EN
This article is an attempt to answer the question of how research institutions influence the type of sociological research and teaching in sociology departments in Poland. Research institutions are indispensable for the development of social science. Even the most minimal cooperation between amateurs requires the creation of scientific institutions. The more any given discipline is institutionalized the more likely it is that the researchers working within the institution participate in national and not international investigations. Up until the time when Polish departments of sociology were organized, Polish sociologists had participated in the European community of sociologists while Polish sociology was developing very slowly. After the creation of Polish institutions, sociology has been developing within the framework of scientific institutions. After the transition of the political system, sociology also changed. It was not because of changes in the institutional character but rather because of the political changes and technological innovations such as the Internet and electronic messaging. The political changes pertained to the transition from socialism to capitalism and the position of Poland in the world (most importantly, the membership in the European Union and NATO). These changes brought about the standardization of scientific institutions and changes in the rules of international cooperation of sociologists.