Thesis

You study BA JoKo, or MA KoDi and you would like to write your thesis in the summer semester 2024 at one of the chairs of the Department of Communication Studies (Prof. Hahn, Prof. Hohlfeld, Prof. Knieper, Prof. Schmid-Petri and Prof. Töpfl)?

Then please note the following procedure:
In advance, please read the research focuses – the chair only accept supervision for bachelor or master theses concerned with topics that correspond to their consulting and supervision competence and do not exceed their capacities. The focuses can be found on the website and on the list of themes.

Register your supervision request in the registration period 04.09.2023 - 04.01.2024 by means of an entry in the Stud.IP events.

100 Abschlussarbeiten am Lehrstuhl für Digitale und Strategische Kommunikation im SoSe 2024
200 Abschlussarbeiten am Lehrstuhl für Kommunikationswissenschaft im SoSe 2024
300 Abschlussarbeiten am Lehrstuhl für Wissenschaftskommunikation im SoSe 2024
400 Abschlussarbeiten an der Professur für Journalistik im SoSe 2024
500 Abschlussarbeiten am Lehrstuhl für Politische Kommunikation mit Schwerpunkt auf Osteuropa und die postsowjetische Region
SoSe 2024

Please note the following dates:

04.09.2023 - 04.01.2024
Entry in the course of the desired chair. Please state your priorities in order to be sure to get a supervision place at one of the chairs of the department.

If you have indicated Prio 1 for a supervisor, please inform the corresponding secretariat of your topic preference.

An entry after 04.01.2024 is not possible, in other words, you cannot expect a supervision place at any of the chairs in the summer semester.

05.01. – 12.01.2024
Selection of candidates according to priority and topic preference.

15.01.2024
Automatic allocation of places by Stud.IP. If there is no longer any supervision capacity at the chosen chair, you will be assigned to the chair with the next priority. If you do not specify any priorities, you will be given a supervision place by lottery.

Initial discussions will follow, dates will be communicated.

Registration of the thesis in the examination office in consultation with your supervisor (approx. 15.05.2024).
Registration in the exam seminar is not yet necessary. You don't have to attend the exam seminar until the summer semester 2024.

Topics

Generally, the Chair of Political Communication with a Focus on Eastern Europe and the Post-Soviet Region only accepts supervising bachelor or master theses on topics that correspond to its consulting and supervision competence and fit in the capacities.

Including:

Science Communication (e.g. the investigation of communication about scientific topics online or offline, investigation of reporting on scientific topics online or offline, the communication of scientific actors to different target groups online or offline, the effect of scientific communication on different target groups, mediation of scientific content to the society, politicisation/instrumentalisation of science in political debates such as the climate change debate, …)
Political Communication (e.g. election campaign communication, media coverage of political campaigns, communication of political actors online or offline, (strategic) communication of civic actors/groups online or offline, media coverage of political topics online or offline, effects of political media coverage online or offline, war reporting, media coverage of terrorism, refugee debate online or offline, …)
Online Communication / Online Research (e.g. communication or discussion about certain topics on social media, activity/strategy of certain groups online, Blogs/Blogger, …)
Media reception, use and effects

Please only request appropriate topics within the chair's fields of expertise.

Please do not ask for a thesis, that implements cooperation with an enterprise. The chair does not supervise those.

Detailed Information about the Registration Procedure

To your first briefing, please bring a concrete research question you want to examine within your work. The chair principally refuses to be involved in formulating a concrete question, i.e. we cannot accept requests of a general nature such as “I want to write something about sport journalism” or “Preferably something with campaigning”.

After the first meeting, the candidates prepare a short exposé (circa 2 to 4 pages long). Based on this short exposé, that has to be handed in prior to the next meeting, the candidate can officially be registered. In general, you should factor in four to eight weeks for the meeting(s) and exposé prior to the registration. Requests at short notice cannot be taken into consideration.

Preparation: Development of topic idea(s) and possible methodological approaches
Objectives of the meeting:
- Discussion of your topic idea(s)
- Development of guidelines for the implementation of one of these ideas
- Agreement on a topic and a methodological approach, which you will formulate in the exposé prior to registration

The exposé should be two to four pages long and comprises the following sections in written form:

Background of the question, short introduction into the topic, if possible with a specific example
Concrete research question that is formulated as a question
A justification of your question's relevancy (why is it necessary, from a scientific and social point of view, to deal with this question? Who can use the results in what way?)
Possible theoretical foundations from the field of communication science
A brief literature review
Briefly: intended methodology

Please additionally hand in:

Commented chapter outline that shows the planned structure of your thesis
Time schedule: what should be prepared when? When should the different parts be finished? When to conduct the data collection?

If the exposé is accepted, you can officially register the thesis. Further steps will be discussed in the research colloquium.

Form & Terms of Submission

The thesis has to be handed in as a printed version in a hardcover (no spiral binding) and additionally as a digital version (labelled CD/DVD, glued in) in duplicate at the Examinations Office.

In addition, a further, third printed version and the corresponding declaration of consent can be submitted to the office of the Chair of Political Communication with a Focus on Eastern Europe and the Post-Soviet Region. This copy will be made public in the library of the University of Passau.

The Guideline for Scientific Work (German) comprises all formal requirements.