Programme and General Information

The general programme for the 28th edition of the Summer School has now been finalised. Details can be found below:

 

Preliminary workshops Dates vary; see below    
Registration (In-person participants only) Friday, 9th of August 9-10 am Outside the entrance to the Main Building, under the concrete roof
  Day 1: Thursday, 8th August or Friday, 9th of August (depending on the workshop)

8.30 am - 6 pm (the exact times will be confirmed by the instructors)

Online or in a classroom
  Day 2 and 3: Friday, 9th August or Saturday, 10th of August (depending on the workshop)

8.30 am - 6 pm (the exact times will be confirmed by the instructors)

Online or in a classroom
Social evening Friday, 9th of August 7 pm Bar Al Lido. No sign-up necessary. See social programme for more details.
Excursion Carona to Morcote Sunday, 11th of August 10 am - afternoon

Sign-up required. Meeting point: Lugano Centre (bus station), Stop S. See social programme for more details.

Workshops Week 1 Monday, 12th of August  

 

Registration (coffee will be served)   8.30 am - 9 am Outside the entrance to the Main Building, under the concrete roof
Welcome talk   9 - 9.30 am Auditorium, third floor, Main Building
Teaching   9.45 am - 6 pm Online or in a classroom
  From Tuesday, 13th to Friday, 16th of August, Teaching 8.30 am - 6 pm Online or in a classroom
Summer School Dinner Tuesday, 13th August 7 pm - 10.30 pm Ristorante Panoramico Vetta on Monte Bré. Registration Required. See social programme for more details.
Social evening Friday, 16th of August 7 pm Bar Al Lido. No sign-up necessary. See social programme for more details.
Excursion to Monte Lema Sunday, 18th of August 10am - afternoon Sign-up required. Meeting point: Lugano FLP (train station). See social programme for more details.
Workshops Week 2 Monday, 19th of August

 

 
Registration (coffee will be served)   8.30 am - 9 am Outside the entrance to the Main Building, under the concrete roof
Welcome talk    9 - 9.30 am Outside the entrance to the Main Building, under the concrete roof
Teaching   9.45 am - 6 pm Online or in a classroom
  From Tuesday, 20th to Friday, 23th of August, Teaching 8.30 am - 6 pm Online or in a classroom
Summer School Dinner Tuesday, 20th of August 7 pm - 10.30 pm Ristorante Panoramico Vetta on Monte Bré. Registration Required. See social programme for more details.

Daily schedules are specific to each workshop; the instructor will inform you at the beginning of the workshop.

 

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  • Location

    The Summer School is located at the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), Lugano Campus (within walking distance from Lugano train station and city centre).

  • Workshops

    The Summer School runs for two consecutive weeks, preceded by optional 2/3 day preparatory workshops taught on Thursday/Friday and Saturday before the first week of regular workshops. During each of the two weeks of Summer School, there will be several full-time parallel workshops on both quantitative and qualitative methods.

    Each regular workshop runs from Monday through Friday (from 8.30 am through 6 pm), with an average effective teaching time of 7½ to 8 hours per day, i.e. a total of up to 35-40 hours for each workshop. Exceptionally, Monday lectures start at 9.30 am after the Welcome Coffee (9.00 - 9.30 am).

    All workshops will be oriented towards practical applications and spend roughly half of their time on applied work and exercises (many workshops will make use of computer software); there will be ample time to discuss and try to solve problems related to your personal research with the instructors and fellow participants. Participants are encouraged to work on their own data and research problems to get the most out of the Summer School experience.

    Instructors are renowned specialists and experienced teachers in their respective fields.

  • How to register?

    Register by filling-in the on-line registration form. Registration is conditional until you have paid the Summer School fees (within 30 days of invoice receipt).

    If you applied for the reduced (student) fee, a copy of an official document stating your student status is required to complete your registration. Registration is on a first-come-first-serve basis.

    Limited number of places: To guarantee optimal learning conditions, the number of available places per workshop is limited (typically 12-17 for workshops taught by the instructor alone, up to 22-27 when taught by an instructor and teaching assistant or co-teacher).
    Registrants beyond the maximum number of participants will be placed on a waiting list and informed as soon as a place becomes available. If the waiting list grows too long, registration for that workshop will be closed.

    Minimum number of participants: Workshops may be canceled if there are not enough confirmed participants (fewer than 8) by June 16th. If this happens, you will be notified by e-mail, and the paid fees will be reimbursed. Alternatively, if you prefer, you can choose to attend one of the other workshops (unless they are fully booked).
     

    Registration deadline

    Registrations will close on the 14th of July 2024

    Please consider the following:

    1. The number of participants per workshop is limited; some workshops are very popular, so please register as early as possible.
    2. Workshop fees have to be paid in advance, and registration is final only after the receipt of your payment.
    3. Decently priced accommodation is difficult to find at the very last minute.

     

  • Who can attend?

    Although many participants are (PhD) students or researchers, there are no formal requirements, anyone can attend. Of course, motivation to learn more about social science methods is essential.

  • Teaching language

    The language in all workshops and lectures will be English, therefore active and passive command of English is expected.

  • Fees

    The Summer School is funded through participant’s fees:

    There are different kinds of fees*:

    In-presence workshops

    • Reduced fee: 700 Swiss Francs per weekly workshop for students (requires proof of student status).
    • Normal fee: 1100 Swiss Francs per weekly workshop for all others.

    Online workshops

    • Reduced fee: 600 Swiss Francs per weekly workshop for students (requires proof of student status).
    • Normal fee: 1000 Swiss Francs per weekly workshop for all others.

    USI students:

    • USI students: the fee is covered by USI.

    *These fees also include participation in one of the preliminary workshops (a 2/3-day workshop preceding the Summer School). The registration fee for the Preliminary workshop booked on its own is 200 CHF.

    Payments

    With the Online payment, you will receive a confirmation by e-mail as soon as you complete the payment.

    If you pay by bank transfer, you will receive an invoice by e-mail (within two weeks from the date of registration).

    Important: Your registration is conditional until the fee has been fully paid. Your payment is due within 30 days of receiving the invoice. If you don't complete the payment within this time, your application will be cancelled, and your place will be offered to the first person on the waiting list.

    If you apply late (July or later), make sure that the payment is made a week before the Summer School starts at the very latest. If you register late, send a copy of the proof of payment to the Summer School to make sure that your payment is recorded without delay.

    Reduced Fee

    To qualify for the reduced fee, you are required to send a copy of an official document that certifies your current student status or a letter from your supervisor stating your actual position as a doctoral or postdoctoral researcher. Send this letter/document via e-mail to [email protected].

  • Certificate of participation

    Upon successful completion of a workshop, you will receive a Certificate of Participation via email, attesting to the active presence of the participant during the five days of each workshop. Partial presence will be noted on the Certificate. Unfortunately, no certificate will be awarded to participants who have attended a workshop for less than three days or who have not submitted the final assignment (if requested by the instructor). For the Preliminary Workshop, a Certificate of Participation is only delivered on request. Every day your instructor will circulate a register; make sure to sign it every morning or evening, attesting to your presence.

  • ECTS credits

    If you consider using the Summer School workshops to obtain credits (ECTS), you will have to investigate at your home institution to find out whether they recognise the Summer School, how many credits can be earned for a workshop/course with roughly 35 hours of teaching, no graded work, and no exams. We only deliver a Certificate of Participation, i.e. we certify your presence. Make sure to investigate this matter before registering if this is important to you.

Group of summer school participants at the Networking Apèro at Lido di Lugano