Bachelor's program Globale Soziologie (German)

30233 Lecture: Einführung in die Methoden der empirischen Sozialforschung (Introduction to the methods of social stratification)

Mondays, 14:00-16:00 CET I Prof. Dr. Stefan Liebig

The lecture introduces the basics of social stratification with particular consideration of different sociological research paradigms. The basics of scientific theory, the advantages and disadvantages of different research designs and all steps of the empirical research process (including concept formation, operationalization, data collection) are taught. The proseminar, to be attended simultaneously, deepens the content covered in the lecture through practical exercises. The lecture and proseminar are based on: Schnell, R., Hill, P.P. and Esser, E., (2023). Methoden der empirischen Sozialforschung, 12. Auflage, Berlin: DeGruyter.

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30234 Advanced seminar: Einführung in die Methoden der empirischen Sozialforschung (Introduction to the methods of social stratification)

Tuesdays, 14:00-16:00 CET Prof.  Dr. Stefan Liebig

The proseminar deepens the topics covered in the lecture with a view to specific research objects, questions, methods and application scenarios of comparative social research. It teaches students how to use the internationally available social science research (data) infrastructures and how to assess the quality, validity and application potential of empirical studies. Attending the lecture is a prerequisite for participating in the proseminar.

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30235 Advanced seminar: Einführung in die Methoden der empirischen Sozialforschung (Introduction to the methods of social stratification)

Tuesdays, 16:00-18:00 CET Prof. Dr. Stefan Liebig

The proseminar deepens the topics covered in the lecture with a view to specific research objects, questions, methods and application scenarios of comparative social research. It teaches students how to use the internationally available social science research (data) infrastructures and how to assess the quality, validity and application potential of empirical studies. Attending the lecture is a prerequisite for participating in the proseminar.

Master's program Sociology – European Studies

30230 Colloquium: Colloquium

Mondays, 16:00-18:00 CET Prof. Dr. Stefan Liebig

In this colloquium, students have the opportunity of presenting their beginning and ongoing master’s thesis projects conducted on topics relating to social stratification and survey data. The discussions will focus on how to find an adequate research question, literature, and data. Furthermore, feedback on students’ thesis progress will be offered by peers and supervisors. In addition, there will be room for discussions on common challenges faced when writing a master’s thesis.

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30227 Advanced seminar: Inequality beliefs. Individuals and contextual determinants in contemporary societies

Mondays, 14:00-16:00 CET Dr. Claudia Traini

Why do some individuals see inequality as a result of effort, while others attribute it to systemic structures? This specialization seminar explores these questions by examining perceptions of inequality inspecting their individual and contextual determinants. In the first sections, we will discuss the existence of a conceptual spectrum from meritocracy to structural inequality. In the following sessions, we will focus on research articles that look at how individual level variables as well as contextual macro-level factors shape inequality beliefs.

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30209 Advanced seminar: Social Structures and Inequalities in Comparative Perspective: Using Data Infrastructures of Comparative Empirical Social Research

Tuesdays, 12:00-14:00 CET Dr. Claudia Traini

In order to be able to formulate empirically verified statements about current social changes and their implications, the social sciences depend on quality-tested research data. There are now a number of survey programs that can be used to investigate many of the currently burning social problems, such as the European Social Survey (ESS) or the International Social Survey Program (ISSP). These survey programs are not only characterized by the fact that they allow social change to be traced over time, but also allow this to be done from a comparative perspective. The aim of this seminar is to (1) introduce the currently most important data sets for empirical social research and (2) to convey initial experiences in using these data sets to answer specific research questions. This is intended to provide key skills in the practical use of the prominent survey programs in the social sciences. The seminar program mainly includes "hands-on sessions" in the PC pool, in which the use of the data sets with the statistical program STATA is practiced on the basis of simple re-search questions.