The Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Barcelona has launched the UB School of Sociology to boost research and postgraduate education in the field of sociology. The main goal of this new centre is to create a pole of attraction for research and academic activities in the area of sociology within the University of Barcelona. At the same time, it aims to develop an international academic environment that encourages the intellectual and scientific debate.
The UB School of Sociology includes nine research groups –all of which have been recognised by the Catalan Government– covering five research areas, namely Inequality; Welfare, quality of life and social policies; Social organisations; Society, community and environment; and Culture, knowledge and innovation. For the past five years, the different research groups have met with sizeable success. For example, they have led five European research projects, 10 national research projects and have published around 400 scientific articles.
The UB School of Sociology also encompasses two official postgraduate programmes. On one hand there is the Master in Sociology: Social transformations and Innovation. On the other hand, there is the PhD in Sociology. The UB School of Sociology has a strong commitment to internationalisation. In fact, the master is taught partly in English and offers the possibility of doing practical credits abroad. The centre has also signed collaboration agreements with European universities at master and PhD level.
The launch event of the UB School of Sociology took place on May 21st 2019 in the Aula Magna at the Faculty of Economics and Business. The Vice-Rector for Doctoral Studies and Research Promotion, Francesc Xavier Roigé, the Vice-Dean for Research and Doctoral Studies at the Faculty of Economics and Business, Raul Ramos, and the Director of the Department of Sociology, Víctor Climent, attended the presentation.
The president of the International Sociological Association (ISA) and professor of Sociology at the American University of Beirut (AUB), Sari Hanafi, hosted the session “Migration and refugees in a globalised world: the case of the Mediterranean countries?” Sari Hanafi obtained his PhD in Sociology from the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences in Paris, France (1994). The Syrian-Palestinian researcher is the author of numerous journal articles and book chapters on the political and economic sociology of the Palestinian diaspora and refugees; the sociology of religion; the sociology of migration; politics of scientific research; civil society, elite formation and transitional justice.
The University of Barcelona is the leading university in Spain and one of the top 50 universities in Europe for Sociology, according to QS World University Rankings. The University of Barcelona has also been ranked 2nd in Spain and 71st in Europe in the general classification.