International PhD in Democracy, Goethe University, Germany

The International PhD Program “Democracy, Knowledge, and Gender in a Transnational World” (IPP Transnational)

The Faculty of the Social Sciences at the Goethe University counts among those in the Federal Republic of Germany with a wealth of tradition and diversity in teaching and research perspectives. For its duration through the end of 2013, its international PhD program “Democracy, Knowledge, and Gender in a Transnational World,” in short IPP Transnational, will be supported through funding the Faculty procured in 2010 within the scope of the DAAD call for submissions “International Promovieren in Deutschland” (IPID). The implementation of the program substantially profits from the expertise of the International Postgraduate Center Social Sciences (IPC), which houses the IPP Transnational and whose funding and supervisory structure ideally complements its range of offers.

The program admits thirty PhD candidates a year. In terms of content, the IPP Transnational’s profile connects three thematic fields that combine central research issues of the 21st century. Emphasis is placed on the interrelation between current transnational social transformations and the development of democracy, the (re)formation of the gender order, as well as bioscientific findings and practices. In the IPP’s lecture series, the Forum Transnational, renowned scholars present and discuss their most recent work on topics and concepts related to the IPP’s thematic fields.

An international call for applications to the IPP Transnational program is issued twice a year for the admission of fifteen PhD candidates per term on February 15 and July 15. Interviews to assess an applicant’s suitability take place one month before the admission deadlines. Candidate can receive an allowance toward the cost of their trip to the interview. If accepted into the PhD program, the selected candidates are given the status of “conditional admission” to the Faculty of the Social Sciences. Unrestricted acceptance as a PhD candidate should occur by the next possible deadline, i.e., April 1 or October 1. The period between acceptance into the PhD program and acceptance into the Faculty is used to revise the submitted PhD proposal, in particular with respect to the work and time schedule; decide on a first and, if possible, second supervisor of the PhD thesis; and to conclude a PhD agreement that identifies the rights and obligations between supervisors, candidates, and those in charge of the program during the doctoral phase.

Application Requirements
Graduates of sociology, political science and anthropology both from Germany and abroad can apply who have an above-average university degree (MA, first state examination, diploma, or the like) and a sound knowledge of English and whose dissertation project ties in with the IPP Transnational’s research themes.

Application Documents
A complete application consists of the following:

a five-page dissertation project proposal in German or English in line with the IPP Transnational’s research profile. The proposal shall contain information about the state of research in the selected theme, about the project’s research question derived therefrom, about the steps to be taken to deal with the research question, as well as about the theme’s embeddedness in theory and the selection of the method to be applied
two letters of reference
a brief letter of motivation
a copy of the university degree entitling the candidate to earn a PhD
a CV

Application Deadline and Call for Applications
The next application deadline is May 15, 2011.

Click here to view the current call for applications.