Microsociology and Qualitative Methods of Empirical Social Research

Microsociology

Microsociology is practiced in the Research Group in an interaction-theoretical orientation. The focus is on processes of structure formation in interactions and other communicative contexts. In research and teaching, basic theoretical questions as well as a wide range of material subject areas are thematic, in particular couple and family relationships, gender relations, identity, educational processes, processes of professional skills development and de-professionalization in various occupational areas.

Qualitative methods

The variant of microsociology represented in the Research Group is associated with a specific focus on qualitative methods of empirical social research. The focus here is on methods of "meaningful sociology", in particular objective hermeneutics, which allow processes of structure formation to be reconstructed using different types of data.

A broad spectrum of general and subject-related methodologies as well as methods of data collection and data analysis are taught. The "Sequence Analysis Research Internship", a methods workshop held every semester, offers the opportunity to practice objective hermeneutic data analysis. Methodological research is dedicated to basic methodological questions, data collection requirements and the analysis of different types of data.