The Postgraduate Program in Sociology (PPGS) at the Federal University of Pelotas (UFPel) is a result of the transformation of the then Postgraduate Program in Social Science (PPGCS) into three different programs. 2010 marked the creation of the Postgraduate Program in Political Science, and 2011, of the Postgraduate Program in Anthropology. A further step of this process was to consolidate the creation and constitution of the Postgraduate Program in Sociology, which intends to contribute, both regionally and statewide, to the development of research and teaching in this specific field of knowledge.
The Postgraduate Program in Sociology was authorized in September, 2012 by Capes (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel), relying on a qualified teaching staff in the field of sociology and a variety of specific lines of research that include themes such as cities, the State, knowledge in current society, development, work, and the environment.
The PPGS was born as a consequence of the growth in social sciences in the city of Pelotas and its surroundings. It is a consensus among the various university actors that have taken part in this process that the creation of new postgraduate courses in different areas of the social sciences have had a multiplying effect of this field of knowledge in a broad sense, from which both the university and the community as a whole have benefitted. Therefore, a new path has been opened at the Federal University of Pelotas, while still recognizing its origins in the Postgraduate Program in Social Science. In this sense, the objectives defined by the PPGCS at the time of its creation have become naturally a part of the PPGS, now focused in the area of sociology. This is why we present the following brief history of the PPGCS and the objectives that have guided it.
The history of the Postgraduate Program in Social Science
The Postgraduate Program in Social Science had its operation authorized by Capes in 2006. It began with an interdisciplinary proposition, contemplating diverse areas of social knowledge. This is due to various factors, such as:
a) an academic space favorable to the creation of an interdisciplinary masters program;
b) the need for scientists with solid theoretical and methodological training in the field of social science for regional development;
c) meeting the needs of undergraduate students from multiple courses (social science, history, geography, law, administration etc.), from multiple colleges and universities in the region and state. The Program trains professionals who, mastering contemporary social science (both Brazilian and international), have been capable of performing research activities according to local social and cultural particularities.
The objectives defined by the PPGS
a) to promote and advise on academic papers about Brazilian and Latin-American society from the perspective of the Social Sciences;
b) to consolidate the constitution of interdisciplinary research groups, anchored in the disciplines of Social Science and its related areas, capable of planning and developing investigation projects, integrating professors and students in order to analyze the different social processes at local, regional, national and international levels;
c) to broaden the capacity of academic training for graduate students, providing conditions for their professional improvement and for the development of scientific production in the field of Social Science; and
d) to contribute to the development of a fair and compassionate society, based on mutual respect and on the consolidation of democratic institutions, and to train professionals with high ethical values, aware of their role in promoting scientific knowledge as an instrument of development for the whole of society.
Sources of funding
Every year, the PPGS obtains scholarships — provided by the funding agencies CNPq (National Counsel of Technological and Scientific Development), Capes and FAPERGS (Research Support Foundation of Rio Grande do Sul) — for its students. It also holds resources from Capes’ Postgraduate Support Program (Proap) to support academic activities. Currently it relies on resources from the Procad (National Program of Academic Cooperation)/Casadinhos Program, in partnership with the Postgraduate Program in Sociology at UFRGS (Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul). It also receives resources from the National Postdoctoral Program (PNPD), with two scholarships for professors recently graduated from doctoral programs for a period of three years, renewable for two years. Besides the post-doctoral scholarships, PNPD provides financial resources for equipment and materials.
PPGS Coordination
e-mail: ppgsoc.ufpel@gmail.com
PPGS Chair: Profª. Drª. Elaine da Silveira Leite
e-mail: elaineleite10@gmail.com
PPGS Vice-Chair: Prof. Dr. Marcus Vinícius Spolle
e-mail: sociomarcus@gmail.com
