Institutional

The Graduate Program in Social Sciences (PPGCS) is based on the contribution between different fields of knowledge, offering an interdisciplinary work and research environment, organized in Lines of Research. The PPGCS brings together a teaching staff composed of professors originating not only from the different Departments of the Institute of Philosophy and Human Sciences (IFCH), but also from other Institutes, Centers and Nuclei at UNICAMP and even from other universities. The organization in Lines of Research is based on the epistemological conception according to which interdisciplinarity is produced in the academic exercise – at the practical and theoretical level – of establishing problematic fields for research from different perspectives.

The interdisciplinary nature of the Course is clearly expressed in its curriculum, which is structured around the Compulsory Subjects, which are prerequisites for taking the Qualification Exam, and the Elective Subjects, which can be taken throughout the period of the course.

The Compulsory Subjects have an emphasis on interdisciplinarity and aim to offer a common basic training, under four modes: one subject aimed at the theoretical and methodological issues involved in the construction of the research object and its approach strategies in Social Sciences (Theory and Methodology Seminar); one subject aimed at the empirical, theoretical and methodological bases of the specific Line of Research and its relationship with the broader framework of Social Theories (Fundamental Subjects); and two subjects dedicated to the discussion of the thesis work process: for the consolidation of the project (Project Seminar) and discussion of the first results of the thesis, with a view to the qualification stage (Thesis Seminar). Seminar subjects are taught collectively by the program’s faculty, with the professor responsible for their curatorship and evaluation. The Theory and Methodology Seminar and the Project Seminar must be held in the semester of entry into the course, due to their formative character and class composition. The Project Seminar is a prerequisite for the Thesis Seminar.

The presence of Academic Activities (I and II) in the block of Compulsory Subjects reinforces the concept that student participation in the academic life of PPGCS and IFCH is a key part of the interdisciplinary training intended by the Course. The Academic Activities I subject is a prerequisite for Academic Activities II. Elective Subjects include Advanced Topics, Guided Readings, and Fundamental Subjects. The two or more Fundamental Subjects of each Line of Research are offered alternately throughout the student’s years of study and the completion of at least one of them is a prerequisite for the Qualification Exam.

Common Compulsory Subjects:

1 – (CS664) Theory and Methodology Seminar – This seminar is compulsory for all incoming doctoral students and is organized around the discussion of texts, topics , problems and experiences that are crucial to the research process in Social Sciences. The subject will seek to cover two dimensions: the experiential dimension, which addresses the process of construction of research and its dilemmas of inclusion and exclusion, approximation, and distance, which translate into topics related to ethical and political choices and options for selecting the theoretical and analytical object, among others; and the conceptual dimension, in which the emphasis falls on how the choice of methodological strategies for research can be translated through the relationship between conceptual aspects that are classic in Social Sciences but are always revisited, such as micro and macro; qualitative and quantitative; structure and action; inequality and difference; and objectivity and subjectivity, among others.

2 – (CS665 and CS666) Academic Activities I and II – Proven extracurricular activities that reflect engagement in the academic life of the Graduate Program in Social Sciences (PPGCS) and the Institute of Philosophy and Human Sciences (IFCH), such as participation in seminars, organization of events, internships in research centers and nuclei, etc. The current dynamics of the subject and the documents proving participation in events are described below in the item Academic Activities I and II (CS665 and CS666).

Compulsory Subjects by Line:
1 – (CS662) Project Seminar – This seminar is organized around the discussion of the research projects of doctoral students, emphasis given on the object’s outline, the definition of methodologies and the theoretical framework faced in individual research.
2 – Fundamental Subjects – The two or more Fundamental Subjects of each Line of Research are offered alternately throughout the student’s years of completion and the completion of at least one of them is a prerequisite for the Qualification Exam.
3 – (CS663) Thesis Seminar – This seminar is organized around the discussion of the first results the thesis work of doctoral students, in view of the qualification stage, emphasizing the consolidation of the object’s outline, the definition of methodologies, and the theoretical framework faced in individual research.
Elective Subjects:
1 – Topics – Topical subjects have their program defined according to the research topics developed by the professors responsible for the subject, following their research interests and debate.
2 – Directed Reading – Directed Reading subjects are defined based on a text reading program established according to the research interests of the professors responsible for the subject and the participating students.

Credits

Students approved in PPGCS must obtain the total of 20 credits:
- Theory and Methodology Seminar (CS664) and Project Seminar (CS662) in the 1st semester of the course;
- Thesis Seminar (CS663) in the 3rd semester of the course;
- Fundamental and Academic Activities (CS665 and CS666) between the 1st and 4th semesters.
- Two electives along the course, before the thesis defense. One must be within the Line of Research.
Academic Activities I and II (CS665 and CS666)
The CS665 – Academic Activities I subject can be taken from the first semester of the course, its approval being a prerequisite for enrollment in the CS666 – Academic Activities II subject. Enrollment is normally carried out through the DAC system.
The credits and semiannual approval for Academic Activities I and II will be obtained through the submission of forms for participation in FIVE events held within the scope of UNICAMP.
Compliance with these subjects is a prerequisite for the qualification exam.

Proficiency

The student must demonstrate proficiency in English and at least one other foreign language. It is mandatory to present proof of mastery in English before the interview phase of the selection process, while the second document must be submitted before the qualification exam.
Failure to present proof of mastery in the 1st language by the agreed date may be an impediment to enrollment in the second semester.
PPGCS accepts as a foreign language: German, French, English, Spanish, Italian, and Chinese/Mandarin.
Documents accepted will include (a) completion certificates of language courses recognized by the Brazilian Ministry of Education (MEC), valid for up to five years; (b) internationally recognized proficiency certificates: TOEFL, TOEIC, CAMBRIDGE, IELTS, DELF, DALF, DELE, GOETHE, CELI, and CILS; and (c) the CEL certificate of proficiency of UNICAMP.

Qualification Exam

The fulfillment of 14 credits, referring to the subjects (CS664) Theory and Methodology Seminar, (CS662) Project Seminar, (CS663) Thesis Seminar, Fundamental Subject and (CS665 and CS666) Academic Activities I and II is a prerequisite for the Qualification Exam.

Deadlines

The deadlines established by the PPGCS are:
Scholarship Holder: 26 and 48 months for qualification and defense, respectively.
Non-Scholarship Holder: 32 and 61 months for qualification and defense, respectively.
The payment period for all students is 61 months.
The deadline for requesting recontinuation is 12 months, after discontinuation of the Course.