SODAS Lab
The SODAS(SocialDataScience) Lab combines innovative forms of data access, data processing and data analysis in research and teaching. The process of digitalization is not only changing social conditions and social forms. Rather, the use of digital technology often also generates new forms of data or digital data sources on social processes that were previously unavailable in this form. At the same time, the further development of statistical software, in particular R and Python, opens up highly innovative possibilities for data processing and data analysis.
The subject of sociology is in a particularly good position to respond to the development dynamics and the emerging field of methods, which is often referred to as "data science". In the sense of a sociologically founded research approach, these methodological and methodological developments can be comprehensively summarized and further developed as "social data science". Here, social data science describes a comprehensive methodological, but also explicitly methodological approach that sociologically substantiates the innovative methods of data science (data access, processing and evaluation) and critically reflects on their technical prerequisites as well as their social consequences.
Against this background, the SODAS Lab brings together the many different strands of research that deal with innovative data sources and innovative forms of analysis. This includes, in particular, various third-party funded projects with so-called process-produced data, which are generated, for example, by the Federal Statistical Office, but also directly by digital internet platforms. The evaluation of these data sources allows for high-quality research results that will generate new insights in various areas.
In addition to fundamental questions of data quality and the linking of "digital data" with social science theories ("methodology"), the evaluation of geo-referenced data (geo-data) and automated text analysis (topic models) are central focal points.
Finally, these innovative data sources are linked with established research methods and critical perspectives. In particular, this also includes qualitative case study research and interview investigations as "digital mixed methods". Innovative research designs are combined with traditional qualitative methods. In addition, qualitative methods are combined with innovative AI-supported methods, such as AI-based transcription of interviews and AI-assisted coding of interviews.
On the other hand, the lab integrates the research strands with seminars. The data sources and analysis methods are systematically used in seminars to introduce students to practical problems of data access and data processing at an early stage. The research projects can be used here to illustrate the possibilities of the innovative methods and to teach students the necessary analysis skills and their relevance using concrete application examples from research. This also includes teaching innovative approaches such as AI-based transcription and AI-assisted coding.
Current projects