My name is Niko Switek, in September 2018 I started as the new DAAD visiting assistant professor for German Studies (DAAD is short for German Academic Exchange Service). I am a political scientist and my main affiliation at the UW is with the Jackson School for International Studies, but I am very open to collaboration with other departments and centers.
I received my PhD from the University of Duisburg-Essen in 2015 with a work on new coalitions the German green party formed at subnational level. My main research interests are political parties and party systems, with a strong focus on Germany but also with a comparative perspective regarding Europe. In addition I conducted research on parties and party democracy on European level, looking at the processes of manifesto formulation within the so called Europarties.
Just this year I edited a book looking at the role politics play in fictional TV series (e.g. House of Cards, Borgen), which through its focus on stories, metaphors and narratives has strong connections to literature studies and Germanics.
In the winter quarter 2019 I am going to teach two classes: One course traces the evolution of the green party family from radical opposition to rather established partners in government; the other course focuses on logics of coalition formation in parliamentary democracies with multiparty systems in Western Europe.
As part of my DAAD position, it is my role to advise and help students and researchers with questions regarding higher education in Germany or options for funding or scholarships. Do not hesitate to contact me or give my contact details to interested students.
Furthermore I would always be glad to take part in discussions or roundtables, if a perspective on German politics is relevant or needed.
You can find all my contact information on my Jackson School website: