LFU:online

Prerequisites for registration: none

Learning Outcome: Students learn to take up the sociological perspective. They acquire the ability to explain the theories and history of sociology as the science that analyses social action multidimensional, i.e. not limited to one section of human coexistence such as economy, politics or science. They can scientifically, i.e. theoretically, analyse current social, cultural, economic and political developments and evaluate them critically using current examples of social actors, institutions and processes.

Prerequisites for registration: none

Learning Outcome: Students are able to understand sociological issues, to limit research questions, to construct hypotheses, to find the necessary literature and to quote it correctly. Moreover, they understand to apply these skills in a written work, to reproduce the discussion of the research subject and to develop an individual argumentation.

Prerequisites for registration: none

Learning Outcome: Students acquire the ability to characterise fundamentals of empirical studies. They can assign the most important qualitative and quantitative survey methods to the respective scientific-theoretical and methodological background and decide which research questions require which methods. They are able to critically evaluate existing empirical studies and independently carry out the first phases of a research process (formulation of a research question, data collection, method reflection) qualitatively and/or quantitatively or using method triangulation.

Prerequisites for registration: successful completion of compulsory module 3

Learning Outcome: The students master the basics of descriptive and inferential statistics and can use this knowledge to answer sociological questions. They are able to carry out descriptive, univariate and bivariate data analyses independently with statistical software, to interpret the results in a sociologically meaningful way and to present them clearly with tables and graphics in research reports and presentations. To test hypotheses, students can perform parametric and non-parametric tests and calculate association measures. Successful completion of the module also enables the critical reception and use of official statistics and social science data in data archives.

Prerequisites for registration: successful completion of compulsory module 3

Learning Outcome: The students understand the logic of the qualitative research paradigm. They know the most common qualitative methods and can use them to answer a sociological research question. Qualitative data can be evaluated methodically in a controlled manner and the results can be clearly presented in the form of a research report. Overall, they are able to develop a qualitative research design and independently carry out the entire research process from the research question to the report.

Prerequisites for registration: successful completion of compulsory module 4

Learning Outcome: The students are able to investigate a research question theoretically with quantitative data and to apply structure-checking procedures to test hypotheses. The students can independently carry out the most common multivariate analysis methods with statistical software, interpret the results in a sociologically meaningful way and present them clearly with tables and graphics in research reports and presentations. The positive completion of the module enables the critical reception of quantitative-oriented contributions in the social science literature. Furthermore, the participants get their first insights into the possible uses of "big data" for the social sciences.

Prerequisites for registration: none

Learning Outcome: The students are able to differentiate between the most important paradigms of basic sociological theories with regards to their historical development and to apply them to current sociological issues. They will acquire in-depth knowledge of one of these theories and be able to present it convincingly in the context of a scientific work and for an independent problem analysis.

Prerequisites for registration: successful completion of compulsory module 2

Learning Outcome: The students can reproduce the essential theoretical approaches of interpretative sociology and to explain their basic terminology. They can also describe current topics and research perspectives in everyday and cultural-socialogical analyses. In particular, they are able to critically discuss identity constructions in the context of social misconception and recognition based on sociological identity theories as well as theoretical impulses from related fields. They can identify central theses and lines of argument and reproduce them without falsification. In addition, they are able to apply theoretical concepts to empirical phenomena as an example of research.

Prerequisites for registration: successful completion of compulsory module 2

Learning Outcome: The students can reflect the current status of the debates on the dynamics of social change in agriculture and rural areas and describe their interactions with social developments (in Austria, Europe and in countries in the south). They will be able to reflect on and analyse processes of urban-rural relationships as well as the fundamentals of regional development processes using social science theories.

Prerequisites for registration: successful completion of compulsory modules 4 and 5

Learning Outcome: Students acquire the ability to individually plan (research and study design, research hypotheses or heuristics, survey and evaluation procedure) and implement (data collection and evaluation as well as result presentation) an empirical sociological research project as well as to relate theory, methodology and empirical research.

Prerequisites for registration: successful completion of compulsory modules 3 to 6 and 9 to 12

Learning Outcome: Students proof their ability to individually apply theoretical and methodical tools of sociology to a specific topic within the bachelor's thesis.

Prerequisites for registration: none

Learning Outcome: This module serves to gain in-depth knowledge in selected subject areas of sociology. The students specialise in one or more subject(s) and acquire in-depth knowledge in them.