The OSI's undergraduate and graduate programs in political science are consistently ranked the best in Germany and among the best in Europe.[2] It is part of the Free University of Berlin’s Department of Political and Social Science, and offers dual degree programs with Sciences Po and HEC Paris. It is the most selective department for political science degrees in Germany.[3]
History
The OSI arose in 1959 from the Deutsche Hochschule für Politik (German Academy for Politics) founded in 1920, which was the leading educational institution for the Weimar Republic’s political elites. Otto Suhr (1894–1957; SPD) a professor at the institute who would later become mayor of Berlin, envisioned an institute for the teaching of democracy.[4] The opening ceremony was hosted by Theodor Heuss, then President of Germany, who proclaimed "the breath of the world will blow through the doors of this institution".[5]
The Otto-Suhr-Institut played a significant role in the German student movement in the late 1960s, as it became a place of political confrontation between traditional and socialist forces regarding the restructuring of the German university system. While the institute at one point employed some of the most prominent leftist thinkers, such as Johannes Agnoli, it has distanced itself from any political leanings in the late 20th and early 21st century.[6]
Academics
The OSI is part of the Free University of Berlin’s Department of Political and Social Sciences, focusing on the study of international relations. Since 2001, Thomas Risse has headed the institute's Centre for Transnational Relations, Foreign and Security Policy which was founded in 1986 as the Centre for Transatlantic Foreign and Security Policy by Helga Haftendorn.
Study Programmes
The Otto-Suhr-Institut offer the following undergraduate and graduate study programmes:
BA Political Science
BA Political Science for Education
BA in political science, in partnership with Sciences Po
MA Political Science
MA Gender, Intersectionality and Politics
MA International Relations
MA Political Science - European Affairs, in partnership with Sciences Po
MA Political Science - International Affairs, in partnership with Sciences Po
MA Public Policy and Management, in partnership with HEC Paris