Strategy
Knowledge about and for people – for a sustainable, fair and diverse future
Today’s challenges are numerous and complex – and they are both local and global at the same time. They therefore require both a theoretical and an empirical approach to generate the necessary knowledge that can provide a basis for change.
We will develop and share this knowledge, enabling society to better understand and manage the relationships between people, places and physical environments. Our research and teaching will be characterised by a long-term perspective, curiosity and critical thinking.
Our strength is our reputation in the international academic community. Our international engagement will continue to be evident in our research and teaching partnerships, and we will collaborate with partners in the Global South as well as in Europe and other high-income countries.
All activities at the Department of Geography and Social Anthropology are rooted in our two disciplines, and through them the department is in a unique position to understand and explain our era’s most challenging issues. With basic research as our backbone, the disciplines as our compass, and society as our dialogue partner, we will contribute to knowledge that shapes the future.
At the beginning of the strategy period, the Department of Geography and Social Anthropology (IGS) is one year old, and the strategy builds on the plans of the two merged departments. Governing documents will be developed at a pace that ensures participation, ownership, and quality. The strategy will therefore be revised no later than the end of the current leadership term (2029).
Ambitions and Prerequisites
We will strengthen and showcase our disciplines – both independently and in interaction
The Department of Geography and Social Anthropology will develop and strengthen the various academic environments within geography and social anthropology as two academic traditions with distinct profiles, depth and academic integrity. At the same time, we will develop meeting places and joint projects where the two academic disciplines enrich each other and open up new insights through the synergies that arise.
Prerequisites for success:
- We invest in basic research and long-term academic focus areas
- We pave the way for academic specialisation and recruit academics with a solid disciplinary foundation
- We create space for diversity of theories and methods
- We recognise different epistemological standpoints
- We nurture strong research groups, which form the basis for academic collaboration and solid organised research training for our research fellows
We will be an exciting, friendly and inclusive learning community
The Department of Geography and Social Anthropology will offer programmes of study that provide students with critical perspectives, analytical tools, theoretical depth and field-based knowledge. We educate graduates who understand the interaction between the local and the global, and who can contribute to building a just and sustainable society.
Prerequisites for success:
- We develop research-based and student-active programmes, with clear links to current societal challenges and academic traditions
- We build an inclusive and diverse study environment characterised by openness, security and curiosity
- We promote lifelong learning and flexible educational offerings for new target groups
- We will further develop and facilitate international study programmes and collaboration
- Our research and teaching are closely and clearly interconnected
- We have a portfolio of programmes and courses that makes us attractive and relevant to today’s students
- We research and develop creative and innovative learning methodologies
We will be a clear voice in the public debate – locally, nationally and internationally
The Department of Geography and Social Anthropology will provide pertinent analyses of current challenges within our priority areas. Our researchers and graduates will be in demand for their ability to contextualise complex issues and challenge established truths.
Prerequisites for success:
- We develop academic environments with high levels of research activity and publication, both nationally and internationally
- We ensure academic freedom and foster critical and independent research
- We focus on dissemination, civic engagement and participation in the public arena
We will be an attractive and development-oriented working environment
The Department of Geography and Social Anthropology will be a workplace where employees can develop professionally, academically and personally. We will be a strong, inclusive community characterised by trust and cooperation.
Prerequisites for success:
- We have good and transparent processes for recruitment, career development and use of resources
- We build a culture of open dialogue, collegial support and respect for academic and professional diversity
- We promote interdisciplinary exchange and international collaboration