In the project seminar, students acquire practical skills in qualitative research while also exploring issues related to civil society and civic engagement. The focus is on the independent development and implementation of small-scale research projects, in which students formulate their own research questions and apply appropriate methods. Particular emphasis is placed on linking academic learning with social practice: through dialogue with civil society actors, students gain insights into real-world contexts and can situate their research within a concrete framework. The results are presented and discussed collectively during a final workshop, thereby fostering a dialogue-oriented transfer of knowledge.

The “Social Movement Studies” seminar combines an introduction to key theories and concepts related to social movements with an integrated, practice-oriented research workshop. In the first part of the seminar, students explore both classical and contemporary approaches in social movement studies. Building on the relevance of social movements for social change, various theoretical perspectives and a wide range of empirical examples are discussed. This provides a broad overview of the forms, dynamics, and expressions of collective action in different contexts. The second, closely integrated part of the seminar is structured as a research workshop. Here, students develop their own research projects with a focus on (digital) activism. They formulate independent research questions, select appropriate methodological approaches, and work with different types of data from online and offline contexts. This process is supported by structured work phases and feedback formats that foster the development of independent research profiles.

Civic Lab publishes its own report series called "Civic Lab Working Paper Series". All individual working papers can be found below, each with its corresponding access link:

• von Hollen-Pierobon, C., Antypenko, V., Birkmann, E., Hoang, P. N., Rentmeister, Z., & Usenova, E. (2026, April). "Universities at the edge of civic space: Civic engagement through student-led research on civil society". Civic Lab Working Paper Series, Working Paper No. 1. DOI: 10.35096/othr/pub-9041
  Full text: https://opus4.kobv.de/opus4-oth-regensburg/frontdoor/deliver/index/docId/9041/file/Civic_Lab_WP1.pdf