Beginning from the academic year of 2015/16 Central European University (CEU) in Budapest will launch an interdisciplinary Specialization in Political Thought.
The video below documents the inauguration of the specialization at the occasion of the international conference "Trust and Happiness in Political Thought" (Budapest, Sept 2014). The initiators, CEU professors Matthias Riedl, Balázs Trencsényi, and László Kontler (from left to right), provide information about the structure, aims, and background of the new specialization.
The Specialization in Political Thought engages in the comparative study of political thought from a variety of perspectives, both within and outside the Western canon. Special attention will be given to the historicity of diverse political traditions but also to recurring themes and questions. Learning to recognize political thought, both past and present, as being time- and place-specific will equip students, regardless of their major field of study, with additional analytical and methodological skills grounded in the appreciation of the contextual and intertextual aspects of diverse intellectual traditions. Beyond contextualization the students will learn about comparative methods, addressing topics of political thought from intercultural and diachronic perspectives.
Students participating in this specialization will receive a Certificate in Political Thought in addition to their MA degrees in one of the participating disciplines:
- Gender Studies
- History
- International Relations and European Studies
- Medieval Studies
- Philosophy
- Political Science
According to their specific interests and career plans, interested students apply to one of the participating departments, as listed above. The departments normally offer a choice between a One Year MA program and a Two Year MA program. The International Relations department offers a One Year MA only. In their applications prospective students should indicate their interest in the specialization. All applications are accepted through the on-line system http://www.ceu.hu/admissions/apply/
Students can also join the program at a later point, after being accepted to one of the participating departments. They may express their interest by writing to the coordinator of the specialization at the beginning of the academic year.
For further information please write to coordinator Mónika Nagy NagyMo@ceu.hu