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69577-01 - Seminar: Transforming Society through Research: Theory, Methods, and Practical Examples of Transformative Research (3 CP)
| Semester | fall semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers | Antonietta Di Giulio (antonietta.digiulio@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | Should research be limited to explore and describe societal changes? Should research contribute to societal transformations? These and similar questions have been discussed for quite some time, especially in the context of sustainability. With a view to sustainability transformations, more than ten years ago, the call for research to be transformative came up, that is, the call for research to not only contribute scientific knowledge in support of sustainability transformations but to also and actually initiate change. This is implemented by different research formats. One of them is the format of so-called 'real-word laboratories' ('Reallabore' in German), also called 'living labs' in some discourses. Such research projects distinguish themselves by being inter- and transdisciplinary and by conducting interventions in 'real' societal contexts that are aimed at producing lasting transformations. Transformative and transdisciplinary research encounters many challenges and at the same time, expectations are high with regard to its societal impact. One important type of challenges relates to methods: Methods applied in transdisciplinary and transformative research projects must be suitable to produce robust knowledge and at the same time they must be suitable to implement processes of co-design and co-production with societal actors outside academia. What methods can be applied does not only depend on the goals and questions of a project, but also on the actors that are involved. Researchers that conduct such projects master, as a rule, a high diversity of methods, methods that they have not been trained to use in their academic education. In the seminar, the participants will first get familiar with the history, formats, quality requirements and practical dilemmas and trade-offs of transformative research (with a special focus on the format real-word laboratories). This will provide the conceptual background for getting to know practical examples of such projects and the methods they apply. The practical part of the seminar will take place as follows: Students will, in small groups, choose a running (or recently completed) transformative and transdisciplinary project they would like to get to know closer (if necessary, they will be supported). They will then investigate the goals and questions of their chosen project, the challenges it faces, and the methods that are applied (review of publications and webpages, interviews with project leaders or academic staff) and present the project as a practical example of a transformative research project (oral presentation). In presenting the example, they will focus particularly on the methods. That is, the students will choose a method they find particularly interesting (out of the methods applied by the project), and they will facilitate a simulated application of this method in the seminar (method simulation; handout). During the time in which the students prepare their presentation and the simulation of methods, the seminar will be conducted as a workshop in which the lecturer will provide demand-based support. The seminar will conclude with a discussion about the chances and limitations of transformative research and with a reflection about the diversity of methods that has been presented during the semester. The topics for the closing session will be defined collaboratively. In the seminar, the participants will first get familiar with the history, formats, quality requirements and practical dilemmas and trade-offs of transformative research (with a special focus on the format real-word laboratories). This will provide the conceptual background for getting to know practical examples of such projects and the methods they apply. The practical part of the seminar will take place as follows: Students will, in small groups, choose a running (or recently completed) transformative and transdisciplinary project they would like to get to know closer (if necessary, they will be supported). They will then investigate the goals and questions of their chosen project, the challenges it faces, and the methods that are applied (review of publications and webpages, interviews with project leaders or academic staff) and present the project as a practical example of a transformative research project (oral presentation). In presenting the example, they will focus particularly on the methods. That is, the students will choose a method they find particularly interesting (out of the methods applied by the project), and they will facilitate a simulated application of this method in the seminar (method simulation; handout). During the time in which the students prepare their presentation and the simulation of methods, the seminar will be conducted as a workshop in which the lecturer will provide demand-based support. The seminar will conclude with a discussion about the chances and limitations of transformative research and with a reflection about the diversity of methods that has been presented during the semester. The topics for the closing session will be defined collaboratively. |
| Learning objectives | • The students know the history, challenges, and characteristics of transformative and transdisciplinary research, and they are able to use this background as a framework to discuss practical examples of transformative research (projects and methods). • The students know about the dilemmas, trade-offs, and tricky decisions in transformative research projects. • The students know different methods that are used in transformative research and are able to discuss their potentials and limitations. • The students have experiences in preparing and facilitating the simulation of a method. |
| Bibliography | Literature will be provided during the seminar (via ADAM). |
| Comments | Number of participants is limited to 25; in case that the seminar should be overbooked, students of sociology and of changing societies will be privileged. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Monday | 14.15-16.00 | Soziologie, Hörsaal 215 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 14.09.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Soziologie, Hörsaal 215 |
| Monday 21.09.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Soziologie, Hörsaal 215 |
| Monday 28.09.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Soziologie, Hörsaal 215 |
| Monday 05.10.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Soziologie, Hörsaal 215 |
| Monday 12.10.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Soziologie, Hörsaal 215 |
| Monday 19.10.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Soziologie, Hörsaal 215 |
| Monday 26.10.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Soziologie, Hörsaal 215 |
| Monday 02.11.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Soziologie, Hörsaal 215 |
| Monday 09.11.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Soziologie, Hörsaal 215 |
| Monday 16.11.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Soziologie, Hörsaal 215 |
| Monday 23.11.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Soziologie, Hörsaal 215 |
| Monday 30.11.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Soziologie, Hörsaal 215 |
| Monday 07.12.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Soziologie, Hörsaal 215 |
| Monday 14.12.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Soziologie, Hörsaal 215 |
| Modules |
Modul: Methoden der Soziologie und der Gesellschaftswissenschaften: qualitativ (Master's degree subject: Sociology (Start of studies before 01.08.2026)) Module: Changing Societies Lab (Master's degree program: Changing Societies: Migration – Conflicts – Resources (Start of studies before 01.08.2026)) Module: Fields: Knowledge Production and Transfer (Master's degree program: African Studies) Module: Methods (Master's degree subject: Sociology) Module: Methods for Analyzing Changing Societies (Master's degree program: Changing Societies: Migration – Conflicts – Resources (Start of studies before 01.08.2026)) Module: Methods in Near & Middle Eastern Studies and in the Social Sciences (Master's degree subject: Near & Middle Eastern Studies) Module: Methods in Near & Middle Eastern Studies and in the Social Sciences (Master's Studies - Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences) Module: Societal Approaches (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) Module: Theory and Themes of Social Anthropology (Master's degree subject: Social Anthropology) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Investigating the goals, questions, participants, challenges, and methods used in a running (or recently completed) transformative project. Present this project as a practical example of transformative research (oral presentation). Select one method used in this project, facilitate a simulated application of this method in the seminar (method simulation), and produce a handout about the method (handout). This will be done in small groups. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Soziologie |