300136 Doing Case Studies: An Introduction (S) (SoSe 2021)

What are case studies in sociological research? Case studies are a powerful way for developing and extending theory in social science research. They help us examine real-life phenomena in-depth and allow for capturing complexity in the ways that other methods rarely do. With the case study approach, we can look at individuals, groups, organizations, countries, but also at a specific problem, an event, an issue, or an anomaly.

During the seminar we will address the following questions: What is the purpose of case study research in sociology? What can examining cases tell us about the world we live in? How can they help us understand, interpret, and explain social reality? What kind of case studies are there? How is good research design different from a bad research design when it comes to case studies? Where and how to find interesting cases to study? We will also read and discuss examples from sociological research using case study research.

The language of the seminar is English. Course syllabus and readings will be made available via Lernraum before the introductory seminar (April 15, 10h, Zoom).

The Zoom link for the introductory seminar can be found in the course Lernraum.