The Chair of Sociology at the Department of Architecture of ETH Zurich focuses on the relationship between architecture and social change. Sociology was established in 1961, when the renowned Basel sociologist and economist Lucius Burckhardt took up his first teaching position at the department. From 2001 to 2010, Christina Schumacher and Christian Schmid headed the lectureship, and since 2010 Christian Schmid has been the sole holder of the Chair as titular professor.
The Chair of Sociology develops analytical and empirical foundations for teaching and research, and provides extensive expertise in urban and spatial theory as well as a wide range of social science methods. The theoretical and methodological orientation is transdisciplinary and practice-oriented, tailored to the specific needs of architecture and urban design.
The teaching aims to give students the ability to understand architecture and urban design in their overall social context and to provide them with an introduction to social science methods. Sociology is present in courses from the first semester onwards in all phases of the programme up to the Master’s theses. It is also involved in several Masters of Advanced Studies (MAS) programmes.
Research focuses on the study of everyday life and urban transformation in the Zurich metropolitan region and, at a global level, on transdisciplinary research into urbanisation processes in a comparative perspective. Important research projects have included the investigation of urban qualities in the Zurich region, the comparative analysis of urbanisation processes in Tokyo, Singapore, the Pearl River Delta, Kolkata, Lagos, Istanbul, Paris, Mexico City and Los Angeles, and the investigation of processes of extended urbanisation in various territories around the globe.