Ural Federal University

Master’s Program in Political Philosophy

Duration: 2 years (full time)

Language of instruction: English, Russian

Application deadline: August 16, 2014

Program starting September 2014

Internships: semester in a partner university

Scholarships: available on competitive basis

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The MA Program in Political philosophy is designed for students who are interested in philosophical reflection on most complex and substantial issues underlying contemporary politics. Political Philosophy is a discipline that studies the ways, in which people order their collective life, what good and just society is, and how our critical capacity and individual agency can transform the world we live in. It also explores varied contexts that shape politics as it is lived and experienced by individuals, looking for the political in the everyday interplay of formal institutions, local social relations and individual life strategies.

The MA Program in Political philosophy offers a range of courses in modern political theory and training in research skills, which would enable its graduates to work both in governmental and non-governmental organizations in administrative positions and at various academic establishments, as researchers or teachers. The program draws on the extensive tradition of political theorizing, yet the current Western-European oriented canon of political theory is balanced with major achievements in the study of politics by Eurasian and Russian thinkers. Our MA program is designed around comparative and cosmopolitan research agenda that aims at educating expert researchers as well as competent citizens of the world.

PROGRAM’S FEATURES

The MA Program in Political philosophy at the Institute of Social and Political Sciences is one of the few MA Programs in this field existing in Russia, and the only international one, with Program's core courses taught in English. Launched under the auspices of the Higher Education Support Program (the Open Society Institute), it benefits from the intellectual input of the HESP scholarly community. In addition to the local faculty, many of whom hold international graduate degrees, classes are taught by visiting professors from the Central European University (Hungary), Utrecht University (Netherlands), and other partner institutions. The Program’s core faculty is comprised of researchers, whose scholarly work on modernity, toleration, individuality and other topics in modern political philosophy acquired national and international acclaim.

Scholarships (ranging from tuition waiver to full coverage of all expenses) are available for international students, based on merit and quality of application materials.

All students in good standing are eligible for the University fellowship that covers a semester-long internship in one of partner institutions: Utrecht University (Netherlands), Central European University (Hungary), Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (Ukraine), Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (Kazakhstan), American University of Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan), European University in Saint Petersburg, Higher School of Economics (Saint Petersburg Campus), etc.

COURSES

Program’s Courses: History of Political Philosophy (3 credits), Contemporary Political Philosophy (3 credits), Theory of Modernity (3 credits), Political Forms: Ancient Polis (3 credits), Political Forms: City, Empire, and Globalization (3 credits), Political Philosophy and Gender (3 credits), Philosophy of the Body and Biopolitics (3 credits), Theology and Politics in Middle Ages (3 credits), Formation of Public Self-Consciousness (3 credits), Theory of Action (3 credits), Micropolitics (3 credits), Subjects of Modernity (3 credits), Research Seminar (3 credits).

Department’s Courses: Pedagogics of higher education (3 credits), Methods of teaching philosophy in university (3 credits), Theory and practice of argumentation (3 credits), New tendencies in contemporary philosophy (7 credits), Foreign language (7 credits), Computer technologies in science and education (3 credits).

MA DISSERTATION

Writing and defending the MA dissertation is an essential part of the program’s curriculum. The MA dissertation is a piece of written work designed to demonstrate the author's ability to carry out individual research, to pursue specific research tasks, to choose appropriate research methods for these tasks and to communicate her/his findings in fluent and clear academic writing.

Work for the MA dissertation is an on-going process throughout the program.

Students have the opportunity to write their MA dissertation on a variety of topics, focusing, preferably, on actively debated and discussed issues in modern Political Philosophy, such as the concepts of recognition, justice, power, legitimacy, nationalism, multiculturalism, citizenship and the like. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the program, the MA dissertation could combine approaches from other academic fields, such as anthropology, sociology, political science, cultural studies, and so on, provided that the conceptual core of the work lies within the field of political philosophy.

ELIGIBILITY AND ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Applicants must have a first degree (Bachelor) in Social Sciences or Humanities from a recognized university or institution of higher education, or provide documentation indicating that they will earn such a first degree before enrolment in Master’s program.

Applicants should provide a certificate of their English language proficiency (B1 level or equivalent).

Interviews may be arranged with applicants as a part of the selection process.

Non-discrimination policy: The Admission Procedure is open to all applicants who qualify with the indicated criteria. The Ural Federal University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, gender or sexual orientation and others in its selection process.

How to apply

Contact the International Student Support Center. You can send us an e-mail ([log in to unmask]) or fill in the Admission Form at university’s official website www.urfu.ru. For details you can contact the Program's representative

Andrey Menshikov, [log in to unmask]

FEES

MA program in Political Philosophy tuition fee is 74,000 RUB ($2,140) per year.

Accommodation at the University’s Student Residences amounts to 3,000 rubles ($100) per year.

ABOUT THE URAL FEDERAL UNIVERSITY

Founded in 1920, Ural Federal University (UrFU) is now one of the top ranked educational and scientific centers in Russia, training undergraduate and graduate students and carrying out research in natural sciences, economics, social sciences, arts and humanities. The university is comprised of 17 institutes, dozens of research laboratories and centers in the city of Ekaterinburg and Ural region. UrFu offers about 350 programs. The total number of students at UrFU exceeds 50,000 today. More than 2,500 specialists, who graduated from the University, now work in various countries of Europe, Asia and Africa. There are more than a thousand foreign students studying at UrFU nowadays. UrFU positions itself as an internationally-oriented university and every year increases number of foreign students of both undergraduate and graduate level.