Strategy of the Faculty of Humanities
The Faculty of Humanities promotes internationally high-quality, innovative, and responsible research that increases understanding of how people act and think in changing environments and in the face of global challenges. Our goal is to bring a humanistic approach to societal debate. We bear responsibility for the implementation of the university's educational mission and train critically-minded experts for the needs of society. Our faculty believes that well-being stems from communality and mutual respect.
Research
Focus areas:
- cultural change and interaction
- the Arctic environment and northern communities
- language, communication and related difficulties
The Faculty of Humanities values freedom of research and all high-quality, responsible research. The strengths of our research include the complex interaction of individuals and groups of people with each other and their environment, the fundamentals of thinking, and the impact of cultural and societal changes on people and their well-being. Our emerging research themes include networks and interdependency, sustainable development, social diversity, adaptation to changes and crises, and interaction and information in digitalized environments. We invest in the quality of research, encourage creative initiatives, and foster interdisciplinary collaboration and dialogue. Our goal is to play a leading role in multidisciplinary projects. We encourage both international and regional collaboration and networking and endorse international mobility. We promote the openness of research data, methods, and publications as well as a culture of open scholarship where we recognize the importance of citizen science.
Education
Research-based approach and critical thinking are at the core of the education in the Faculty of Humanities. Our goal is to provide education that encourages continuous learning, is diverse and learner-oriented. We strive to create an inspiring and flexible learning environment that promotes in-depth learning and the development of diverse skills. We strengthen the profile fields of research in our education and offer a diverse selection of minor studies to ensure that the degrees are multidisciplinary and relevant to the world of work. We invest in encounters between students and the teaching staff, internationalisation competence, and digipedagogical skills. We develop educational cooperation and connections to working life.
Societal interaction
The Faculty has an extensive and diverse stakeholder network consisting of research institutes, communities, and other socially significant actors. We strengthen our cooperation with stakeholders in research and education. We encourage researchers to actively participate in societal and scientific policy debate. We engage in diverse communication on different channels and bear responsibility for ensuring that researched information is made available in the languages of Finland.
Well-being of the community
Our Faculty is a diverse academic community whose togetherness we foster. Our well-being is based on a sense of community and mutual respect between students, researchers, teachers, and other personnel. Our students are actively involved in the development of the Faculty. In our HR strategy, we invest in continuity and positive management, support coping at work, and take into account the members of our community who work under different kinds of employment contracts and funding. We are also actively involved in defining the direction of our university community.