Institute of Sociological Studies

The Institute of Sociological Studies at the University of Rzeszów was established on October 1, 2019, following a reorganization of the university’s administrative structure. This change was enacted through Resolution No. 424/04/2019 of the University Senate, dated April 4, 2019, which approved the revised University Statute.

Since January 2025, following a comprehensive structural reform of the University of Rzeszów, the Institute has comprised five departments:

  • Department of Sociology of Organization and Regional Development
  • Department of Sociology of Family and Social Problems
  • Department of Social Work
  • Department of Social Policy
  • Department of Sociology of Education

The Institute employs 26 full-time research and teaching staff members who deliver courses in sociology and social work.

The Institute’s facilities are located in Building A1 at al. Tadeusza Rejtana 16C, covering a total area of 930 square meters. The premises include:

  • Two lecture halls and several seminar rooms
  • Two specialized research laboratories:
    • Focus Group Interview (FGI)
    • Computer-assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI)
  • A computer laboratory
  • A staff meeting room that also houses the Institute’s library

The Institute’s academic roots run much deeper, as outlined in the following section.

Brief History

The origins of sociology in Rzeszów date back to 1968, with the establishment of the Department of Socio-Historical Studies at the Pedagogical University. This unit remained active until 1981, when the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology was founded, based on the Interfaculty Department of Social Sciences.

In 1982, the field of Social Sciences was formally introduced, and in the 1992/1993 academic year, the sociology programme was launched. It offered specialisations in social work, local government, and the social, political, and cultural dynamics of borderland regions. At that time, the Institute comprised three departments: Sociology, Philosophy, and Social and Economic Thought.

On October 1, 1996, the Institute of Sociology was formally separated from the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, marking a significant milestone in the development of sociological studies in Rzeszów. By the 2008/2009 academic year, the Institute had expanded to include eight departments, each led by independent academic staff:

  • Department of Urban and Regional Sociology
  • Department of Large Social Structures
  • Department of Rural and Agricultural Sociology
  • Department of Cultural Anthropology
  • Department of Territorial Communities
  • Department of Social Policy and Ethics
  • Department of Eastern Studies
  • Department of General Sociology

In subsequent years, the Institute underwent structural reorganization. Several departments were dissolved, including those focused on rural sociology, Eastern studies, large social structures, and urban sociology. New units were established in their place:

  • Department of Sociology of Organization and Management (2012)
  • Department of Sociology of Social Problems (2012)
  • Department of Central European Studies (2016)

By the 2018/2019 academic year, the Institute consisted of six departments:

  • Sociology of Organization and Management
  • Sociology of Social Problems and Family (formerly Sociology of Social Problems)
  • Cultural Anthropology
  • Social Policy and Social Work (formerly Social Policy and Ethics)
  • Urban Sociology and Territorial Communities (formerly Territorial Communities)
  • Central European Studies

In the 2019/2020 academic year, following a university-wide structural reorganization, the Institute of Sociology was transformed into the Institute of Sociological Sciences and incorporated into the College of Social Sciences.

In January 2025, after another comprehensive structural reform, the Institute of Sociological Studies became part of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Rzeszów.