Farewell to This Year’s Graduates
On 24 June 2026, the Institute of Political Science held its graduation ceremony for this year’s bachelor’s and master’s graduates.
In beautiful summer weather, graduates, faculty members, family, and friends gathered in Lecture Hall C to celebrate the occasion and attend the presentation of degree certificates.
The ceremony was opened by the Director of the Institute, Professor Eva Hausteiner. In her welcoming remarks, she praised the graduates’ achievements and emphasized the contemporary relevance of political science education and research for society.
She was followed by Dr. Siegfried Balleis, Honorary Professor and Honorary Senator of FAU, who delivered a welcome address.
Professor Marco Bünte, Chair of Comparative Politics with a focus on Non-European Regions and a representative of the Institute’s alumni association, also addressed the audience. The alumni association provided financial support for the ceremony, including prize money for outstanding theses and the reception held afterwards. As the graduates now join the Institute’s alumni community themselves, they were invited to become members of the Alumni Politikwissenschaft Erlangen (APE) association, which promotes networking and mutual support among its members.
Following the official addresses, the personal congratulations, and the presentation of degree certificates, four theses were honored for their exceptional quality and their engagement with timely and relevant topics.
Award-Winning Theses
- Edanur Yarar: “Music as Memory. Mahragānāt and the Construction of Collective Identity in Post-Revolutionary Cairo?“
- Miriam Hierl: “Zwischen Governance und Care: Elinor Ostroms Allmende und materialistisch-feministische Commons-Ansätze als Zugänge zu postkapitalistischen Arbeitsutopien”
- Lea Wölfel: “Externe Faktoren der Autokratisierung: Eine Analyse der Linkage-Beziehungen der VR China mit Kamboscha, Myanmar, Thailand und den Philippinen”
- Antonia Philipp: “Vor Augen und doch aus dem Sinn. Reduzierung der psychologischen Distanz zu Klimamigration und Förderung individueller Klimawandeladaption mit Virtual Reality“
All four theses were nominated for publication through FAU Open and will hopefully be made publicly accessible in the near future.
The graduation ceremony then transitioned seamlessly into the Institute’s summer festival, organized by the Student Council (FSI), and concluded in the courtyard between the Philosophy Tower buildings and the Institute’s premises on Kochstraße.
Pictures: Johannes Schön