How are political scientists educated in Ibero-America? Analysis of undergraduate programs in Political Science in twelve countries

Abstract

This research note presents the results of a research project focused on Political Science undergraduate programs in twelve Ibero-American countries (Argentine, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Spain, Mexico, Peru, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela). The analysis takes into account five main dimensions: the objectives of the curricula, the profile of political scientists, the academic or professional orientation of the careers, the disciplinary or interdisciplinary approach, and the set of skills they aim to develop. At the methodological level, the units of analysis are all Political Science undergraduate programs (154), including programs in which Political Science is taught in association with neighboring disciplines. Furthermore, the study worked with a sub-sample of 28 programs chosen according to their prestige and representativeness and, in order to carry out an in-depth analysis of aspects such as the relative weight of the different thematic axes, the length of the programs, the number of courses and the flexibility in curriculum planning. Information has been obtained from the official curricula, the websites that host them and, in some cases, through email with faculty members. The results of this investigation provide the first broad and systematic overview of the main characteristics of undergraduate degrees in Political Science in Ibero-America.

Keywords

• Enseñanza de la Ciencia Política, planes de estudio
• Iberoamérica.