Doctoral Program PROWEL
Social Problems and Social Welfare
Prowel offers thematic and methodological workshops to support doctoral students (it is not a Graduate School). It enables regular scientific exchange with doctoral students and lecturers in joint colloquia, as well as in individual discussions with scientific experts. To promote the participation of international doctoral students and also bridge the French-German divide, a large part of the program is offered in English. The dissertations may be written in any language agreed upon with the supervisor(s). The doctoral program is research-oriented, interdisciplinary and oriented towards learn-processes that qualify graduate researchers academically. Furthermore, the doctoral program aims at enhancing the doctoral students’ networks nationally and internationally by motivating and teaching them to organize and actively participate in scientific conferences. PROWEL is a doctoral program of the University of Fribourg in collaboration with the University of Neuchâtel. It is financed by the SUK.
Further information
PROWEL Workshop
Early life course outcomes through the lens of structure and agency
Bildungszentrum Burgbühl, 17-18 May 2024
Experts: Prof. em. Marlis Buchmann
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Thematic Focus
The doctoral program PROWEL aims at furthering knowledge from an interdisciplinary view on key issues regarding the analysis of the production, re-production and change in individual, organizational and social welfare. Social problems are issues that (parts of) societies define as problematic or that evolve to be problematic when they are socially and explicitly perceived. The term welfare is used in a broad understanding: it refers to both material and immaterial aspects of wellbeing, such as (availability and/or access to) economic resources or social services, but also feelings of belonging, happiness, satisfaction or trust, on various societal levels (the micro, meso and macro level). Sources of wellbeing and welfare are the state, markets, households/families, communities and nonprofit organizations. Institutions and actors’ actions, omission or negligence of actions, (implicit or explicit) traditions or regulations within specific institutions, or their interplay produce or maintain wellbeing and welfare. Social inequalities provide a theoretical and analytical framework for the analysis of social problems and welfare and build one common point of departure for the doctoral program. Areas of research broadly are the production, re-production, change and outcomes in individual, organizational and societal wellbeing and welfare and include (i) social problems: their identification, perception and handling by concerned or involved actors within institutions; (ii) actors and institutions as well as their interplay (such as states, markets, communities, organizations and households and families); (iii) social outcomes of dealing with social problems.
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Target Group
The doctoral program targets students of various disciplines dealing with the issues of the umbrella theme in different ways: sociology, social policy, social work, political sciences, special education, educational sciences, criminology, economics, science of religions, social anthropology, or contemporary history. Candidates must have a supervisor for their PhD project before applying to this doctoral program. The doctoral program offers no scholarships or jobs.
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Information and application
Information
Doctoral students may join the program any time and finish their thesis according to their individual progress. They are expected to present an input or their work in progress to a selective group of experts at least once a year and to comment on other inputs.Application
Candidates must have a supervisor for their PhD project BEFORE applying to this doctoral program. PROWEL does not liaise to potential supervisors and offers no scholarships. For application procedures please contact:- at the University of Fribourg
German Doktorat an der Philosophischen Fakultät
French Doctorat à la Faculté des lettres et des sciences humaines
To apply for the doctoral program PROWEL, please fill in this application form and send it with the PhD project outline to prowel(at)unifr.ch or by postal mail to PROWEL, c/o University of Fribourg, Department of Social Sciences, Route des Bonnesfontaines 11, 1700 Fribourg. For further questions, please contact the PROWEL team by mail or the secretariat of the section Sociology, Socialpolicy and Social Work by phone +41 26 300 77 96.
- at the University of Fribourg
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Structure
The methodological and thematic needs of students are continuously evaluated. Accepted students are required to participate in:
- Module 1: Thematic two-day workshops with external experts
- Module 2: Two-day workshop with external experts (work methodology)
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Recent Workshops organized by PROWEL
PROWEL Workshop
Negotiation and Agency in State-Socialist Academic Publishing: A Slow Memory Methodology
Bildungszentrum Burgbühl, 17-18 November 2023
Experts: Libora Oates-IndruchovaLongitudinal Qualitative Methods and Survey Experiments in a Comparative Perspective
St. Antoni, 19-20 May 2023
Experts: Louise Ryan, Robin SamuelEconomic and Social Inequalities and the Role of Religion in Modern Welfare Systems
Fribourg, 21-22 October 2022
Experts: Mikko Niemelä, Ingela Naumann, Monica Budowski
Global Inequalities and Social Policies
Fribourg, Miséricorde, 20-21 May 2022
External Experts: Anja Weiss, Olli Kangas
PROWEL Workshop
St Antoni, 19-20 November 2021
Experts: Doris Bühler-Niederberger, Veronika Magyar-Haas
ProgramPROWEL Workshop - extra
Fribourg, Saturday, 28 August 2021
Experts or Organizers: Joakim Palme, Monica Budowski
ProgramSolidarity and social movements
Online-meeting, 8 May 2021
Expert: Christian Lahusen
ProgramTheoretical foundations for social policy
Online-meeting, 31 October 2020
Expert: Jean-Michel Bonvin
ProgramGender and migration / Discourse analysis and convention theory
Twann, 1-2 November 2019
Experts: Kenneth Horvath, Paul Scheibelhofer
ProgramResearch question / Institutional theory
Twann, 3-4 May 2019
Experts: Andreas Hadjar, Nadine Arnold
ProgramElites and Mixed Methods
Twann, 19-20 October 2018
Experts: Peter Imbusch, Felix Knappertsbusch
ProgramSocial Inequalities and Disability
Twann, 4-5 May 2018
Experts: Barbara Fritz, Lisa Pfahl
ProgramAcademic writing and publishing
Twann, 27-28 October 2017
Expert: Anton Froeyman
Conceptual and empirical perspectives on poverty and wellbeing
Twann, 5-6 May 2017Expert: Allister McGregor
How to write grant proposals
University of Fribourg, 11 June 2016Expert: Susanne Matuschek
Linking theory and data
Hotel Fontana, Twann, 29-30 April 2016Experts: Nina Baur, Eva Barlösius
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Scientific direction
Prof. Dr. Andreas Hadjar (Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work, University of Fribourg)
Prof. Dr. Winfried Kronig (Specialized Pedagogy, University of Fribourg)
Prof. Dr. Ingela Naumann (Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work, University of Fribourg)
Prof. Dr. Carmen Zurbriggen (Special Education, Social Pedagogy, University of Fribourg)
Prof. em. Dr. Monica Budowski (Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work, University of Fribourg)
Prof. em. Dr. Christian Suter (Sociology, University of Neuchâtel) -
Participants and Alumni
Participants
Niolyne Bomolo, University of Fribourg (abstract)
Zhubin Chen, The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies Genève (abstract)
Ran Chen, University of Edinburgh, School of Social and Political Science (abstract)
Claire Edwards, University of Fribourg (abstract)
Keila Escalante, University of Neuchâtel (abstract)
Pascale Gazareth, University of Neuchâtel (abstract)
Saro Gibilisco, University of Fribourg (abstract)
Melody Gugelmann, University of Fribourg
Friederike Hell, University of Fribourg (abstract)
Nina Jany, University of Fribourg (abstract)
Laura Meier, University of Fribourg (abstract)
Nathalie Quartenoud Macherel, University of Fribourg
Matthias Riedmann, University of Fribourg
Sophie Serrano, University of Neuchâtel (abstract)
Anina Singer, University of Bern (abstract)
Milan Stocker, University of Fribourg (abstract)
Michele Wang-Pizzera, University of Fribourg (abstract)
Aleksander Zielinski, University of Fribourg (abstract)Alumni
Tugce Beycan, University of Neuchâtel
Baptiste Brodard, University of Fribourg
Cindy Diacquenod, University of Fribourg
Sercan Erer, University of Luxembourg
Martin Gasser, University of Fribourg
Marilyn Grell-Brisk, University of Neuchâtel
Chantal Hinni, University of Fribourg
Daniel Hofstetter, University of Fribourg/Goethe University Frankfurt
Anna Isenhardt, University of Fribourg
Cédric Jacot, University of Neuchâtel
Jacqueline Kalbermatter, University of Fribourg
Sarah Kersten, University of Fribourg
Brigitte Kürsteiner, University of Fribourg
Florence Lebert, University of Fribourg
Lena Liechti, University of Fribourg
Stefan Niedermann, University of Fribourg
Laura Ravazzini, University of Neuchâtel
Carla Ribeiro, University of Neuchâtel
Antoine Sansonnens, University of Fribourg
Yvan Schulz, University of Neuchâtel
Rebekka Sieber, University of Neuchâtel, University of Fribourg
Kevin Simoes Loureiro, University of Fribourg
Jehane Simona, University of Neuchâtel
Aurianne Stroude, University of Fribourg
Sabrina Tabares, University of Neuchâtel
Noemi Trucco, University of Fribourg
Christoph Tschanz, University of Fribourg
Raphael Zahnd, University of Zurich
Carmen Zurbriggen, University of Fribourg