Major subjects

Journalism

The Swedish School of Social Science provides the main academic Journalism education within the Swedish-speaking community in Finland. The aim of the study programme in Journalism is to confer on the students professional journalistic skills as well as to familiarise students with the Swedish-language mass media in Finland. Students must also develop their ability to master the Swedish language as a working tool and a means of communication. Moreover, they are expected to continually observe and analyse occurring phenomena and events in society. Further, students should learn to understand the position and importance of the media in society and to understand and critically scrutinise the working methods of the media, as well as the position of journalism in society. The studies provide the student with the qualifications to work as a journalist in the press, in radio, in TV, in the Internet and/or research. The study programme is integrated with the programme at the Department of Communication at the University of Helsinki.

Legal Studies

The objective of Legal Studies is to provide an understanding of the legal system of society and to develop practical skills for identifying and analysing legal issues. The courses of law at the Swedish School of Social Science focus on national public law, in particular administrative law and social law. The subject is mainly taught as a minor subject for a B.Soc.Sc.Degree. The studies comprise lectures, preparation of cases in small groups and final examinations of literature.

Political Science and Public Administration

Political Science constitutes the study of actors, processes and structures with respect to relationships involving power and influence. The studies in Political Science are at the Swedish School of Social Science focused on Public Administration and especially Municipal Administration. The application of various research approaches, theories and methods are central elements of the studies in the subject at the School. A well-functioning co-operation has been established with the Department of Political Science at the University of Helsinki.

Social Psychology and Psychology

There are two major variants of Social Psychology, namely psychological Social Psychology and more sociologically oriented Social Psychology. At the Swedish School of Social Science the focus lies on the psychological variant of social psychology. Certain fields of Social Psychology are given special emphasis at the Swedish School of Social Science. Emphasis is placed on family research, particularly on family socialisation in the Late Modern Age family, problems in family socialisation and family intervention, and the study of social cognition, attitudes and group dynamics. The study programme is integrated with the programme at the Department of Social Psychology at the University of Helsinki.

Social Work and Social Policy

The main grounds for Social Policy are humanistic and instrumental. In the humanistic perspective Social Policy is understood as an expression of solidarity; in the instrumental perspective Social Policy is seen as a tool for maintaining peace and order in society. Finnish Social Policy may be viewed from three different angles, (1) as a result of industrialisation and the dissolution of the traditional local community or as a means for social integration; (2) with emphasis on the reproduction of the work force; (3) with emphasis on the importance of Social Policy as an upholder of everyday life.

As a societal activity, Social Policy consists of administrative measures and solutions, which are utilised by different interest groups and other organisations. These strive for a development of community policy in a just direction, aiming at better human life quality and a more even distribution of the possibilities for needs fulfilment.

Social Work is grounded in the humanistic need to help socially vulnerable in society. Social Work has developed from voluntary work based on ideology to a profession based on knowledge and ideology carrying responsibility for the continuity of everyday life. The organisational forms of Social Work basically follow the societal development and comprise social care within the public sector as well as organisations and projects within or outside the public sector. Social Work may be an operationalization of the general social policy but may also be a source for critical analysis of its shortcomings.

Social problems and welfare issues form the theoretical and concrete object of Social Policy and Social Work. Social problems are linked with the prevalent community structures and with the conditions on a macro level, but also with life on a micro level. The welfare and need theories of Social Policy offer beside the other social sciences a general understanding of the generation of social problem from a historical point of view, and enables identification and analysis of their causes and consequences on a macro level.

Sociology

Sociology is a discipline which is represented by a variety of special areas, theoretical orientations, and methodological approaches. The phenomena studied by sociologists range from interactions in small groups to global social systems. Sociologists examine, for example, the history and changes of institutions, demographical changes, work and family life, the gender system, the urban, rural and suburban community, the environment, and the social dimensions of central institutions such as family, religion, work, medicine. Sociology gives therefore also a good background for other social science studies.

The programme in sociology at the Swedish School of Social Science is designed to meet the different needs and interests of students. The courses in sociology are represented by general introductory courses and special areas. Three thematic areas are well represented in the course programme and in the research at the school. First, environmental sociology constitutes a thematic area in the curriculum of the school (see thematic area Environmental Social Studies and Research, FORUM).The second area of specialization is health and society and is represented by the areas of health sociology and sociology of professions in the teaching and research at the school (see Research, Health and society). The third area is ethnicity, nationalism and ethnic relations (see thematic area Ethnicity, migration, nationalism and minorities and Research, CEREN)

The teaching staff in sociology consists of one professor and two senior lecturers. About ten researchers work at the Research Institute in different externally funded research projects. Most of these researchers also participate in teaching sociology at the School. More information about the sociology program and the courses is found at the webpages of the courses or in the study guide of the School.