Mailing address:
University of Tampere
Department of Social Research
FI-33014 University of Tampere

Visiting address:
Kalevantie 5, Linna Building

Departmental Adviser:
Ms. Paula Ristimäki, Room 5054

Tel.    +358-3-3551 7180
Fax    +358-3-3551 6080  
e-mail    paula.ristimaki(at)uta.fi
http://www.uta.fi/laitokset/sostut/index.php/

The Department of Social Research began functioning on 1 January 2009. This new department was created as a result of structural changes in the Faculty of Social Sciences. The activities of the Department reflect the integrated needs of teaching, postgraduate training and research.

Both macro and micro social research are represented in the Department. A focus on the changes in the social structure and in comparative sociology represent the former, whereas a whole range of studies and projects represents a social constructionist and cultural studies approach. Additionally, both in historical and contemporary terms, the major areas of teaching and research are the theoretical and methodological problems of social science. The Department has developed into one of the leading Finnish centres in social theory and methodology. The Department offers highly qualified teaching and research on comparative sociology, the welfare state, the social structure, social anthropology, development studies, media and technology studies, cultural studies, social interaction and the study of family, childhood, work, gender, and science.

The Department is involved in the programmes of the International School of Social Sciences.  Several staff members provide courses for the various programmes of the ISSS. The Department has an important role in the postgraduate teaching and research centre the Tampere Graduate Centre for Social Sciences.

Evaluated by indicators such as the amount of teaching, the number of publications and the number of graduating students, the Department has proved to be among the top departments in the University. Lively international contacts are maintained with Scandinavian, Baltic, Russian, European and American social scientists and universities and the number international publications by the members of staff is high every year.

Degree Programmes

Degree programmes in the Department include those leading to the degrees of Bachelor of Social Sciences, Master of Social Sciences, Licenciate in Social Sciences and Doctor of Social Sciences. The major subject alternatives are Sociology, Social Policy, Social Psychology, Social Anthropology and Women’s Studies. The main language of instruction in these programmes is Finnish. However, as the Department participates in the programmes of the ISSS, a Master’s programme in Sociology and in Social Policy are also offered in English.

Research, teaching and social aims are combined in the work of the Department. The aim of the multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary cooperation is not only to develop research and research-based teaching, but to produce knowledge that is needed in the changing society. There are five main areas in the research carried out at the Department: national and trans-national change processes; work, well-being and gender; childhood and the family; interaction and culture; and science, knowledge and technology.

The Department offers students plenty of freedom to choose. The subjects taught develop teaching and research over disciplinary boundaries and thus they strengthen the traditionally high-level teaching of methodology and theory. The wide array of teaching offered by the different disciplines is unique in the Finnish context. The postgraduate schools coordinated through the Department and the joint doctoral courses of the Faculty of Social Sciences (TAMCESS) create good preconditions for researcher training. The international education is coordinated by the International School of Social Sciences.