The Institute for Political Studies has an inclusive Catholic educational mission of building hope and peace along a path defined by the values of truth, justice, and beauty. It does not seek these values in the abstract, but in the concrete, and in solidarity with others. We are proud of every student who graduates here and we are committed to a liberal education that is open to the world, but conscious of its European and Portuguese roots and which remains, as George Steiner suggested, "an idea of sharing knowledge".
The IEP was founded as a unique school on the national (and even international) scene, characterised by its distinct identity, which is evident not only in the scientific area of Political Science and International Relations, but also in a whole culture of study - which can be seen, for example, in the introduction in Portugal of the area of the Great Books Tradition, or the link it established with EUROPAEUM from the outset, bringing extraordinary professors from all over the world to the university, or the Estoril Political Forum, which has grown year after year and has already become a true reference point - with memories that will certainly be unforgettable for all our Bachelor, Masters and Doctoral Graduates. A value that we consider fundamental at the IEP, a virtue that is generally relegated to the background and which is very difficult to achieve, especially today: the value of moderation.
Without moderation, there are no free, open, and plural societies, no dialogue, no tolerance, and probably no politics as we understand it. There is no regulated and permanent conversation, as an intelligent way of learning, but also of preserving our idea of civilisation and citizenship. This value shines through in many of the IEP's projects, whether scientific or educational and is even reflected in the great dynamism of its Students' Academic Association and all academic interaction. Moderation linked to freedom of expression is of enormous importance at the present time. We live today in a time of enormous turbulence that is partly the result of a new complexity of voices, causes, and information, projected at high speed and in both real and artificial prisms, revealing the asymmetries of a global simultaneity and generating a perception of uncertainty, but also a confrontation between radical certainties, new extremisms, nationalisms, and inaudible violence.
Politics founded on the principle of the rule of law and freedom is one of the most important inventions for navigating the turbulence of the present, which doesn't happen for the first time, even if it happens for the first time like this - or for the first time to us. In this context, our commitment as professors at the Institute of Political Studies is threefold: - to know how to teach and transmit the value of free, plural, open, and inclusive societies, - to know how to train our students in the importance of studying, thinking, questioning, participating, being attentive, working hard and taking pleasure and pride in the challenges of science and research. - and to know how to "risk" passionately in hope, as Pope Francis said, a hope that, among us, lies in the continuous pursuit of knowledge.
IEP-UCP: A future-looking project with strong roots in the past
A future-looking project with strong roots in the past: The Catholic University of Portugal’s Institute for Political Studies (IEP) represents a broad-reaching and long-term strategic project. In an era when knowledge tends to represent the key to development, this Institute stands out as a project with a future of value not only to Portugal but also to the Portuguese language world. Under the prestigious auspices of the Catholic University of Portugal (UCP), the IEP strives to maintain the traditions of innovation and quality that have distinguished the University throughout the national university panorama.
Irrespective of this innovative and forward-looking emphasis, this project is nevertheless very firmly rooted in the past. The Christian values that inspire and structure us date back at least two thousand years and have shaped the culture that we have inherited and now proudly defend. In the particular case of our Institute, we also aim to renew the fantastic and cosmopolitan example of the Sagres School where Prince Henry the Navigator once placed Portugal en route to the 15th-century Voyages of Discovery. And, we furthermore seek to take our inspiration from the elitist, in the very best sense of the term, ambience of the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, which are so constantly in demand and recalled by students worldwide and down through generations.
