The research unit (AB) Sociology of Media and Theory of Society offers a wide range of topics that can be dealt with in the course of a final thesis (BA and MA). The list below serves as an orientation guide for students who wish to write a final thesis in the AB. It also clarifies which supervisors are suitable for your thesis.
Please also note the following instructions.

If you would like to write a final thesis in the research unit Sociology of Media and Theory of Society, please announce your intention one semester before the planned registration of your thesis with a research proposal (→ Template 1 and Template 2 ).

in the case of a bachelor's thesis with Mr. Mölders
in the case of a master's thesis with Mr. Dickel

If you already have another supervisor in mind from among the AB employees, you can also add them to the CC of the email. We will then check whether a final thesis is feasible with us and how we can arrange the supervision constellation if necessary. This depends on our capacities and the fit of the topic to our research unit. The prerequisite for supervision by Mr. Mölders is prior participation in one of his courses. You can use these templates as a guide when preparing your research proposal.

After consultation with your supervisor, register your thesis at the examination office FB 02.

The work on the topic will be accompanied by a colloquium at the research unit. Please log in via Jogustine in due time: In the case of a bachelor's thesis in the “Kolloquium: BA-Kolloquium (AB Dickel)”, in the case of a master's thesis in the “Kolloquium: Medien und Gesellschaft: Masterarbeiten und Dissertationen (AB Dickel)”. Please plan to discuss your work on at least one of the colloquium dates. The basis for discussion is your research proposal as well as any chapters and data material you have written. Texts that are of particular relevance to your project can also be included.

Once your final thesis (MA/BA) has been assessed, an oral examination will take place. This must again be registred at the examination office FB 02. The information provided by the Examination Office FB 02 or the current examination regulations is binding.

You can work on a topic of your choice. However, please consider the context of the course you are taking. Please note the following instructions.

To successfully register your term paper, you must log in to Jogustine during the exam registration phase and then send a short email to our office stating that you are interested in writing a term paper in the seminar in question in our research unit.

The examination in the form of a term paper does not have to be taken in the same semester in which the course was taken. This means that you only have to log in your term paper if you are actually going to take it.

Be sure to consult with the lecturer before writing your term paper. If you have any questions while writing your paper, you can also make use of a consultation hour.

Unless otherwise communicated, upload the term paper as a PDF in the folder provided for this purpose in the course of LMS. Do not forget the signed declaration of independence.

The AB Sociology of Media and Theory of Society offers the following thematic blocks as orientation aids. Examples are listed for each focus.

Systems theory
Pragmatic differentiation theory (translation theory)
Theories of multiple differentiation
Evolutionary institutionalism
Human differentiation
Modes of existence (ANT)
Possible supervisors: Claudia Göbel, Kathrin Lutz, Sascha Dickel, Marc Mölders

Infrastructures (keyboard, office chair, screen, controller) in the context of digital gaming practices
Media comparisons between digital and/or analog items (books, newspapers; series, films; cinema, home cinema)
Time and the future in digital games
Categorization processes (robot, cyborg, alien, human, man, child, senior) in digital games
Possible supervisors: Marcel Thiel-Woznica, Benjamin Doubali, Sascha Dickel

Trans- and posthumanism
Categorizations of technically modified bodies
Instagram representations of body modifications and the negotiation of the boundaries of the human(example)
Depiction of AI (robots, algorithms, autonomous vehicles, ...) in the items (e.g. Films, advertising)
Use of AI in media-related appointments (such as journalism)
Communication with machines (avatars, Alexa, ChatGPT, robots, computers, smartphones, etc.)
Possible supervisors: Toni Garbe, Marcel Thiel-Woznica, Kathrin Lutz, Sascha Dickel, Kimberly Schlüter

Future ideas and imagination of new media and technologies
Media of the imaginary (literature, Film, games)
Producing the future (practices of spokesperson, writing, prototyping, ...)
Possible supervisors: Kathrin Lutz, Marcel Thiel-Woznica, Benjamin Doubali, Sascha Dickel, Kimberly Schlüter

Transformation work on society, for example towards greater sustainability
Imaginations of sustainability (implied forms of social change, social inequality, human-nature relationship)
Influence of sustainability efforts on transformation processes
Social transformation as an organizational task
Transformation of and in a differentiated society
Possible supervisors: Kathrin Lutz, Marc Mölders

Influence of digital media on organizations. Potential objects of investigation can be press releases, interviews, reports in journalism (image, sound, text), advertising (and much more)
Digitization of and in organizations (e.g. industry, public administration, civil society organizations)
Possible supervisors: Benjamin Doubali, Claudia Göbel, Marc Mölders

Presentation and communication of science in the media (novels, films, news, documentaries, social media, ...)
Participation of citizens (establishing and structuring participation through digital technologies, establishing and changing participation formats, methods of participatory research)
Organizations and infrastructures of research and scientific publication
Internal public spheres: media change and internal scientific communication (datafication, open science)
External publics: Relationships between science and politics, business, health, etc.
Possible supervisors: Claudia Göbel, Sascha Dickel

Social function of journalism (especially investigative journalism)
Changing conditions for journalism due to digitalization (especially investigative journalism)
Journalism as a social control authority
Journalistic organizations
Possible supervisors: Toni Garbe, Marc Mölders

(New) Media as an object and subject of regulation
(New) Media as a regulatory instrument and vehicle
(New) Media as a sensational (fourth, fifth, etc.) force
(New) Media and the handling of major social problems
Media and civil society organizations
Possible supervisors: Marc Mölders, Sascha Dickel

Investigation of the communication structures and/or affordances of specific platforms/apps (e.g. Spotify, Wikipedia, LinkedIn, TikTok)
Communication change through digital platforms
Governance of and in platforms
Social media and human differentiation
Social media and fake news and disinformation, hate speech and conflicts
Infrastructures and interfaces of digital communication
Possible supervisors: Kathrin Lutz, Claudia Göbel, Sascha Dickel, Marc Mölders, Kimberly Schlüter

Links and further information

Research proposal templates for final theses

AB.DICKEL.Templates.Exposé.1 Download

AB.DICKEL.Templates.Exposé.2 Download

Guidelines for writing term papers Download

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