Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb
Encyclopedia
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences or the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb
(Croatian
: Filozofski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu) is one of the top faculties of the University of Zagreb
.
, which dates its founding to 1669. Philosophy
and humanities
were taught at the University from the very beginning, while a separate Faculty first came into existence in 1776 when the University was divided into Faculties of Philosophy, Theology and Law.
In 1874 the modern University of Zagreb was officially established, with four faculties: Law, Theology, Philosophy and Medicine. The Faculty of Philosophy was called the Mudroslovni fakultet and had the following Chairs:
The Faculty also served as the general scientific faculty, and since 1876 it taught geology, botany, physics, mathematics, and chemistry; since 1877 zoology; since 1882 pharmacy; since 1883 geography.
In 1893, the Chair of Pedagogy
was instituted. The Study of Archeology started in 1893. The Chair of German Philology
was created in 1895. The Chair of Indo-Germanology was created in 1908, transformed into the Study of Indology
in 1962. The Seminar on Romance Philology
first started in 1920. The Chair of Ethnology
was created in 1924/1927. The Art History
Seminar was created in 1928. The Chair of Psychology
was created in 1929. The English
Seminar was created in 1935.
Mathematics, pharmacy and other sciences started to split off in several stages, with the creation of separate mathematics and pharmaceutical departments in 1928, when the faculty was renamed into its current name Filozofski fakultet, and the splitting off of individual departments into separate faculties in 1942, 1946 and finally in 1963.
The Institute of Phonetics
was founded in 1954. The Chair of General Linguistics and Comparative Literature
was created in 1956. The Chair of Sociology
was created in 1963 (the Faculty of Law had one since 1906). The Study of Swedish
started in 1985. In 1989, the Institute for Information Sciences was founded. In 1994, the Study of Hungarology started.
In 2009, the faculty was occupied by students who required free education. The peaceful occupation started on April the 20th 2009 and ended on May 24th. The second occupation started on November the 23rd 2009 and ended nearly two weeks later.
The faculty has more than 700 employees, with more than 500 academic staff as well as more than 600 part-time lecturers.
moved into a new building opened in March 2009, becoming the second largest library in Croatia (after the nearby National and University Library in Zagreb). It includes 24 department libraries with more than 600 000 books. The library consists of the ground floor, 6 upper floors and a closed repository. The ground floor is mainly intended to be used for reading and writing, while the five upper floors contain books from all departments.
, the sixth floor does not function yet. Books which have not been processed yet and are not available for public use are stored in the closed repository, located in the basement.
There are 750 working places and 250 computers available for use. The library is open to all students and employees of the Faculty for borrowing books, while members of the public may use books and other resources within the library building.
All members and library employees use Koha – a special kind of software for library activity which has several interfaces depending on the type of user. The catalogue is open access and is simple to use. It is possible to search for particular books by title, author, ISBN, subject, publisher and call number.
The whole library system is highly technically advanced and equipped with models for supply, catalogization, public borrowing and statistics. One of the main advantages of the library is the 3M RFID system of electronic chips, which enables self-check, allowing users to borrow books by themselves.
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
(Croatian
Croatian language
Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...
: Filozofski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu) is one of the top faculties of the University of Zagreb
University of Zagreb
The University of Zagreb is the biggest Croatian university and the oldest continuously operating university in the area covering Central Europe south of Vienna and all of Southeastern Europe...
.
History
The Faculty of Philosophy is the oldest faculty of the University of ZagrebUniversity of Zagreb
The University of Zagreb is the biggest Croatian university and the oldest continuously operating university in the area covering Central Europe south of Vienna and all of Southeastern Europe...
, which dates its founding to 1669. Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
were taught at the University from the very beginning, while a separate Faculty first came into existence in 1776 when the University was divided into Faculties of Philosophy, Theology and Law.
In 1874 the modern University of Zagreb was officially established, with four faculties: Law, Theology, Philosophy and Medicine. The Faculty of Philosophy was called the Mudroslovni fakultet and had the following Chairs:
- PhilosophyPhilosophyPhilosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
- HistoryHistoryHistory is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
- Croatian history
- Slav philology
- Classical philologyClassical philologyClassical philology is the study of ancient Greek and classical Latin. Classical philology has been defined as "the careful study of the literary and philosophical texts of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds." Greek and Latin literature and civilization have traditionally been considered...
- Latin - Classical philologyClassical philologyClassical philology is the study of ancient Greek and classical Latin. Classical philology has been defined as "the careful study of the literary and philosophical texts of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds." Greek and Latin literature and civilization have traditionally been considered...
- Greek
The Faculty also served as the general scientific faculty, and since 1876 it taught geology, botany, physics, mathematics, and chemistry; since 1877 zoology; since 1882 pharmacy; since 1883 geography.
In 1893, the Chair of Pedagogy
Pedagogy
Pedagogy is the study of being a teacher or the process of teaching. The term generally refers to strategies of instruction, or a style of instruction....
was instituted. The Study of Archeology started in 1893. The Chair of German Philology
German studies
German studies is the field of humanities that researches, documents, and disseminates German language and literature in both its historic and present forms. Academic departments of German studies often include classes on German culture, German history, and German politics in addition to the...
was created in 1895. The Chair of Indo-Germanology was created in 1908, transformed into the Study of Indology
Indology
Indology is the academic study of the history and cultures, languages, and literature of the Indian subcontinent , and as such is a subset of Asian studies....
in 1962. The Seminar on Romance Philology
Romance studies
Romance studies is an umbrella academic discipline that covers the study of the languages, literatures, and cultures of areas that speak a Romance language. Romance studies departments usually include the study of Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese...
first started in 1920. The Chair of Ethnology
Ethnology
Ethnology is the branch of anthropology that compares and analyzes the origins, distribution, technology, religion, language, and social structure of the ethnic, racial, and/or national divisions of humanity.-Scientific discipline:Compared to ethnography, the study of single groups through direct...
was created in 1924/1927. The Art History
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
Seminar was created in 1928. The Chair of Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
was created in 1929. The English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
Seminar was created in 1935.
Mathematics, pharmacy and other sciences started to split off in several stages, with the creation of separate mathematics and pharmaceutical departments in 1928, when the faculty was renamed into its current name Filozofski fakultet, and the splitting off of individual departments into separate faculties in 1942, 1946 and finally in 1963.
The Institute of Phonetics
Phonetics
Phonetics is a branch of linguistics that comprises the study of the sounds of human speech, or—in the case of sign languages—the equivalent aspects of sign. It is concerned with the physical properties of speech sounds or signs : their physiological production, acoustic properties, auditory...
was founded in 1954. The Chair of General Linguistics and Comparative Literature
Comparative literature
Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the literature of two or more different linguistic, cultural or national groups...
was created in 1956. The Chair of Sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
was created in 1963 (the Faculty of Law had one since 1906). The Study of Swedish
Scandinavian studies
Scandinavian studies is an interdisciplinary academic field of area studies that covers topics related to Scandinavia and the Nordic countries, including their languages, literature, history, culture and society, in countries other than these. As described in the article on Scandinavia, that name...
started in 1985. In 1989, the Institute for Information Sciences was founded. In 1994, the Study of Hungarology started.
In 2009, the faculty was occupied by students who required free education. The peaceful occupation started on April the 20th 2009 and ended on May 24th. The second occupation started on November the 23rd 2009 and ended nearly two weeks later.
Current organization
There are two models of study programs: single major (all courses belong to one program) and double majors (student studies in two equally important programs for equal degrees in both):- Single major programs are Psychology, Philosophy, Sociology, Pedagogy, Information Science, History, Comparative literature, Italian language and literature, and Croatian language and literature.
- Double major programs are Philosophy, Archaeology, History, History of Art, Sociology, Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology, Comparative literature, Croatian language and literature, Pedagogy, Linguistics, Phonetics and languages and literature (English, French, German, Dutch studies, Hungarian, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Swedish, Classic Philology (Greek and Latin), Turkish, Indology, East, West and South Slavic languages).
The faculty has more than 700 employees, with more than 500 academic staff as well as more than 600 part-time lecturers.
Library
The Faculty LibraryLibrary
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
moved into a new building opened in March 2009, becoming the second largest library in Croatia (after the nearby National and University Library in Zagreb). It includes 24 department libraries with more than 600 000 books. The library consists of the ground floor, 6 upper floors and a closed repository. The ground floor is mainly intended to be used for reading and writing, while the five upper floors contain books from all departments.
, the sixth floor does not function yet. Books which have not been processed yet and are not available for public use are stored in the closed repository, located in the basement.
There are 750 working places and 250 computers available for use. The library is open to all students and employees of the Faculty for borrowing books, while members of the public may use books and other resources within the library building.
All members and library employees use Koha – a special kind of software for library activity which has several interfaces depending on the type of user. The catalogue is open access and is simple to use. It is possible to search for particular books by title, author, ISBN, subject, publisher and call number.
The whole library system is highly technically advanced and equipped with models for supply, catalogization, public borrowing and statistics. One of the main advantages of the library is the 3M RFID system of electronic chips, which enables self-check, allowing users to borrow books by themselves.