Students learn to distinguish and apply major concepts, theories and methodologies in political history.
 

In this course, students explore theories and concepts of political history on the basis of an analysis of major texts in the tradition of political history. Specific points of attention are the conceptualisation of key concepts like politics and the political, power, institutions, political action, political culture, political organisation, state, regime, etc. Another point of discussion is the national, inter- and transnational nature of political history. The use of concepts and theories will be studied by their application to specific episodes in political history. Students will have to write both a theoretical/conceptual as well as an applied paper.