A glimpse behind the curtains of power politics: Peter Altmaier, the former Federal Minister of the Economy and former Head of the Chancellery will join Sven T. Siefken at the Federal University of Applied Administrative Sciences to discuss his experience in government leadership. The event is open to the public, more details are available in…
It was a memorable day in the Berlin politics, because following long political discussions, two central bills were passed by the coalition: changes to the pension system and the military draft. Students of Colorado College visited the German Bundestag. After an academic introduction to parliamentary government in Germany by Sven T. Siefken, the group had…
To make things happen and change policies, a deep understanding of the political system and the politics happening within are needed. In the spring 2025, Sven T. Siefken is co-teaching a Master class on this topic at the Hertie School, University of Governance, in Berlin. More about the university and its programs here https://www.hertie-school.org/en/
Students, faculty and staff at Colorado College meet for a Presidential Debate Watch Party on Sep. 10. It is organized by Sven T. Siefken in a class on Comparative Politics and jointly sponsored by the Program of German Studies and the Department of Political Science. Join us to Watch the Presidential Debate at the German…
In a deep-dive, Sven T. Siefken is teaching a class on politics in Europe as visiting professor at Colorado College. The goal of this comparative politics course is for students to get a deep understanding of how parliamentary democracies work and compare this to the presidential system of the US. In conversations with practitioners ans…
How do you get things done in German politics? This is the topic of a practice-oriented class co-taught by Sven T. Siefken at the Hertie School in Berlin. It deals with work in political parties, candidate nomination, election campaigns and work in parliament and government. Graduate students in the Master of Public Policy, Master of…
A group of students of the Federal Police set out on a field trip to visit the coast guard unit at the Baltic Sea. Accompanied by Sven T. Siefken, they learned of the tasks and equipment of the coast guard. More on the unit can be found here
The German Bundestag is welcoming the new group of participants in the International Parliamentary Stipend Program, 96 participants from 42 countries around the globe. Sven T. Siefken held the opening lecture and discussion on politics in the parliamentary democracy. More on the IPS here https://www.bundestag.de/ips
A group of students from Colorado College visited the Bundestag to discuss German politics with an MP and staffers working for MPs from different parties. Sven T. Siefken, guest professor at CC since 2019, organized the event, moderated the meetings and held an introductory lecture on parliamentary politics in Germany. More about Colorado College here…
During the latest field trip, a group of students and Sven T. Siefken visited different departments of the Federal Police and other security agencies to discuss current threats and challenges. More about the German Federal Police here: https://www.bundespolizei.de As Or
Simulation games are an innovative way for teaching the logic and dynamics of the political process. Sven T. Siefken and a group of students from different universities participated in the parliamentary simulation that is run by the German Bundestag, going through the parliamentary phases of how a bill becomes a law. More on the simulation…
McGill University in Montreal, Canada, has run an exciting program for new MPs and staff from around the globe. Sven T. Siefken spoke on current political challenges to the German Bundestag, discussing the tension between MPs’ policy specialization versus societal outreach? The presentation gave an overview about how the Bundestag, one of the strongest parliaments…
The Bundestag has been been running the international scholarship program for young professionals from various parts of the world. Sven T. Siefken delivered an opening presentation on „politics in a parliamentary democracy“ and led the discussion for the 2023 class of participants from various Arabic countries: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Tunisia, Bahrain, Algeria, Iraqi. More…
During the traditional field trip week of the Federal University of Applied Administrative Sciences, Sven T. Siefken accompanied a class of students to the Hamburg Inspectorate of the Federal Police. More about the Federal Police of Germany here: https://www.bundespolizei.de
In March 2023, the Institute for Parliamentary Research held the first IParl Academy for graduate students. As part of the program, Sven T. Siefken discussed with participants what roles parliaments had in crises and how crises are dealt with in parliaments. You can find more about the IParl Academy here https://www.iparl.de/de/forschung/iparl-akademie.html
For the Master’s Program of American Government at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, Sven T. Siefken is co-teaching a Comparative Politics class. Students learn about the entire process: From becoming active in politics, to party work, candidate nomination, election and governing. Going broad comparatively and going deep in the formalities and informalities of the German…
The study abroad program at Colorado College has a long tradition; students spend a few months in Germany, learn the language and take regular classes, too. In 2022, Sven T. Siefken organized a field trip to the Bundestag for the current group of students in Berlin. After an introductory lecture and discussion, the group met…
The 2022 class by Sven T. Siefken at Colorado College takes an in-depth look at how people can make a difference in parliamentary politics. In a comparative perspective on the European parliamentary democracies, we study civic culture and political activism, look at candidate nomination and the electoral system and at how to run an election…
“What is Politics …” and “How is Politics …” in the parliamentary democracy of Germany? These were the topics of the opening and the final lectures by Sven T. Siefken in the international internship program of the Deutscher Bundestag. Introducing basic questions and institutions to the over 100 participants in March 2022 and moderating a…
Back at Colorado College, teaching a class in Comparative Politics on the Superwahljahr 2021. The election to the 20th German Parliament will be held on September 26, 2021. It will, very likely, bring an end to 16 years as chancellor of Angela Merkel, who is not running for reelection. With ongoing fragmentation of the German…