In addition to providing high level education, the Department of Sociology promotes social research in a variety of fields. Two laboratories have already been attached to the department, the Centre for Digital Studies and the Centre for Social Theory and Empirical Research. The aim of these laboratories is to support original research and promote collaboration with other educational and research institutions. Furthermore, the Department of Sociology provides opportunities for Postdoctoral Research, thus strengthening its research agenda through the recruitment of young and dynamic researchers.
At the same time, the Department of Sociology has signed Memoranda of Understanding with research institutions that occupy key positions in the country’s scientific map. These MOUs include the National Centre for Social Research, the National Research Centre for Natural Sciences “Demokritos” and the Institute of Commerce and Services of the National Confederation of Greek Commerce. In the context of these agreements, students of the Department can further their research experience either through internship or through participation in research projects carried out by these institutions.
Laboratories
The Department of Sociology has two laboratories: The Centre for Digital Studies and the Centre for Social Theory and Empirical Research. The purpose of both laboratories is, on the one hand, to provide a space in which undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral students of the Department will have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the requirements and specificities of research in their respective fields; on the other hand, to be the vehicles through which the Department of Sociology will enter into research collaborations with other laboratories, research centres, businesses and social institutions for the production of original research results. Furthermore, the laboratories design and implement educational programmes, courses, scientific lectures, workshops, seminars, conferences and outreach activities that allow the Department of Sociology to maintain contact with the scientific community and the general public.
Centre for Digital Studies
The aim of the laboratory is the interdisciplinary study of the transformations that Digital Technologies bring about in society, economy, culture, politics, and the individual performance of social subjects. Furthermore, the aim of the Laboratory is to support the education offered by the Department of Sociology in the area of Science and Technology Studies through collaborations with similar laboratories and institutes in Greece and abroad. High in the priorities of the Laboratory is Science Communication and the dissemination of research results through publications, digital media and outreach activities.
Laboratory members include faculty members with relevant research interests, postdoctoral fellows, doctorate candidates and undergraduate students who have an interest in Digital Studies and Digital Humanities. Postdoctoral researchers and research associates from other institutions are also functionally integrated into the lab’s work program.
Centre for Social Theory and Empirical Research
The Centre for Social Theory and Empirical Research seeks to meet the teaching and research needs concerning the disciplines and scientific fields that fall within the theoretical and empirical investigation of society, in light of the interaction between theoretical concepts and empirical data. Greek society has attracted international research interest concerning both the long and complicated period of its crystallization and the recent succession of deep crises that reshaped its structure. Important problems such as the reconfiguration of the European border and migration policies, the emergence of precarious labor and the renegotiation of gender hierarchies in the wake of the pandemic find its expression in contemporary Greek society.
The Centre for Social Theory and Empirical Research seeks, on the one hand, to contribute to the consolidation of research culture of the Department’s students by training them in quantitative, qualitative and mixed research methods; on the other hand, through collaborations with other research institutions in Greece and abroad and through the preparation and implementation of collaborative research programs, it seeks to enhance the networking opportunities for the PhD candidates and post-doctoral researchers of the Department.
Collaborations
The Department of Sociology seeks to provide broad and interdisciplinary coverage of the scientific disciplines it serves. To this end, it aims at cooperating with recognized research institutions, through which it comes into contact with specific social groups and categories of social problems. The cooperation with these institutions is secured through Memoranda of Understanding, which are approved by the Senate of Athens University and the corresponding governing body of each institution. These MOUs prescribe the context of each research partnership, as well as the ways in which students of all levels can take advantage of the cooperation with each institution. So far, the Department of Sociology has signed MOUs with the National Centre for Social Research, the Institute of Commerce and Services of the National Confederation of Greek Commerce and the Institute of Information Technology and Telecommunications of the National Research Centre for Natural Sciences “Demokritos”.
Postdoctoral Research
The Department of Sociology provides opportunities for postdoctoral research in areas that fall within the Department's scientific disciplines and the research interests of its academic staff. Postdoctoral fellowships are open to PhD holders from Greek universities or from recognized, “homologous” institutions of other countries.
The main objectives of postdoctoral research are:
