About the department

The Department of Sociology dates back to 1959, when a Sociology Group was added to the Department of Philosophy. These were the first undergraduate studies in sociology not just in Serbia but in the whole former Yugoslavia. The Group subsequently grew into a Chair, within a joint Department of Philosophy and Sociology, and in 1990 a separate Department of Sociology was finally established.

The first lecturers were prominent representatives of early Yugoslav and Serbian sociology, founders of key areas of sociological study in Serbia. Later generations of Department members, notable sociologists often of international renown, were building upon this legacy by continuously updating, expanding and enriching how they teach and do research. For instance, the Department of Sociology was among the first to introduce, even before the incorporation of the Bologna Process into Serbian higher education, a radically restructured curriculum that followed the same principles, emphasizing one-semester courses and a large share of electives. In addition to its commitment to high academic quality, since the 1960 the Department of Sociology has been cherishing a spirit of critique and resistance to authoritarian encroachments on academic and other freedoms. Thanks to its long tradition, diverse and dynamic current activities, and strong presence on the international academic scene, the Department continues to be the central sociological institution in the country.

Additionally, the Institute of Sociological research, https://isi.f.bg.ac.rs/", the Department's research unit, was established in 1972. Among its many and varied empirical studies, the Institute’s trademark has been continuous monitoring of changes in Serbia's social structure with the help of large-scale survey studies on nationally representative samples, conducted every couple of years between the 1970s and the 2010s. The Institute and Department regularly organize national and international conferences and other academic events (summer schools, workshops, trainings, panel discussions, book talks, public lectures). The Institute's publishing output counts over 130 books so far – monographs, collective volumes, and conference proceedings. Besides, the Institute is currently a co-publisher of Sociologija, the best ranking and most cited sociological journal in Serbia (originally launched in 1959).

Several members of the Department have been elected presidents of professional associations (the Serbian Sociological Society and the Sociological Scientific Society of Serbia), while active membership and participation in working bodies of the European Sociological Association and the International Sociological Association attests to strong international networking. Likewise, two deans of the Faculty of Philsophy, as well as the first female rector of the University of Belgrade (Prof. Marija Bogdanović, 2000-2004), have hailed from the Department of Sociology.

Nowadays, the Department comprises some thirty teachers, a dozen research assistants and research fellows, one coordinator, and two librarians. Sociology is taught at three academic levels – undergraduate, MA, and PhD, with over six hundred enrolled students altogether. The undergraduate curriculum, while undergoing regular adaptations and innovations through accreditation cycles, retains the basic structure combining foundations of sociological knowledge (general sociology, research methods, history of sociological thought) along with courses from neighboring disciplines (history, anthropology, economics, statistics), followed by sociologies of particular social spheres (urban, rural, religion, family, work, culture, politics, and other), and finally a wide range of specific, thematically defined optional courses, facilitating specialization in a particular area. Apart from providing in-depth theoretical knowledge, attention is also paid to developing practical skills through methodological training, sociological practicum, and involvement in ISI’s research projects.

In this way the students are equipped with a broad education and an ability to think critically and apply knowledge independently, which gives them a sound basis, and at the same time the necessary flexibility, to pursue a variety of professional paths. Sociology graduates thus find their place in a wide range of occupations in different sectors – from secondary education and universities, academic or applied research, through state institutions, non-governmental organizations, media, marketing, to corporations and private entrepreneurship.