Linking Theory and Empirical Research

Berlin, July 16 - 27, 2017

We are delighted to announce the 7th Berlin Summer School in Social
Sciences. The summer school aims at supporting young researchers by
strengthening their ability in linking theory and empirical research.
The two-week program creates an excellent basis for the development of
their current research designs.

In the first week, we address the key methodological challenges of
concept-building, causation/explanation, and micro-macro linkage that
occur in almost all research efforts. We strive for a clarification of
the epistemological foundations underlying methodological paradigms. In
the second week, these methodological considerations are applied to
central empirical fields of research in political science, sociology,
and other related disciplines. In this second part of the program,
participants are assigned to four thematic groups according to their own
research topics. The thematic areas covered are: "External Governance,
Interregionalism, and Domestic Change", "Citizenship, Migration, and
Identities", "Social Struggle and Globalization", and "Democracy at the
Crossroads".

The program is characterized by a varied format comprising lectures,
workshops, seminars, and one-to-one consultations. During the summer
school, participants will also have the opportunity to present and
discuss their own work extensively. Participants will be provided with
hands-on advice for their research designs.

The school brings together a faculty of renowned international and
Berlin-based scholars. Among the confirmed international lecturers are
Dorothee Bohle (Central European University), Donatella della Porta
(Scuola Normale Superiore), Gary Goertz (University of Notre Dame),
Macartan Humphreys (Columbia University), Sanjay Reddy (New School for
Social Research), Saskia Sassen (Columbia University), and Hendrik
Wagenaar (University of Sheffield).

The Berlin Summer School was co-funded by the Berlin Graduate School of
Social Sciences (BGSS) at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and the WZB
Berlin Social Science Center. Moreover, we receive generous funding from
the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). Details on travel grants
and tuition fees can be found on our webpage.

The international summer school is open to 50 PhD candidates, advanced
master students, and young postdocs. The call for applications is
currently open. Applications can be submitted online via the application
form on the summer school webpage until March 31, 2017.

The decisions of the selection committee will be announced to the
applicants in April. For more information, please visit our webpage at
www.berlinsummerschool.de.

If you have any further questions, please contact the organizing team at
summerschool.bgss@hu-berlin.de