Writing seminar papers

Assistance with writing during your studies

Writing sociological texts is a craft that can be learnt by practising it. I would like to recommend the dossier "Science as a craft", which you can find on the pages of the specialist portal Soziopolis.

Anyone who is interested will find handouts here to help them learn the craft of writing step by step. On the one hand, there are tips and tricks on the typical work steps towards a text that is ready for submission, and on the other hand on the various formats that these texts usually have. Essays, interviews and reviews also serve to deal with special problems and tricks.

(The dossier is aimed at all researchers who are involved in academic writing in any way, but especially at students and doctoral candidates who are looking for suggestions and guidance, and at teaching staff, instructors, lecturers who want to address writing in their seminars, tutorials and colloquia).

Designing and finalising seminar papers

In my courses, there are always writing workshop components that are designed to help you step by step
to conceptualise and finally complete a seminar paper. I therefore recommend that you attend the seminar sessions regularly, as we discuss conceptual questions, requirements and tricks and try out some things directly.

You are also welcome to contact me if you would like to discuss your thoughts on a seminar paper. Ideally, you should make an appointment for student consulting hours. Depending on the stage you are at, I will expect an initial or a more advanced concept as a basis for discussion.

For your concept, it would be good if you could discuss the social phenomenon* that you would like to investigate. (This is the first central point for the concept. – As an alternative to a social phenomenon, the starting point for your seminar paper can also be a theoretical statement that you would like to critically analyse. Therefore, first reconstruct the statement in question and its theoretical frame of reference as comprehensibly as possible). In addition, describe the problem you would like to address with regard to the phenomenon you are discussing (second central point). And please also explain how you will specifically proceed with your investigation (third key point).

Ideally, you should already have conducted a systematic literature search on your field of research and identified
relevant titles for yourself. However, it is not a question of quantity, but rather that the texts you have identified
contain arguments and material that you consider significant for your work. If possible, you are welcome to explicitly address the relevant arguments and materials in your concept. – The staff at the University Library will be happy to help you with your research.

Write the concept in a form that suits you. It can be based on the format of an argumentative outline, a six-liner etc., I leave that up to you. The Soziopolis dossier offers you the two handouts "Formulating a research question" and "Writing six-liners and developing exposés".