Universität Passau
Research
Research support
When conducting world-class research, academics must rely on their creativity; but they also require administrative structures that reliably and comprehensively support them in their work. The Research Services Division provides professional advice and support on gaining funding from German and international donor organisations.
By its 50th anniversary in 2028, the University of Passau intends to become one of the leading centres in Europe for basic interdisciplinary research on the effects of digitalisation on society. The University focuses its research on the guiding themes of ‘Digitalisation, Networked Society and (Internet) Cultures’, ‘Europe and Global Transformation’ and ‘Migration, Sustainable Development and Just Order’.
Digital Research Magazine
The Digital Research Magazine presents selected projects on the University's research themes in a high-quality online format. The profiles of the researchers behind major projects are also showcased in the magazine.
The research themes in detail
The overarching research themes are a logical extension of the founding principles of the University of Passau, which was established in 1978 as a so-called ‘borderland’ university. At the time, due to its proximity to both Austria and the Iron Curtain, the issues facing Europe were quite literally ‘close to home’. This history is taken up by the research theme ‘Europe and Global Transformation’.
University of Passau - the movie
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CLASSIC vhb course: “Social Network Analysis (SNA) – methods, concepts, applications"
Increasingly, the globalised world is being organised in networks. The CLASSIC vhb course "Social Network Analysis (SNA) – methods, concepts, applications" from the Chair of Human Geography, aims to give students the empirical equipment to give them a better understanding of worldwide networking, the way it works, and the impacts it has. The on-line course is being developed for 2021.
Anyone attempting to describe the modern world in which we live will find it hard to avoid the term "network", one of the universal metaphors of our time. Terms such as "globalisation", "connectivity", "networking", and the well known "small world" and "global village" are all catchwords of our "network society". In the general network hype of the last few years, a research field has established itself across several disciplines, a field which understands networks not metaphorically, but explicitly as an empirical-analytical concept. In the centre of this research field is the methodological approach known as Social Network Analysis (SNA).
As a method of empirical social research, SNA is applied in various different specialist disciplines (e.g. geography, sociology, political science, ethnology, cultural sciences, and economics). Empirically, it aims to register the importance of network structures for the actions of the protagonists involved and the consequences of individual actions in networks for the networks themselves and beyond them. As a meso-perspective, network research closes the gap between societal macro-analyses and micro-investigations at individual level.
This CLASSIC vhb course will provide an introduction to the exciting and highly topical world of network research. The material learned includes basic concepts, methods and applications of SNA. Alongside the dissemination of basic theoretical and methodological knowledge, introductions to the analysis software UCInet and network visualisation programmes are also a central aspect of the course. Plenty of room is allowed for practical work, so that the participants can get fit for future theses or research of their own with this versatile, innovative method of empirical social research. The on-line course has been conceptualised by Professor Malte Steinbrink, Philipp Aufenvenne and Matthias Köhler of the Chair of Human Geography.
| Principal Investigator(s) at the University | Prof. Dr. Malte Steinbrink (Lehrstuhl für Anthropogeographie), Philipp Aufenvenne |
|---|---|
| Project period | 01.01.2021 - 30.06.2022 |
| Source of funding |  vhb - Virtuelle Hochschule Bayern |
| Projektnummer | 20-I-10-19Ste1 |
In recent years, Europe's responsibility to respond to global challenges with appropriate strategies has increasingly prompted researchers at the University of Passau to make development questions a matter of academic enquiry. The interdisciplinary path taken has brought about not only the interfaculty master's programme in Development Studies but also the research theme ‘Migration, Sustainable Development and Just Order’.
CLASSIC vhb course: “Social Network Analysis (SNA) – methods, concepts, applications"
Increasingly, the globalised world is being organised in networks. The CLASSIC vhb course "Social Network Analysis (SNA) – methods, concepts, applications" from the Chair of Human Geography, aims to give students the empirical equipment to give them a better understanding of worldwide networking, the way it works, and the impacts it has. The on-line course is being developed for 2021.
Anyone attempting to describe the modern world in which we live will find it hard to avoid the term "network", one of the universal metaphors of our time. Terms such as "globalisation", "connectivity", "networking", and the well known "small world" and "global village" are all catchwords of our "network society". In the general network hype of the last few years, a research field has established itself across several disciplines, a field which understands networks not metaphorically, but explicitly as an empirical-analytical concept. In the centre of this research field is the methodological approach known as Social Network Analysis (SNA).
As a method of empirical social research, SNA is applied in various different specialist disciplines (e.g. geography, sociology, political science, ethnology, cultural sciences, and economics). Empirically, it aims to register the importance of network structures for the actions of the protagonists involved and the consequences of individual actions in networks for the networks themselves and beyond them. As a meso-perspective, network research closes the gap between societal macro-analyses and micro-investigations at individual level.
This CLASSIC vhb course will provide an introduction to the exciting and highly topical world of network research. The material learned includes basic concepts, methods and applications of SNA. Alongside the dissemination of basic theoretical and methodological knowledge, introductions to the analysis software UCInet and network visualisation programmes are also a central aspect of the course. Plenty of room is allowed for practical work, so that the participants can get fit for future theses or research of their own with this versatile, innovative method of empirical social research. The on-line course has been conceptualised by Professor Malte Steinbrink, Philipp Aufenvenne and Matthias Köhler of the Chair of Human Geography.
| Principal Investigator(s) at the University | Prof. Dr. Malte Steinbrink (Lehrstuhl für Anthropogeographie), Philipp Aufenvenne |
|---|---|
| Project period | 01.01.2021 - 30.06.2022 |
| Source of funding | vhb - Virtuelle Hochschule Bayern |
| Projektnummer | 20-I-10-19Ste1 |
Since 2011, the University of Passau has consistently dealt with another global development across academic disciplines and faculty borders: the societal effects of digitalisation. The Technik Plus development programme and the second phase of the successful DFG Research Training Group ‘Privacy’ have provided a sustained impetus for interdisciplinary co-operation between the faculties. One example of this co-operation is the BMBF-funded SKILL project (website in German), which analyses the societal effects of digitalisation on teaching and learning environments and places a strong focus on information and media literacy. Another example is the Passau Centre for e-Humanities (website in German), which is also funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Due to the successful co-operation in these and many other projects, the academics at the University of Passau developed the focus ‘Digitalisation, Networked Society and (Internet) Cultures’.
CLASSIC vhb course: “Social Network Analysis (SNA) – methods, concepts, applications"
Increasingly, the globalised world is being organised in networks. The CLASSIC vhb course "Social Network Analysis (SNA) – methods, concepts, applications" from the Chair of Human Geography, aims to give students the empirical equipment to give them a better understanding of worldwide networking, the way it works, and the impacts it has. The on-line course is being developed for 2021.
Anyone attempting to describe the modern world in which we live will find it hard to avoid the term "network", one of the universal metaphors of our time. Terms such as "globalisation", "connectivity", "networking", and the well known "small world" and "global village" are all catchwords of our "network society". In the general network hype of the last few years, a research field has established itself across several disciplines, a field which understands networks not metaphorically, but explicitly as an empirical-analytical concept. In the centre of this research field is the methodological approach known as Social Network Analysis (SNA).
As a method of empirical social research, SNA is applied in various different specialist disciplines (e.g. geography, sociology, political science, ethnology, cultural sciences, and economics). Empirically, it aims to register the importance of network structures for the actions of the protagonists involved and the consequences of individual actions in networks for the networks themselves and beyond them. As a meso-perspective, network research closes the gap between societal macro-analyses and micro-investigations at individual level.
This CLASSIC vhb course will provide an introduction to the exciting and highly topical world of network research. The material learned includes basic concepts, methods and applications of SNA. Alongside the dissemination of basic theoretical and methodological knowledge, introductions to the analysis software UCInet and network visualisation programmes are also a central aspect of the course. Plenty of room is allowed for practical work, so that the participants can get fit for future theses or research of their own with this versatile, innovative method of empirical social research. The on-line course has been conceptualised by Professor Malte Steinbrink, Philipp Aufenvenne and Matthias Köhler of the Chair of Human Geography.
| Principal Investigator(s) at the University | Prof. Dr. Malte Steinbrink (Lehrstuhl für Anthropogeographie), Philipp Aufenvenne |
|---|---|
| Project period | 01.01.2021 - 30.06.2022 |
| Source of funding | vhb - Virtuelle Hochschule Bayern |
| Projektnummer | 20-I-10-19Ste1 |
Passau International Centre for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies (PICAIS)
The University is currently in the process of establishing the Passau International Centre for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies (PICAIS) as a visible place on campus for the advancement of exemplary research, international network-building and for the support of early career researchers. It will be designed as a permanent, autonomous University institution that is particularly suited to furthering the visibility of our research output, as another cornerstone of the internationalisation of our research.
Advancement of early career researchers
Any university that strives to maintain sustained excellence in research and teaching must provide a first-rate support base for those setting out on their research careers. To this end, the University has made it a core objective to give its early career researchers the best possible support when it comes to gaining qualifications and participating in (international) networks. We place particular emphasis on promoting female early career researchers and increasing the number of women professorial positions.
Research support
When conducting world-class research, academics must rely on their creativity; but they also require administrative structures that reliably and comprehensively support them in their work. The Research Services Division provides professional advice and support on gaining funding from German and international donor organisations.
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