You can find the course catalogue here. 

There is both, an English and a German version. You can change the language in the top right corner of the window. Please keep in mind that not all courses have translated titles and content. The course language however, is stated on the right in the course description.

Important: Make sure to set all the right filters when looking for courses. By clicking on the arrow next to the search field, you will be able to do an advanced search that helps you select course language, course level, and so on. However the advanced search sometimes doesn't filter out all the right courses. Depending on the way you conduct your search, it might be easier to work with the section filters above (right underneath “Course Catalogue“.

• Choose the right semester (on the top right) and then the department “Political and Social Sciences“ (Politik- und Sozialwissenschaften)
• BA students (undergraduate) click on "Bachelor" underneath the top section titled "Otto Suhr Institute for Political Science" (Otto-Suhr-Institut für Politikwissenschaft) and then choose Political Science and the newest study regulation, for example "Political Science (2019 study regulations)" (Politikwissenschaft (Studienordnung 2019)). 
• MA students (graduate), respectively, click on "Master", choose Political Science and also the newest study regulation.

Again, if you want to find only those classes that are being offered in English (or any other language), please navigate around the right-hand side of the webpage and click on the arrow button next to the "search now" button. It will give you the option of "advanced search". You may then choose further filters. However, be aware that results might differ from different ways of searching for classes.

Note: The course catalogue for the Winter term will not go online before September; the course catalogue for the Summer term usually goes online in late February or March. Please use an older course catalogue to do finish you Learning Agreement Before the Mobility, should you have to provide your university with one before course catalogues are being released. You can then change your selection in the first weeks of the term. 

Please take into account that we do not guarantee completeness and immutability of the course catalogue. Teachers and faculty can make changes at any time and especially before the first week of classes.

The OSI offers different types of courses.

Lectures (“Vorlesung (V)”), provide 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 tutorials (“Tutorium (T)”) and exercises (“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.

In addition, there are seminars (“Seminar (S)”). There are three different kinds of seminars available at the OSI. In general, they treat specific subjects more in depth than lectures. In these types of courses your participation, your questions and taking part in discussions will directly add to 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/Methoden des wissenschaftlichen Arbeitens (PS/TWA or PS/MWA)”) 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 usually only available for students at the end of their Bachelor or Master students. The core advanced seminars (K-HS) are the basic seminars, belonging to the advanced seminars (HS) of the Master program. They all give you an overview over a certain field of study. Introductory seminars/techniques of scientific work (PS/TWA or PS/MWA) are held for first year students only and 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 mostly held weekly and last two hours (“Semesterwochenstunden” (SWS)), which makes 90 minutes in total. An exception are block seminars (Blockseminare), which are held during a few days throughout the semester but last more hours.

The course structure at other departments and faculties might differ.

In the BA and MA programs some courses are regularly held in English and in other languages. However, this offer varies each semester. In most cases the language of the course is indicated in the specific course descriptions on the right. The course catalogue is updated each semester and is usually available at the end of the previous semester (about March/September). If you want to find only those classes that are being offered in English (or any other language), please navigate around the right-hand side of the course catalogue and click on the arrow button next to the "search now" button. It will give you the option of "advanced search". You may then choose your filters. You can find more information here.

Additionally, the university also offers courses that are only for international students. Some of these also are also in English and have a political science focus. You can find more information here.

Generally, the majority of courses have to be chosen from the political science course catalogue (Vorlesungsverzeichnis) or the courses for international exchange students. With few exceptions, all courses in the political science course catalogue can be taken. Courses with the addition “PS/TWA“ or “PS/MWA” (for information please see here) are only eligible for home students in the first semester and may NOT be taken by Erasmus students. One third of the credit points can be acquired at other institutions, e.g. through a German language course or by courses at other departments.

Please be aware that Erasmus students of political sciences are also not eligible to take courses at the faculty of law.

The module system (one participation + one examination = 10 ECTS) does not apply to Erasmus students. Only regular FU students need to complete modules. Erasmus students can pick single courses according to their own interest and requirements set by their universities. For each course they can get either 3 or 7 ECTS.

To register for a class at OSI, you need to sign up on Campus Management and register for classes. The platform will then let you know whether you have been registered for the course or not. You can find a video explaining Campus Management and how to enroll in classes in German and in English here. The video was made for home students, so the information on modules is not relevant for Erasmus students, nonetheless it will help you understand the program. You will receive further information about Campus Management from the central incoming office (incoming@fu-berlin.de).

The course registration process is open for about three weeks after courses have started, meaning that you can still register or opt out of courses. That being said, it often makes sense to attend all courses you have selected during the first week, if not the second and third week as well. You or other students might not show up, change their minds on the course or the like, and further spots become available. Teachers might provide you with more information or simply their individual way of handling these processes during the first session.

You may also have noticed that Campus Management was unfortunately only designed for home students’ requirement. That poses some challenges for incoming students:

1. You cannot register for multiple seminars in one module. Simply try to find the additional course(s) in other modules and register for them there. If that is not possible. Please attend the session in the first week, explain your issue and ask if the teacher would allow you to participate regardless and issue you a certificate (see below) at the end of the term, instead of being registered on Campus Management.
2. You can’t sign up for courses of different departments/faculties via Campus Management. If you want to choose a course in economics, you have to contact the Erasmus office of their department/faculty (international@wiwiss.fu-berlin.de) and they will register you. If you want to take a course at any other department/faculty, you must speak to the teachers of these courses individually and ask for permission to participate, as well as for a certificate at the end of the semester, instead of a Campus Management registration. Usually, departments/faculties have their own forms. When in doubt, always contact the Erasmus offices of the different departments/faculties. Keep in mind that you are not allowed to take courses at the law faculty.
3. If you are not registered on Campus Management, you may have to give your teacher your (Zedat) email address, so that they can add you to the e-learning system (Blackboard). That way, you will be able to access the course material.
4. You cannot participate in courses that are labeled PS/MWA or PS/TWA.
5. The module structure that you see on Campus management does not apply to you. At the end of your exchange you hand in a request for your transcript of records (see FAQs) by providing us with a request form, your Campus Management overview (pdf) and any certificates you might have collected, and we will issue you an Erasmus-specific Transcript of Records.

About certificates (“Scheine“): If you cannot sign up for a specific course on Campus Management, course instructors will fill in a certificate (“Schein”) at the end of the semester. This Schein 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, otherwise it will be marked with a “P“ for participation. The certificate (“Schein”) must be signed and stamped by the lecturer. The Erasmus office fills in the respective ECTS-points unless the course is provided by a different department/faculty and they do it. You can find a blank certificate here. If the course instructor is not an employee at the OSI, but an external lecturer, they can obtain the required stamp in the office of the coordinator of the respective field of study (e.g. political theory). It is your responsibility to provide the lecturers with prepared certificates.

Please keep in mind that the number of ECTS is not up for negotiation between you and individual lecturers.