A group of doctoral students are talking in the courtyard of B6,30-32.

Sociology

The CDSS Doctoral Program in Sociology offers courses in topical coursework complemented by training in methods of empirical social research. Advanced courses provide students with the tools for rigorous and thorough theoretical and empirical analysis. They learn how to deal with event history and panel data, experimental and survey designs, network analysis, game theory and causal analysis.

CDSS course catalog

Research at the Department of Sociology

Researchers at the Department of Sociology are concerned with central social phenomena, particularly with

  • Demographic change,
  • Education and labor markets,
  • Migration and integration,
  • Developments in private sector and welfare state organizations and institutions.

Research activities at the Department are clearly empirical-analytical in nature, which means they draw on empirical data, but are informed by theory and based on rigorous methods. Frequently, empirical studies are also complemented with international comparisons and longitudinal studies. Extensive surveys, administrative data, experimental designs, and historical sources form the basis of empirical research.

Research projects:

Empirical-analytical research with a quantitative focus, methodological diversity as well as interdisciplinarity are the linchpins of research conducted within the department and the School of Social Sciences. The School of Social Sciences closely collaborates with GESIS Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences and the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW).