Graduation Ceremony for Bachelor’s and Master’s Graduates

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22. July 2025

On July 9, 2025, the Institute of Political Science held a graduation ceremony for its Bachelor’s and Master’s graduates.

The event was opened by the head of the institute, Prof. Dr. Eva Hausteiner. In her welcome speech, she praised the graduates for their achievements and emphasized the importance of political education and research in today’s world. Dr. Alexander Kruska from the alumni association – who also leads the teaching degree program in Politics and Society – and Prof. Dr. Thomas Demmelhuber also welcomed the audience. The alumni association supported the event financially, including prize money for outstanding theses projects and organizing the get together afterward. Now officially alumni, the graduates were invited to join the association Alumni Politikwissenschaft Erlangen (APE) e.V., which focuses on offering mutual support.

Following the speeches and the personal congratulations with the presentation of the graduation certificates, three theses were honored for their exceptional quality and topical relevance:

  • Julian Blanz, in his Master’s thesis “It’s the Greens’ fault!” – A New Scapegoat? Narratives in CDU/CSU’s Political Communication on Twitter 2022–2025, analyzed how new political narratives developed on social media, particularly through the construction of scapegoats.

  • Zuzana Jurosova, in her Bachelor’s thesis Vulnerable or Security Risk? Challenges to Asylum Law in the German Discourse on Russian Deserters and Conscientious Objectors, examined current debates on asylum law in the context of Russia’s war of aggression.

  • Gesa Ida Marie Bürster, in her Bachelor’s thesis Digital Repression in Authoritarian States. The Role of Technology in Repressive Strategies Using the Case of Russia, explored how modern technology is used by authoritarian regimes to monitor and suppress their populations.

All three theses have been recommended for open-access publication via FAU University Press and will hopefully be publicly available soon.

The celebration then transitioned smoothly into the Institute’s summer party, organized by the student initiative (FSI), which took place in the courtyard between the Philosophy Towers and the Kochstraße institute building.