Department profile
The Department of International Relations and European Studies, a part of the Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University (FSS MU), was founded in 2002 as an academic institute providing education at a European standard in the field of international studies. The department traces its origins back to the establishment of a field of studies in international relations and European studies in 1999/2000, which originally functioned under the Department of Political Science at the MU Faculty of Social Studies.
The placement of the department under the Faculty of Social Studies MU reflects the traditional classification of international studies as an independent academic discipline among the social sciences. At present the institute’s academic/teaching staff consists of twelve internal lecturers: one professor, several associate professors, assistant professors and one assistant, as well as internal postgraduates, and external instructors from other faculties and institutions.
Department of International Relations and European Studies maintains close ties with similar institutions in the Czech Republic and abroad. These contacts (both institutional and personal) create opportunities for students to undertake short- and long-term study stays at foreign universities. The department also works closely with the Institute of International Political Science of Masaryk University (IIPS), an interdisciplinary academic institution for the study of political, socio-economic, and legal developments in Czech society, supporting academic research and its dissemination in the area of the political sciences. The other important institution with which the department works is the Institute for Comparative Political Research of Masaryk University.
The Department of International Relations and European Studies has developed a set of specializations over a range of topics. Research and publications by individual members of the department are supported by major Czech and foreign grant institutions and foundations (European Commission, Grant Agency Czech Republic, Open Society Fund, Jan Hus Education Fund, Fund for Development of Institutes of Higher Learning) which provide support in a number of specific areas, such as comparative studies of Eastern and Western Europe and the continuing process of European unification (European Political Integration – Jean Monnet Project), political and institutional development of the European Union, EC/EU expansion, foreign policy of the United States, political parties in Europe, strategic and security studies, theory of international relations, and integration theories. The research profile of the Department of International Relations and European Studies is reflected in a wide range of publications available to the broader public.
