The Department of Sociology of Social Change is a continuation of the Department of Interest Groups, established in 2004. Researchers gathered in the Department are interested in the mechanism of social change taking place in the modern world, especially in Poland. Research is carried out on the changes resulting from technological development (Krzysztof Pietrowicz, Piotr Stankiewicz), the development of new economic institutions (Joanna Szalacha-Jarmużek, Andrzej Meler), as well as the functioning of mass media (Radosław Sojak, Andrzej Meler).
An important point of reference for the employees of the Department is also the analysis of the behind-the-scenes dimensions of social life. Furthermore, research is conducted on social science methodology and on the theoretical foundations of sociology.
In the context of mass media research, it is worth adding that the Department has integrated the Laboratory of Media Studies, established in 2017, whose aim was to conduct research on the quality of public discourse in media and its impact on the quality of democracy in Poland. In connection with this, an important project, currently implemented under the supervision of the Department’s employees, is the “Public Discourse Monitoring Center.”