We accept study projects and bachelor/master thesis on various sociological questions. The works should include a research component (data acquisition and analysis). The scope of the research component is dependent on the pursued degree. Next is a high quality content. It is our standard to apply coherent sociological methods in the study projects and thesis. Therefore, we seek to elaborate a coherent research design together with the candidates. These are usually of the application of qualitative methods, surveys and reconstructive case studies. However, other study designs such as quantitative network analysis are also possible.

Dr. Laschewski's deadline for thesis registration is the April 30th 2014. Thesis supervised by Dr. Becker and Mr Häfner has no deadlines for the registration. All candidates should have successfully completed an introductory module in social science, e.g. the module "Sociology" or "Sozialwissenschaftliche Umweltfragen".

In 2014 we want to focus study projects and thesis on three themes.

Theme 1: Ways towards a post-fossil society and the transformation of rural areas

The "energy turn" is a social project that is taking place and directly affects rural areas. It comprises the construction of a decentralized system of energy supply, the conversion of the energy grid and the denaturation of open-cast mining.

Possible topics include:

• The Geography of the energy turn. Spatial reorganization of a social project.
• Is the rural society a "not in my backyard" (NIMBY) society? Change of rural social structures and the social acceptance of renewable energies.
• Community Energy. Conditions of success and experiences with basic approaches of local self-supply.
• The new cooperative movement. The resurrection of the cooperative idea through the energy transition.
• From farmer to energy manager. The effects of the energy transition on the agricultural restructuring process.
• Clean energy but lost biodiversity? Eco political trade-off of the energy transition.
• Biofuels. Blessing or curse? The correlation between biomass production and food production.
• Fuel poverty and the distribution costs of the energy transition.
• The maize issue. Bioenergy production and agricultural land use change.
• Privatization of nature or who owns the wind? The allocation of property rights and the access to renewable resources.
• The business with green electricity.
• CO2 reduction by inaction? Re-cultivation of fen land; moor-futures and the difficult problem to integrate the areas "Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF)" into climate policies.

Theme 2: Open cast mining in Lusatia and the Sorbian culture

Possible topics include:

• What will be after open-cast mining? Development potential and development perspectives of post-mining landscapes in international comparison.
• When the open-cast mining leaves. New perspectives for the revivalism of the Sorbian culture?
• The life after. The new life and coping strategies of people resettled for open-cast mining.
• The rest is silence? Media coverage and public dialogue about the destruction of Sorbian cultural monuments by open-cast mining activities.
• Sorbian institutions and the environmental movement. Natural partners or parallel worlds?

Theme 3: Society's management with water resources.

Possible topics include:

• Is this all a mistake? Civil protest and the exclusion of the water sector from the EU Concessions Directive.
• A never-ending story: Case studies about the (non-)implementation of the Water Framework Directive [in Germany or other European countries].
• Costs of the flood: The Costs of the Flood 2013 and burden sharing. [or flood events in other countries]
• Regulation of floods: EU Flood Directive and flood protection in a federal state. //[or in other countries]
• Living with the flood: How people in areas subject to flooding deal with the recurring floods?
• Management of the flood: Emergency plans and the reality of emergency events.

Open topics

Students can also develop own ideas for the three given topics. Nevertheless it is possible to suggest topics that are independent from the three given topics and develop them further with our mentors.