The new narrative for the Faculty of Social Sciences - background, process and perspectives

By Ole Hammerslev, Head of Department, Department of Law

Across the departments of the "new Faculty of Social Sciences", work has been done on a new narrative that brings individual very strong brands together into a common Faculty brand. The new narrative for social sciences so far reads: 

"With knowledge, insight and commitment, the Faculty of Social Sciences contributes to welfare, democracy and sustainable development.    

We combine historical awareness, deep academic expertise and an international outlook in our work to understand and change society for the better.    

We are innovative, conduct world-class research and educate the decision-makers of the future.    

The Faculty of Social Sciences makes a difference for and with society and business, both locally and globally." 

The purpose of the work on the new narrative for "The New Social Sciences" was to formulate a common starting point for a new faculty that encompasses both the disciplines' long historical traditions and their necessity for modern society. At the same time, the narrative should contain a significant academic breadth and a strong common purpose. When you bring together three departments - Political Science and Public Management, Economics and Law - and the centres Digital Democracy Center (DDC) and Interdisciplinary Centre on Population Dynamics (CPop) into one unit, you get an organisational framework. But a narrative provides direction. It doesn't describe everything we are, but it points to what we want to stand for and why we will continue to play an important role for a peaceful democratic world order. 

The considerations behind the narrative 

The key considerations have been about formulating something that is both recognisable to ourselves and can be communicated clearly. We wanted a narrative based on our core tasks: research, education and social impact. At the same time, it had to be able to accommodate both the historical depth of our disciplines and the development we as a faculty will go through in the coming years. The narrative should also touch on the fact that almost all of our graduates are widely marketed in the private sector, the public sector and NGOs and foundations locally, nationally and internationally.   

Several elements quickly became apparent in the process: 

• Social understanding and social change are interlinked
  Social sciences are strong when we both analyse and contribute to solutions. This dual perspective is reflected in the phrase "understanding and changing society for the better". Social sciences are not only to analyse, but also to use the analyses transformatively, as it is called in the current strategy. 

• We must stand on both tradition and innovation
  Our subject areas are based on long scientific traditions. At the same time, we are curious, innovative and able to contribute to current and future societal challenges. This balance is formulated as a combination of historical awareness, deep professionalism and international outlook. 

• We must be clear about our importance

  The new Faculty of Social Sciences must be able to explain why our areas of knowledge are necessary in a democracy and a welfare society in changing times. Concepts such as welfare, democracy, market conditions and sustainable development are key reference points. 

The process

The process behind the narrative has been both analytical and dialogue-based across the departments, DDC and CPOP. 

An important part of the process also passed in clarifying a common starting point in our classic scientific areas - something we can stand on while developing a common strategy, collaborative interfaces and academic priorities. Along the way, it became clear that there are already strong common denominators across the departments and the DDC, and that these can serve as a foundation for the narrative and not least the future collaboration. 

Social sciences are strongest when we combine three things:

• Academic rigour and methodological breadth 
  Our disciplines range from legal and economic analyses to qualitative and quantitative programmes of study of institutional, political and market processes. Our analyses are based on both public administration and the private sector, and of course everything in between. This breadth gives us a special ability to understand complex problems. 

• Relevance to societal challenges 
  Social sciences play a crucial role in areas such as democratic institutions, sustainability, digitalisation, welfare development and security policy. But social sciences are also essential in advising market actors. A strong future requires that we continue to work in close dialogue with authorities, business and civil society. 

• Ability to educate decision-makers 

  Our students will be the leaders, civil servants, analysts and advisors of the future. The quality of our programmes is therefore not just an internal matter - it is part of our social mission. This is evident in the narrative's statement about educating the "decision-makers of the future". 

What binds us together 

The most important thing that binds the three departments and the DDC together is our common orientation towards societal challenges and development.
We work differently, we use different methods and we have different professional traditions. But we share a fundamental question:
How does society work - and how can it work better? 

The narrative not only describes who we are as a Faculty; it also sets the direction for what we want to be known for in the coming years. It reminds us why social science is a pillar in the development of a modern society and why our work is necessary to understand, shape and renew the modern social contract.