University of Aarhus 2005
The Faculty of Humanities
The faculty noted with satisfaction that enrolments for its degree programmes increased by an average of almost 10% compared with the year before. The faculty also succeeded in reversing the decline in the number of students sitting for exams. This activity is measured in years of full-time study. The number of Bachelor’s degree graduates increased by 60 to a total of 920.
It was decided in April to rearrange a number of subjects and institutes, as part of the faculty’s savings plans, and as a follow-up on an organisational developmental project involving the amalgamation of various institutes. The purpose of this exercise was to locate all activities in the Ringgade and Nobel Park buildings.
In the spring of 2005, the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Development invited all deans of the different humanities degree programmes to a number of meetings about the future of humanities subjects in Denmark. Originally, the purpose was to discuss a review of the agreement regarding minor subjects, but the project has now turned into a more comprehensive plan, a so-called white paper. This plan deals with all humanities subjects under the heading: A new map of humanities subjects in Denmark.
Research
In 2005, the faculty launched three core research areas, two of which are related to the university’s development contract: Globalisation, in collaboration with the Faculty of Social Sciences, and The Knowledge Society. Associate Professor Niels Bubandt and Associate Professor Steen Wackerhausen were appointed heads of the two areas, while Associate Professor Andreas Roepstorff is responsible for the third area: Cognition, Communication and Culture.
In the Globalisation research area, a grant of DKK 2.7 million from the Danish Council for Strategic Research was awarded to a group of young anthropologists for a project about the religious implications of democratisation in Asia. Other large external grants for 2005 included DKK 3.7 million to Associate Professor Kirsten Frandsen’s project: TV Entertainment: Cross-Media and Knowledge and DKK 2.8 million to Associate Professor Carsten Porskrog Rasmussen’s: The Indian Summer of Manor Houses and Large Estates. Estate Management and Manor House Culture in Denmark 1849–1919, both from the Research Council for Culture and Communication.
The Centre for Advanced Visualisation and Interaction (CAVI) received the Research Council award for a dynamic research environment, the first time the award was presented. Professor Helle Vandkilde and Associate Professor Niels Brimnes were chosen to participate in the upcoming Galathea 3 expedition.
To develop areas with considerable research potential, four professors with special assignments were appointed in 2005: Stig Thøgersen, Niels Ole Finnemann Nielsen, Kim Halskov Madsen and Steen Vikner.
Degree programmes
The faculty enrolled 1,242 new students – almost 100 more than the year before. Studies in Chinese were responsible for a large part of the increase and tripled the number of enrolments, which means that Chinese is now the university’s second-largest language subject after English.
Other degree programmes with unlimited access also doubled their intake. This was one of the reasons the faculty decided, with one exception, to discontinue unlimited access to a number of degree programmes, with effect from 2006. Other degree programmes that already had restricted access reduced their number of places in the light of unemployment figures and expected future demand.
At the same time, the first students – mainly from abroad – began the two-year Erasmus Mundus Master’s degree programme in Journalism and Media within Globalisation.
As an experiment, and financed by the Danish Arts Council, the faculty employed the actor Claus Damgaard to teach Kierkegaard at different faculties, and the painter Jette Gejl Kristensen for the Multimedia degree programme.
Contribution to the knowledge society
In 2005, the faculty launched the Humanistisk Kursusvirksomhed (Humanities Courses) project, which will provide the business community with tailor-made courses. The initial phase of the project is supported by the County of Aarhus and run in collaboration with Pluss Leadership A/S, a company of consultants.
A new upper-secondary school reform has created a need for continuing education. In the course of the year, more than 800 upper-secondary schoolteachers attended one of the faculty’s continuing and further education courses in General Language Comprehension and/or General Study Preparation.
In 2005, the faculty continued its Expert Views series of pamphlets, featuring the research-based opinions of academics regarding the Danish general election in January, topics related to the election, and not least, the form and content of the election campaign.
Later in the year, the faculty published two papers in different formats. From the Mountain to the City is the name of a new series of books, in which researchers at the Faculty of Humanities describe Aarhus from a professional point of view. The first book in the Cultural Life in Aarhus series was written by researchers at the Institute of Aesthetic Studies.
The faculty also published a richly illustrated 44-page book entitled War, in which 10 researchers were interviewed about their views on subjects such as war and art, the honourable warrior and the desire for vengeance. In connection with the university’s anniversary, 6,000 complimentary copies were given to a number of museums and as sets of books for upper-secondary school classes.
Internationalisation
The University of Aarhus was the first Danish university to receive approval for an Erasmus Mundus Master’s degree programme. The degree programme Journalism and Media within Globalisation (mentioned above) was developed in close collaboration with the Danish School of Journalism, and has further enhanced the international profile of the University of Aarhus.
A new Master’s degree programme in International Studies was also approved. This degree programme encompasses several disciplines and includes elements from Political Science, Economics, Law, European Studies and History. The programme will be launched in September 2006, and will be taught entirely in English.
In 2005, the faculty also hosted eight visiting professors and three visiting associate professors from abroad.
Quality development
In 2005, the faculty established an advisory labour market panel consisting of 15 business leaders, the faculty management and study coordinators. At a number of meetings, the panel advised the faculty about labour market needs and expectations regarding humanities graduates.
One of the panel recommendations was to increase the use of work experience. The faculty has followed up on this recommendation by making it compulsory to include the choice of work experience in all Master’s degree programmes.
New academic regulations were also introduced in 2005 regarding all Bachelor’s degree programmes. They promote progress in the degree programmes and imply that all students in future take a Bachelor’s degree in two subjects.
Facts for 2005
Students
New enrolments: 1,242
Number of students: 6,877
Number of PhD students: 99
Number of Bachelors: 921
Number of Masters: 558
Number of PhDs: 18
Staff (full-time equivalent)
Professors: 27
Associate professors: 182
Other academic staff: 194
Technical and administrative staff: 136
Number of doctorates: 4
Number of research publications: 688
Total number of publications: 990
Institutes
Institute of Aesthetics Studies
Institute of Anthropology, Archaeology andLinguistics
Institute of History and Area Studies
Institute of Information and Media Studies
Institute of Language, Literature and Culture
Institute of Philosophy and the History of Ideas
Scandinavian Institute
Research centres
Centre for Advanced Visualisation and Interaction (CAVI)
Centre for Business History
Danish Centre for Urban History
Danish National Research Foundation’s Centre for Black Sea Studies
Degree subjects
Aesthetics and Culture
Art History
Brazilian/Portuguese
Chinese
Classical Archaeology
Classical Philology (Greek and Latin)
Comparative Literature
Czech
Dramaturgy
English
Ethnography and Social Anthropology
Finnish
French
German
Greek
History
History of Ideas
Hungarian
Indian Philology
Information Studies
Italian
Japanese
Latin
Linguistics
Media Studies
Medieval Archaeology
Music Studies
Philosophy
Prehistoric Archaeology
Russian
Scandinavian Language and Literature
Serbo-Croatian
Spanish
Presentations and discussions are the responsibility of the students – and most of them get together in groups to prepare. This group is working in the courtyard of the Institute of Aesthetic Studies, located in the former barracks building.