Research at the Department
The Department approach political science in its entirety. Diverse approaches and theoretical orientations shall be represented, and its empirical research - like its teaching - shall have a solid theoretical foundation. The Oslo region has a large research institute sector and a research community with much political science expertise. A significant part of the research in the sector is applied and often relatively descriptive. It is therefore particularly important that researchers at the university focus on basic research.
The disciplines of Political Science
Political Science is a discipline that studies politics and political institutions. The discipline is organized thematically in many different ways at different educational institutions both nationally and internationally. There are very many specialist fields and sub-disciplines, such as, for example, international politics, global politics, political history, comparative politics, political behaviour, political economy, public policy, national politics, local politics, public administration, political philosophy, the history og political ideas and normative political theory.
Core areas
One department is not able to cover the whole range of the discipline adequately even though it may focus on breadth. The Department has chosen to concentrate its efforts on the following core areas:
- International Politics
- Comparative Politics
- Public Policy and Administration
- Political Theory
- Elections and Democracy
These are the areas within the discipline that build upon established and well run traditions, and in which the department aims to have significant research and teaching activity in the years to come. These areas represent cumulative theoretical research at the Department and are necessary for a robust and sustainable development of expertise at the Department. Working in these research areas are first-rate individual researchers and groups of researchers that can profile the department in the wider community and give direction to the long-term research aims.
A good environment for research
At the Department of Political Science it is important that the department's research as far as possible takes place within an environment of dialogue and collaboration with leading international research departments and research communities. In the prioritisation of resources in future research it is for the Department important to combine consideration for both theoretical and methodological quality with coverage of thematically important areas of the discipline. In light of this it is also important that teaching in the Department be based upon the department's research.