In the field of political science at the Institute for Latin American Studies, the focus of teaching is on democratization, statehood, security, crime, social movements, political cultures, development policy and theory, integration and disintegration, as well as the increasing significance of transnational and transregional processes and issues of “globalization from below.”

On the one hand, we look into specific knowledge about countries, regions, places, and their interconnections. On the other hand, teaching focuses on different methods and theories, with a particular emphasis on knowledge production in and from Latin America. Intersectional analyses, particularly those related to gender-specific or ethnically influenced asymmetries, are included.

The political science department at LAI participates in the teaching activities of the Otto Suhr Institute of Political Science in the Department of Political and Social Sciences and is involved in the following degree programs:

• Bachelor's 30-credit module in Latin American Studies

• Bachelor's degree program in Political Science

• Master's degree program in Interdisciplinary Latin American Studies

  • Profile area B: Transformation and Development

  • Profile area D: Gender Relations, Lifestyles, Transformations

• Master's degree programs in Political Science and International Relations

An overview of the courses offered this semester in the field of political science can be found in the annotated course catalog (KVV) of Free University Berlin.

The materials for the respective courses can be found on the teaching platform Blackboard of the Free University Berlin.

Research and Teaching Projects

The Department of Political Science participates intensively in Research and Teaching Projects which test and conduct new forms of collective knowledge production: new teaching and learning methods are put into practice in order to strengthen the cooperation between instructors and students. The results and findings generated in seminars and research trips abroad are discussed and presented to a broader public using social media platforms.

The following projects are the result of the Research and Teaching Projects of the Department of Political Science in cooperation with other disciplines:

• Transnational Autobiographies
• Knowledge Production of Latin American Intellectuals
• Portraits of Researchers in Women and Gender Studies in Latin America
• Project module for the preparation and follow-up of research abroad (research trips, work placements)
• Cultures and power
• Research trip to Costa Rica and Nicaragua (March/April 2008)
• Research trip to Mexico City (October 2007)
• Research trip to the border of Mexico and the US  (February/March 2006)