Students acquire an initial orientation, practical experience and knowledge related to:

• basic understanding of what social science and sociology are,
• the diversity of sociological theories and research perspectives and their applications,
• the basic skills of studying,
• the techniques of working in the social sciences.

• differentiate between different sociological traditions and apply them to current examples,
• to distinguish everyday knowledge from scientific knowledge,
• to read and understand social science texts and to write them themselves,
• identify and use the most important sources of information in the social sciences.

For this purpose, you attend the lecture and a tutorial on scientific work. The module ends with a term paper.

The students acquire knowledge related to

• the different types and schools of sociological theory formation as well as sub-disciplines of sociology,
• the structure and systematics of the distinctions macro/micro, action/system, individual/society.

Students acquire the ability to

• explain current social phenomena and problems from a theoretical perspective,
• apply sociological terms and use their information content
• analyse historical and contemporary theoretical texts under selected questions.

Students must prove active participation in two proseminars and take a final module examination.

Students acquire knowledge related to

• Theories and empirical findings on social inequality;
• important features of the social structure of the FRG and other societies;
• central dimensions of social policy.

In these courses, students acquire the competence to

• describe social inequality;
• critically engage with theories of social inequality research;
• interpret and evaluate results from social inequality research;
• recognise problems in the subject area;
• develop theory-based questions and to work on them independently.

The students acquire knowledge related to

• the constitutional-theoretical justification of the opposition between society and the individual,
• the historicity, social conditionality and formation of subjectivity, identity and biography,
• the function and effect of socialising interactions and institutions as well as the subjective appropriation of social conditions,
• the social conditionality of the socialisation phases of childhood and adolescence,
• the significance of interaction in the performative production and consolidation of social order as well as the connection between language, action and knowledge in its social functions and forms,
• the dynamics of the production of social unconsciousness and its functions in stabilising social relations.

The students acquire the competences to

• identify the common and divisive features of different approaches and present them in a differentiated way,
• compare different factual claims and theories in the field and critically and reflexively assess their empirical content,
• systematise, structure and present research results and theoretical contexts.

Students acquire knowledge related to

• the social foundations of markets and their coordination,
• theories of capitalism,
• the connection between class and social inequality,
• the forms, changes and regulations of social work,
• the structure and dynamics of organisations,
• the social embeddedness of the capitalist economy and the functioning of economic entities in a global context,
• the analysis of socio-technical systems,
• the interconnections of organisational, group and personal structures,
• the relationship between production and reproduction,
• methods of labour and technology research and organisational analysis,
• methods of innovation and entrepreneurship research as well as comparative institutional analysis of markets, economic systems and cultures.

Students acquire the ability to,

• comparatively analyse the structure and dynamics of different types of work and organisation,
• reflect on the structural category of class in its relationship to other structural categories,
• understand and examine the genesis and change of techniques and technologies,
• understand the institutional embedding of companies and markets,
• understand the relationship between work and identity and the significance of work and occupation for social location,
• understand and critically reflect on the dynamics of economic life in a global context,
• recognise complex structures of difference in the social order,
• reflect on economic structures and processes under the question of social inequalities,
• try out the methods of economic, labour, organisational and technical sociology,
• present work and research results clearly.

The students acquire an initial orientation and knowledge related to

• the various theories of the above-mentioned specialised fields as well as their history,
• the analysis of the social construction of gender and sexuality,
• the analysis of the social production of migration,
• the analysis of manifest and latent forms of social categorisation and their implications for the processes of social privilege and disadvantage,
• the identification of forms of the social production of difference(s) and their social negotiation,
• the identification of the interactions of different dimensions of difference (e.g. between "gender" and "ethnicity"),
• the analysis of the production, circulation and appropriation of (scientific) knowledge.

Students acquire the competences to

• read and understand central academic texts from the above-mentioned theoretical fields,
• compare and critically analyse relevant theories,
• develop and work on theory-based questions,
• to create different types of texts (text summary, essay, term paper, etc.).

Students deepen their thematic, methodological or theoretical knowledge in one of the five compulsory elective areas, or alternatively choose courses from a research focus of the entire department.

In this module, teaching can be particularly research-oriented, which supports the academic imprint of the graduates. The specialisations serve as content orientation in preparation for the BA thesis.

The students acquire the ability to

• to focus on specific topics and to work on them,
• initiate their own research processes and reflect on them as a professional positioning alongside others in the research field.

Students must prove active participation in three seminars (advanced courses) and take a final module examination.