As part of the PreDoc Program offered by the Health Literacy & Healthy Lifestyles Chair Academy (HeLiCA), we invite PhD candidates to join the virtual seminar
Qualitative Social Research
with Prof. Dr. Albert Scherr.
The HeliCA programme, including the Chair Academy on Healthy Lifestyles and Health Literacy, is a joint project as part of the collaboration between the University of Education Freiburg and several other universities and institutions. The final aim is to empower Lifelong Learning on Health Literacy for all. The focus on Sustainability drives HeLiCA agenda on Healthy Lifestyles from theoretical to practical perspectives.
Content
Participation in the Qualitative Social Research seminar is not restricted to members of the Health Literacy & Healthy Lifestyles Chair Academy (HeLiCA) or to researchers in the field of Public Health. The seminar is open to doctoral researchers from all disciplines. In addition to its academic and methodological content, participants benefit from the international and intercultural exchange with HeLiCA members and early-career researchers from around the world.
- Session 1 - Foundations & exemplary studies (20 July 2026)
- Session 2 - Methodologies & sampling (7 September 2026)
- Session 3 - Fieldwork & interview types (14 September 2026)
- Session 4 - Conducting interviews (21 September 2026)
- Session 5 - Data Analysis (28 September 2026)
Participants may join the seminar from the second session onwards.
Contact hours: 20 (in 5 ECTS), Course language: English
Instructor
Prof. Dr. Albert Scherr is a sociologist who received his doctorate from the University of Frankfurt, Germany, and completed his Habilitation (postdoctoral qualification) in General Sociology at the University of Karlsruhe, Germany. His research focuses on qualitative social science research, with particular expertise
in educational research, discrimination studies, migration, and refugee studies migration. He has led and published numerous empirical research projects and is the author of a substantial body of scholarly work in these fields. Professor Scherr is Senior-Professor at the University of Education Freiburg, Germany, and a Research Fellow at the University of the Free State, South Africa. He serves as editor of two German-language social science journals and as a peer reviewer for international academic journals. As primary supervisor, he has successfully supervised 25 doctoral candidates to the completion of their PhD degrees
Schedule
Monday, July 20, 16:00 – 20:00 CET
Monday, September 7, 14, 21, 28, 16:00 – 20:00 CET
Format
☐ In-person
☐ Hybrid
☒ Virtual: ☒ Synchronous ☐ Asynchronous
Target Audience
☒ Doctoral researchers (PhD candidates)
☐ Postdoctoral researchers (Postdocs)
☐ Habilitation candidates
☐ Junior Professors and Tenure-Track Professors
Learning Outcomes
The sessions will improve the following key research skills of students:
– Understand the strengths and limitations of qualitative research.
– Understand the major methodologies and methods of qualitative research.
– Understand methods of data collection and data analysis in qualitative research.