Otto Suhr Institute for Political Science

Otto Suhr Institute for Political Science

Otto-Suhr-Institut für Politikwissenschaft
Type	Institute
Established	1959 (1959) (1920)
Affiliation	Freie Universität Berlin
Dean	Prof. Dr. Tanja Börzel
Location	Berlin , Berlin , Germany 52.449°N 13.277°E / 52.449; 13.277
Website	www.polsoz.fu-berlin.de/en/polwiss/index.html

The Otto-Suhr-Institut für Politikwissenschaft (Otto Suhr Institute for Political Science, OSI) a research institute of the Free University of Berlin and one of the leading political-science institutions in Germany. It is named after Otto Suhr (1894–1957, SPD), a former mayor of Berlin.

History

The OSI arose in 1959 from the Deutsche Hochschule für Politik (German Academy for Politics) founded in 1920. During the German student movement in the late 1960s, the Otto-Suhr-Institut was reckoned a 'leftist' and later an 'alternative' think tank, as it employed radical thinkers such as Johannes Agnoli. However, in present days this reputation is rather legendary than lifelike.

Current activity

The OSI is part of the Department for Political and Social Sciences. It continues to be one of the leading institutions in the field of political science in Germany, focussing on the study of International Relations. Since 2001, Thomas Risse heads the institute's Center for Transnational Relations, Foreign and Security Policy which was founded in 1986 as the Center for Transatlantic Foreign and Security Policy Helga Haftendorn.

International programmes

The institute offers an integrated German-French double-degree Bachelor as well as a double-degree Master programme with French Grande Ecole Sciences Po Paris (formerly also known as Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris) as well as a German-Russian joint Master’s programme in co-operation with the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. It has also successfully developed a Double Degree in Public Policy and Management with the European top-ranking business school, HEC Paris. The German-French double degree programmes are recognised and coordinated by the Franco-German University.

Notable faculty

• Arnulf Baring, historian and political scientist
• Ernst Fraenkel, political scientist
• Herta Däubler-Gmelin, former German Minister of Justice
• Thomas Risse, international relations scholar
• Heinrich August Winkler, historian
• Tanja Börzel, European integration and governance scholar

Notable alumni

• Jakob Augstein, journalist and publisher of Der Freitag
• Hermann Scheer, environmentalist
• Gesine Schwan, professor of political science
• Gabor Steingart, journalist
• Anne Will, TV journalist

External links

• Website of the Otto-Suhr-Institut (English)