Study program: 6701V008: Political science (XXPA)

Doctoral degree in Political Science is primarily intended for all the undergraduates of master's degree studies in social sciences (political science, sociology, international relations, history, media studies, etc.) who plan to pursue a professional specialization in Political Science with an emphasis on the analysis of political parties and party systems, issue of identity (mainly the national one) and nowaday’s settlement of conflicts. Furthermore, the studies may also be undertaken by the applicants interested in local politics, political geography and issue of political thought.

Guarantor of the study discipline is prof. PhDr. Blanka Říchová, CSc.,dr.h.c.

Study subjects / themes

Individual studies represent the basic form of acquiring the necessary knowledge. Individual study plans comply with the rules of doctoral studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences of Charles University (they can be adapted in accordance with the individual needs to an existing study profile of a doctoral student and an approved dissertation topic). Face-to-face instruction primarily focuses on conceptual and methodological problems associated with the dissertation thesis of a doctoral student.

I. Compulsory courses

Each doctoral student signs up for six courses of Doctoral seminar during the first three years of the study. Doctoral students sign up for the course of Methodology of Scientific Research I and II in the third, or the fourth semester of their studies.

A doctoral student performs Publication activities I and II within a Specific research in the first and third year of his/her studies according to the rules of the Institute of Political Studies; the student will receive a course credit after submitting proof of a successful publishing output, i.e. when clearly demonstrating that the book has been accepted for publication.

Compulsory courses J#080

II. Specialized seminars

Each doctoral student is required to complete two discipline-oriented (two-semester) seminars from the offered courses. A doctoral student will receive one credit for each two-semester course.

Doctoral students may also, in agreement with their supervisor, select Internship abroad and Participation in international methodological school as other specialization engagements (must be included in the Individual study plan of the doctoral student).

Specialized seminars J#081

Specialized seminars JPD030 - JPD036 take place in both semestrs with the beginning in the winter semester.

III. Other obligations of a doctoral student – optional courses:

a) When required by a dissertation topic or previous studies of a doctoral student, the advisor can determine in the Individual study plan of a doctoral student an obligation to attend in the course of the first four semesters another specialized lecture in the subject that corresponds to the topic of the dissertation thesis. The advisor selects a particular subject upon agreement with the doctoral student.

Optional courses J#082

b) Other duties form an integral part of the study plan of each doctoral student, namely:

1) An ongoing involvement in scientific work in the form of share in scientific projects of the Department of Political Science IPS FSV UK, or involvement in the grant competition within the Czech Republic or with foreign grant agencies; such an involvement must always thematically relate to the project of dissertation thesis of each doctoral student.

2) Participation in conferences: to attend conferences is the duty of every doctoral student, particularly international conferences, which will allow students to adequately present the results of their own scientific work and discuss them with the widest scholarly public.

IV. State doctoral examination

State doctoral exam takes the form of a scientific debate over the part of a dissertation thesis, while wider issue areas related to the topic of dissertation thesis may possibly be addressed as well. A specific scope and content of the state doctoral examination is defined by the content of study subjects stipulated in the Individual study plan of the doctoral student, or in other specifications contained in this plan.

The state examination consists of three thematic areas that verify the knowledge of a doctoral student in the following areas:

1) basic knowledge concerning the issue of the dissertation thesis of a doctoral student with respect to the ability to theoretically grasp a given subject matter and ability to treat an assigned scientific task;

2) orientation in the main methodological problems in political science;

3) orientation in the literature concerning a given field of specialization.

V. Defence proceedings of dissertation thesis

Dissertation thesis forms the principal study obligation of a student and embodies the measure of success of his/her studies; the entire content of the study conforms to the treatment of the thesis. Performance of the defense proceedings of the dissertation thesis is conditioned by the fulfillment of all study obligations stipulated by the Individual study plan of the doctoral student and completion of state doctoral examination.