This week, our student Ellen C. Byrne caught up with the MA Program Director of the Department of Political Science, Professor Carsten Schneider. Professor Schneider teaches the courses Comparative Political Research, Comparative Case Study Research, and The Political Economy of Regime Change at CEU. They discussed the relevance of political science today, the future of CEU, and the best place in Vienna for dog lovers.
Q: Professor Schneider, thank you for meeting me. You’ve been at CEU for 17 years if I’m not mistaken.
A: You tell me! That sounds like a lot. Yes, it was August 2004.
So, you’ve probably seen a lot of changes since then. Would you say you’ve seen the university evolve and grow in the time since?
Yes, certainly. Some changes have been for the better; the student body has changed, it’s much more global. But some changes that occurred were without alternatives, so there are some melancholy feelings around that. Some things that happened were just outside of our control but, of course, change is the face of CEU.
The move from Budapest to Vienna last year was one of the biggest disruptions that have taken place. Do you think CEU has come out of it stronger?
Well, so far, yes, but perhaps it’s too early to tell. The change that this has triggered will materialise. Some will only materialise in the coming years so we will see.
Tell me a bit about yourself and your academic background and career.
So, I studied first in Germany and received my diploma in political science at the Free University of Berlin. This was before the Bologna reform, so things were a bit different. For example, believe it or not, there were no grades.
Lucky you!
I also spent an Erasmus year in Madrid, and much of my undergraduate in Marburg, then my PhD at the EUI in Florence. Actually, many of my colleagues here at CEU also studied at EUI, there’s a strong connection between the two universities. Prior to defending my dissertation, I had 2 offers, and I chose CEU, so luckily I didn’t have this period of struggling to find work after finishing my studies. So, then I became assistant professor, associate professor, and now full professor here at CEU. In between, I worked for a while as head of the dept, and I spent some time in Harvard as a Kennedy fellow, and at Pompeo Fabra in Barcelona and NYU for half a year.
How does Vienna hold up against those different cities that you have lived and worked in?
I moved during the lockdown, so with a family that was challenging at first. But I’ve never lived in a city before where the public hand is so visible; on public transport and public places, it’s evident. It’s truly a social-democratic city and that’s quite amazing. As I said, I lived in Berlin in the early 90s and that was fantastic, but it was at a time when there was no state, no regulations—it’s not overregulated we’ll say but things have their different trajectories.
Can I ask what you were like as a student?
As I said there were no grades, so really, we had two options: freeriding or working hard. I had some kind of intrinsic motivation, so I worked. If I had been my own professor, I don’t think there would be anything to complain about. Most of the time at least!
So, you managed to maintain a work/life balance.
Sure, and at this time there was no student fee but there was a cost of living- it was low, but I knew that I was being supported so I felt that I ought to earn this privilege by being committed to my work.
Why do you think people should still study political science (or not)?
Well, all the things that worry or concern us as citizens -climate change, processes in Europe, etc- whom else should people ask? Economists now talk about Trump, lawyers now talk about the currency union. As political scientists now, more and more people like to know our opinion. So that’s one thing. It’s a collecting science- and the discipline has professionalised over the years without becoming monocultural, in my opinion. In economics, in contrast, the field professionalised much earlier and is somewhat homogenous- what is taught in Chicago is more or less the same as what is taught in Tokyo. In political science, this is not the case- not in Europe or the US. You have a variety of theories, of assumptions- which makes sometimes makes communication difficult.
And makes the workload heavier!
Yes! But intellectually more honest and more exciting.
Do you have any advice for current or potential students of political science at CEU?
The peculiar thing about CEU and political science, in general, is that we ask a lot but we also offer a lot, so try to make good use of that without ruining your health or getting too obsessed—now, it’s easy for me to say don’t worry about grades when I didn’t even have any, but there is a lot more pressure now, so try to find the reason that you came here and if you remember that you are self-motivated and can get the grades you deserve and want.
I have a few less serious questions for you. What is your coffee order?
I stopped drinking coffee, but formerly a macchiato. Which in Vienna they seem to think is just a small cappuccino.
Best spot in Vienna?
The dog zone in the Prater. It’s a huge area in the Prater park with literally hundreds of dogs.
Best time of year?
Well, you must go with what the times offer. I used to live near the equator, and you don’t really experience seasons, which I struggled with. For me, there’s something to appreciate at every time of year but there has to be a change.
An essential phrase in German?
That’s difficult, but one nice expression is ‘Oida!’ It can be an expression of surprise, indignation, or just familiarity. There’s a great video online which explains the 25 different meanings. It’s easy to remember and might come in handy sometimes.