transformation of the public sphere, and the regulation of AI through national and global governance.

Literatur: Bullock, Justin B. et al. (eds.) (2024): The Oxford Handbook of AI Governance. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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15043 Proseminar
Private Property: Contemporary Criticisms and Examples of Constitutional Disputes

Jenny Stupka

Schedule: Wednesday, 10-12h (Class starts on: 2025-04-16)
Location: Ihnestr. 22, Lecturehall A