History
The Department of Political Science and History evolved from the first Department of Political Science that existed in the country (in the form of a School of Political Science). With its current form it was established in 1997 after the split of the Department of Political Science and International Studies and started functioning as an independent Department in 1998-1999.
The Department’s mission according to its founding law is the study and research of Political Science and Political History with a special emphasis in the fields of political theory, political philosophy and psychology, theories of the state and of political practices, empirical methods in social sciences, theory of political systems, European and Greek political history, establishment and functioning of institutions and theory of political parties.
Aim and mission
The first study programme of the Department was first partially amended in 2002-2003 retaining though the rational and the academic orientation of its founding principles. A second amendment which again did not change the Department’s founding principles took place in 2015-2016. The core modules are now better organized and more optional modules in different academic fields are offered to the students. The new programme still gives freedom to the students to design their own personal programme choosing from a variety of optional modules in order to reflect their individual interests, talents and goals. Additionally, access is given to single modules or groups of modules offered by other departments of Panteion University.
In the study programme of the Department, political science is linked with contemporary and modern history as well as social and political theory and philosophy, economic theory and history, public law and historic demography. This interdisciplinary approach not only allows the organization of the programme around geographical areas but also encourages the in depth exploration of the significant problems of Greece, Europe and the world which are by now transnational and global.
At the level of ideology, we are particularly interested in the big recurrent problems such as nationalism, religious fundamentalism, racism and all other aspects of collective prejudices. Additionally, interdisciplinarity allows for the exploration of identity issues.
Career Prospects
The Department of Political Science and History is particularly interested in the students’ career prospects despite the current employment difficulties. Comparative studies from international organisations have shown that single-disciplined or extensively specialised study programmes in social sciences tend to fail in their interconnection with the market. To the contrary, interdisciplinary study programmes which place area studies or indeed contemporary big problems in their centre and at the same time apply a pedagogical approach which focuses in the well-informed autonomy of students strengthen their capacity towards employability. This rationale is reinforced by the increasing necessity in developed countries of the Western world to change professions during the course of life and thus invest in adult education. A good basis of scientific methods and general knowledge at the undergraduate level can facilitate the accumulation of new knowledge and skills later in life.
Some of the employment opportunities available for the students are:
♦ In secondary education, teaching Political Science and History modules, ♦ in the public sector, ♦ in public and private enterprises interested in geographical, historical and cultural areas (Greek, Balkan and European studies), ♦ in European institutions, ♦ in media – general and specialised web sites in daily press, television and radio shows – as well as press houses after some extra professional training in areas such as: Europe, the Balkans, Turkey, Greece, the environment, cultural or educational policy, ♦ in a broad spectrum of office work in combination with language and computer skills.
Go to the Department Website: Department of Political Science and History