For particularly goal-oriented and talented students, JGU offers the possibility of a pre-university program (for school pupils). At the Institute of Sociology, students can attend regular courses, take examinations and acquire course certificates that will later be recognized in their program of study.
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A pre-university program in Sociology is open to all pupils. Many programs of study such as Physics, Mathematics, German, English or Sports are already familiar from school, but Sociology is not as closely related to the school subject Social Studies (or Social Sciences) as the name might suggest. While Social Studies is basically taught at the Institute of Political Science, the subject of Social Sciences often consists of a combination of Political Science, Sociology and Economics or Educational Science.
If you are interested in social contexts and wonder why people are the way they are, Sociology is the right field for you. You could say that Sociology teaches a certain way of thinking and provides a new (social science) view of our everyday lives and the people and interactions around us. If you want to do “something with people” but don’t know exactly how psychology, education, sociology or even political science differ, then you can find out during a pre-university program (for school pupils) and hopefully we will get you excited about Sociology.
In addition to the try-out-days offered at JGU and the university open house, a pre-university program (for school pupils) offers you the opportunity to get to know the subject and university life over a longer period of time. You attend regular courses and can already earn credits that you can use in a later program of study in Sociology.
In principle, all courses on the Bachelor’s degree program can be attended. As a rule, one or two courses are attended per semester.
However, we recommend that you start with one of the following courses, as these will give you a good first impression and lay the foundations for thinking sociologically.
In a winter semester, we recommend one of the following lectures:
- Introduction to Sociology
- Introduction to economic sociology
- Introduction to cultural sociology
- Introduction to the Sociology of Technics and Innovation (in English)
- Social development, socialization and education
In a summer semester, we recommend one of the following lectures:
- Social structure and social comparison
- Introduction to Media Sociology
- Social development, socialization and education
- Introduction to family sociology
- Introduction to Gender Studies
- Introduction to the sociology of the body
In the annotated course catalog of the JGU you will also find the courses of the Institute of Sociology. If you are interested in a particular clause, simply contact us and we will consider together whether it is suitable for you.
Frequent courses at the Institute of Sociology are:
Lectures
The lecture is probably the best-known and most traditional form of university teaching. Here, professors and lecturers hold a lecture on the respective lecture topic for you and many other students in a large lecture hall. Questions are allowed at any time, but you will spend most of the time listening. Due to the large number of participants, lively interactions and discussions are not as frequent as in the smaller seminars. Lectures usually teach the basics, which are then discussed in greater depth and detail in seminars.
Seminars
In a seminar, you will work intensively on a specific topic in a small group of 15 to 30 people. Texts are usually read and discussed, small exercises are worked on together and presentations are given.
- Studying without the pressure to perform
- Orientation for choosing a course of study
- Getting to know the university’s organizational structure
- Basically no costs for the pre-university program (for school pupils)
- Credits already earned can be transferred to a later program of study
- Shortening the subsequent duration of studies
In principle, you can decide for yourself how much time you want to invest in your pre-university program (for school pupils). However, the double burden of program of study and school should not be underestimated. Because:
- The content and time required for course/class work is generally not reduced
- No recognition of university credits at school
- Possible loss of one day of school per week
- Intensive program of study at the university
- Studying for exams at university
A pre-university program (for school pupils) can be discontinued at any time if it becomes apparent that the burden is becoming too great and your school performance is suffering as a result.
In order to apply for a pre-university program (for school pupils) in Sociology, a small individual interview is conducted in advance. This interview is purely for information and advice and is not(!) an application interview. We clarify your personal questions about the pre-university program (for school pupils) and talk about the formalities for the application.
Such a meeting lasts approximately one hour. To make an appointment, please send an e-mail to studienbuero.soziologie@uni-mainz.de and we will log in with suggested times. Of course, we can also conduct the interview together with your friends or parents.
The application period for a pre-university program (for school pupils) in the summer semester is between January and mid-March, the application period for a winter semester is between mid-July and mid-September.
Further links
Central information on the pre-university program (for school pupils) at JGU:
