About the Institute
The origins of sociology in Rzeszów date back to 1968, when the Department of Social and Historical Sciences was established at the former Pedagogical University of Rzeszow. This state of affairs lasted until 1981, when the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Pedagogical University of Rzeszow was established on the basis of the inter-faculty Department of Social Sciences, and in 1982 a new field of study was launched - social sciences. The sociology major was launched in the academic year 1992/1993 with specializations: social work, local government work and social, political and cultural problems of the borderland. There were three departments within the Institute - the Department of Sociology, the Department of Philosophy and the Department of Social and Economic Thought.
On October 1, 1996, an independent Institute of Sociology was separated from the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, which was the next stage in the development of sociology in Rzeszów. In the academic year 2008/2009, the Institute of Sociology consisted of eight research units headed by independent researchers: Department of City and Regional Sociology, Department of Large Social Structures, Department of Rural and Agricultural Sociology, Department of Cultural Anthropology, Department of Territorial Collectivities, Department of Social Policy and Ethics, Department of Eastern Studies and Department of General Sociology.
In the succeeding years, the structure of the Institute of Sociology underwent further transformations. The Department of Rural and Agricultural Sociology, the Department of Eastern Studies, the Department of Large Social Structures and the Department of City and Regional Sociology were closed down and in their place the following departments were established: Department of Sociology of Organization and Management (2012), the Department of Sociology of Social Problems (2012) and the Department of Central European Studies ( 2016). In the academic year 2018/19, there were 6 departments at the Institute of Sociology headed by professors: Department of Sociology of Organization and Management, Department of Sociology of Social Problems and Family (until 2018, Department of Sociology of Social Problems), Department of Cultural Anthropology, Department of Social Policy and Social Work (until 2010, Department of Social Policy and Ethics), Department of Urban Sociology and Territorial Collectivities (until 2015, Department of Territorial Collectivities) and Department of Central European Studies.
In the academic year 2019/2020, due to the reorganization of the structure of the University of Rzeszów, the Institute of Sociology was transformed into the Institute of Sociological Studies and became a part of the structure of the College of Social Sciences. Currently, it consists of four departments: Department of Sociology of Organization and Regional Development, Department of Sociology of Family and Social Problems, Department of Social Work and Department of Social Policy. Institute of Sociological Studies employs 26 full-time research and teaching staff who conduct classes in the fields of sociology and social work.
dr hab. ks. Witold Jedynak, prof. UR. is the Head of the Institute
The Institute of Sociological Studies occupies a total area of 930 square meters located in the A1 building at 16C Rejtana Street. The premises include 2 lecture halls, 3 classrooms, 2 specialized research laboratories (FGI and CATI), and 1 computer laboratory. The room used for employee meetings is also the library of the institute.