Veranstaltungsverzeichnis

Department of Social Sciences

• English course offer for exchange students :
• School of Educational and Social Sciences
• Department of Social Sciences

Winter semester 2026/2027 13 Seminars

VAK Course Number	Title	Type Lecture Preliminary studies Advanced courses Practical course Colloquium Research group Workgroup Project group Council conference Internship Language course Subject didactics Excursion Tutorial Committee	SWS Semester weekly hours	Teachers	Degree
1.07.472	Theories of Globalization and World Society Wednesday, 14:00 - 16:00, Weekly (from 14.10.26) Description: The assertion that we all live in a globalized world is as indisputable as it is trivial. However, as soon as we try to come up with a more detailed definition of ‘globalized’, things get more complicated. By now, the body of social-scientific literature on ‘globalization’ is impossible to overview. In this seminar, we will tackle globalization as an advanced topic of sociology. And as the title already suggests, we will primarily read and discuss a selection of sociological theories of globalization (but to be sure, those theories have to be, as any theory, rooted in or backed by empirical observations) and world society. The latter can be seen as a conceptual answer to the difficulty of theorizing global modernity while still trying to make general assumptions about how societies work. The same goes for concepts such as ‘global culture’ or ‘global field’. Our seminar is divided into four thematic sections. In the beginning, we will address more general questions such as ‘what is globalization and when did it happen?’, ‘what does it mean that something – cities, for example – become globalized’ and ‘what roles do nationalism, empire and colonialism play in this process?’. From there, we will read and discuss specific approaches and their main concepts, dedicating two to three sessions to each approach: World polity and global culture (Neo-Institutionalism in the sense of John W. Meyer), global fields (Field Theory in the sense of Pierre Bourdieu) and world society (Sociological Systems Theory in the sense of Niklas Luhmann). By critically discussing those approaches, our goal is twofold: to better understand them and to bring them into dialogue with each other. Some common themes or topics may come up (e.g., the role of organizations beyond the modern nation-state) that we will draw upon to connect these approaches with each other.	Seminar	2	Frank Martin Meyhöfer	Master
1.07.411	Approaches to Organisations Thursday, 08:00 - 10:00, Weekly (from 15.10.26) Description: The seminar "Approaches to Organisations" provides an overview of conceptual approaches to organisations covering conceptualisations of organisations as rational, natural and open systems. We thereby cover the “classics” of organisational sociology while analysing their relevance for a modern, increasingly digitalized society. Students are encouraged to understand and apply the different approaches to real life examples.	Seminar	2	Dr. Ricarda Schmidt-Scheele	Master
1.07.471	Coalition Governments in Comparative Perspective Thursday, 10:00 - 12:00, Weekly (from 15.10.26) Description: Coalition governments are the predominant form of government in many contemporary democracies. As party systems become increasingly fragmented, governing often requires cooperation between multiple political parties, making coalition formation and management central features of democratic politics. Yet coalition governments vary considerably in their composition, duration, and effectiveness across political systems. This seminar provides a comparative introduction to the politics of coalition governments. Students will examine why political parties form coalition governments, under which institutional and political conditions majority or minority coalitions emerge, and how coalition partners negotiate government formation. The course explores key topics such as coalition bargaining, portfolio allocation, coalition agreements, cabinet stability, legislative governance, and coalition termination. It also examines how electoral systems, party systems, and constitutional arrangements shape coalition politics and government performance. Drawing on theoretical approaches and empirical research, the seminar adopts a global comparative perspective, covering coalition governments in Western and Eastern Europe as well as democracies in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Throughout the course, students will engage with contemporary research to better understand the causes, dynamics, and consequences of coalition governance in parliamentary, semi-presidential, and presidential democracies.	Seminar	2	in Bearbeitung	Master
1.07.462	Social Inequalities from a Life Course Perspective II: Empirical Analysis Wednesday, 10:00 - 12:00, Weekly (from 14.10.26) Description: In the seminar "Social Inequality", students examine how social inequality is reproduced in organizations such as the labour market, the education system and the welfare state and how factors such as education, gender, age or migration background contribute to various inequalities. The seminar consists of two parts: First, we will discuss and debate key theoretical concepts, causes and mechanisms of social inequality, focusing on how inequalities arise or are transfered within and between generations. In the second part, we will analyse data from the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) using R to deepen our theoretical understanding and apply key empirical methods in a targeted manner. At the end of the semester, students will be able to conduct their own small, quantitative research project on the (re)production of social inequality in different organizational contexts.	Seminar	2	Prof. Dr. Gundula Zoch	Master
1.07.112	"Gender" - Part 1 (Politische Soziologie) Monday, 08:00 - 10:00, Weekly (from 12.10.26) Description:	Lecture	2	Darius Ribbe	Bachelor
1.07.451	Qualitative research methods Tuesday, 12:00 - 14:00, Weekly (from 13.10.26) Description:	Seminar	2	Douglas Becker, M.A.	Master
1.07.115	Sociology of the European Integration mit Brüssel-Exkursion (Lehrsprache Englisch) Thursday, 08:00 - 10:00, Weekly (from 15.10.26) Description: The economic, legal and political integration of Europe is at the core of the process of European integration. In addition to the political transformations induced by the creation, enlargement and deepening of the European Union particularly since the 1990s, European integration has given rise to a fundamental transformation of social relations and the life worlds of people. While in the postwar period, daily life took place primarily in the framework of nation-states, the opening of hitherto largely nationally regulated and limited social fields and spaces has fostered increasing cross-border contacts and a stronger transnationalisation of social interactions, attitudes and interpretations. This transnationalisation of social fields and spaces as a result of European integration lies at the heart of the research on horizontal Europeanization and also of this seminar. In the first part of the class, a broad overview on the process of European integration, major EU institutions and policy fields will be given. In the second part, horizontal Europeanisation processes in different social fields are analysed, as well as the related conflicts and bargaining relations and their impact on patterns of social inequality. Complementary to the Europeanisation of social fields, the Europeanisation of social space (P. Bourdieu) will be analysed, taking as an example the transnationalisation of everyday practices, collective memories and reference groups of social inequalities. This raises the question how field-specific and space-specific Europeanisation processes are related. In addition, different modes of Europeanization (power/coercion, competition, communication and cooperation) will be analysed. Given the profound crisis of European integration in the wake of the Euro crisis, the final part of the course will emphasise the analysis of conflicts and tensions between national and European regulations, identifications, and patterns of integration and social inequality.	Seminar	2	Prof. Dr. Martin Heidenreich	Bachelor
1.07.115.1	Sociology of the European Integration mit Brüssel-Exkursion (Lehrsprache Englisch) Thursday, 10:00 - 12:00, Weekly (from 15.10.26) Description: In industrialized societies, participation in social life is closely linked to income from work and thus access to the labor market. The course starts with the question which occupational structures characterize the German and European labor market and where dividing lines between "outsiders" and "insiders" on the labor market run. This is particularly relevant for the egalitarian employment regimes of Europe. In the first part of the seminar, the focus will be on approaches to and empirical research on the "inequality of income opportunities". Afterwards, interrelations between selected social groups (long-term unemployed, young people, migrants and women) and relevant institutional conditions (social security systems and activation policies, education systems and protection clauses, family policies, technological developments and social redistribution policies) are discussed.	Seminar	2	Prof. Dr. Martin Heidenreich Prof. Dr. Bernd Siebenhüner	Bachelor
1.07.431	Knowledge, learning and organisations Monday, 10:00 - 12:00, Weekly (from 12.10.26) Description: In this seminar we will discuss how knowledge is produced in modern society. At the core of the seminar will be the discussion of Monika Krause's monograph 'Model Cases.' The examination performance consists of a 15 minutes oral exam, which will be held short after the end of the seminar.	Seminar	2	Prof. Dr. Sina Farzin	Master
1.07.422	Behind the Curtain: Structure and Power in Political Organizations from a Comparative Perspective Wednesday, 16:00 - 18:00, Weekly (from 14.10.26) Description: Political science asks questions of who gets what, when, and why. None of these answers typically relate to individuals, as politics per se influences groups of people. Accordingly, people organize to engage in politics. Social movements, interest groups, and in particular political parties don’t just aim to influence their own members, or have a goal for themselves, but aim to create rules for everyone around them. Most research in political science is focused on the study of democracies, in particular Western states. Most models of electoral accountability are based on the idea of competition around political programs. This is of course a very idealistic, and most likely, very limited view on political organizations. We know that politics takes place below policy issues and public rules. Individual ambitions, networks of patronage and transactionary politics occur in and even shape all political systems. While its sister course deals with the light side of political parties, communication, and electoral rules, this course looks behind the curtain. It deals with less formal organizations, political manipulation and selection and is structured in three parts. First, we aim to understand organizations by focusing on existing theoretical frameworks in comparative research on political organizations. We use these frameworks to, second, analyze the inner makeup of organizations and third, investigate the who and how of exerted influence in political organizations. In this, we broaden the scope by focusing on different parties and countries from different political systems all over the world. Learning Objectives: • Deepening and practicing scientific “soft skills” (e.g. working with scientific papers, interpreting empirical quantitative results) • Understanding advanced theoretical frameworks in comparative research on politics in political organizations • Analyzing the inner makeup and exerted influences in political organizations • Allowing students to develop expertise on a specific topic in the courses’ scope based on a self-chosen case Formalia: Taking this course requires active participation as well as weekly reading assignments of scientific papers on the sessions topic, which will serve as a baseline for discussion in class. Each of you will choose a country they are interested or familiar with, and step by step, map organizations in these contexts. You will learn to understand and summarize papers together, and then apply this knowledge to papers assigned only to you. The module “Politics and Organizations” consists of two thematically complementary seminars. Therefore, please register for this seminar as well as the other seminar in the module in the same term. Course examination will be a combination of written assignments as well as presentations that span both seminars in the module.	Seminar	2	Oscar Schmucker	Master
1.07.112.1	"Gender" - Part 2 (Politische Soziologie) Monday, 10:00 - 12:00, Weekly (from 12.10.26) Description:	Seminar	2	Darius Ribbe	Bachelor
1.07.421	Political Parties in Multi-Level Democracies Monday, 12:00 - 14:00, Weekly (from 12.10.26) Description: Political parties remain the central actors of representative democracies. They compete for political office, recruit political elites, represent societal interests, and shape public policy across multiple levels of government. In contemporary multi-level democracies, however, party politics extends beyond the national arena. Parties operate simultaneously at the local, regional, national, and supranational levels, where political decision-making and electoral competition are closely interconnected. This seminar provides an introduction to the comparative study of political parties and party competition in contemporary multi-level democracies. Drawing on theories of party politics and multi-level governance, students will explore how parties adapt their strategies, organizations, and policy positions across different political arenas. The course examines how formal and informal institutions link political actors across levels of government, how parties influence and respond to these institutional arrangements, and how interactions between subnational, national, and supranational actors shape democratic politics. Particular attention is paid to the dynamics of party competition across levels, including differences between party systems, electoral competition, coalition formation, and political representation. The seminar combines theoretical perspectives with empirical research to examine the causes, variations, and consequences of party competition in multi-level systems, as well as contemporary challenges such as party system fragmentation, European integration, and populism. Throughout the course, students will engage critically with current research and develop a comparative understanding of the role of political parties as relevant organisations in modern multi-level democracies.	Seminar	2	in Bearbeitung	Master
1.07.461	Social Inequalities from a Life Course Perspective I: Theoretical Approaches Tuesday, 10:00 - 12:00, Weekly (from 13.10.26) Description: In the seminar “Labor Markets in Transition”, the transformation of the postwar employment regime which was characterized by a standard employment relationship based on stable industrial jobs and permanent contracts tracts will be analysed. The focus of the current innovation-centred, globally linked, digitalised knowledge society of the present is no longer on the industrial production of standardized goods, but on the flexible provision of knowledge-based products and services by flexibly, sometimes precariously, employed persons. In this seminar, three facets of these changing labour markets and employment relations will be considered.	Seminar	2	Dr. Sven Broschinski	Master
13 Seminars