2004:4 R

Evaluation of the subject History of Ideas and Sciences at Swedish universities and university colleges

The reports consists of two parts: the one covering Agency decisions and reflections; the other being the actual report of the assessment group. The assessment group is responsible for the contents of its part of the report. The Agency bases its decisions and reflections on the assessment group´s report. With the assessment group´s report as its reference, the Agency establishes that the Göteborg University, Lund University, Stockholm University, Umeå University and Uppsala University maintain a good quality level with regard to undergraduate and postgraduate studies in the subject, History of Ideas and Sciences. This also applies to the undergraduate studies in this subject at the University College of Halmstad, the Karlstad University and the Södertörns University College, as well as to postgraduate studies in the History of Technology and Industrial Commemorative Research at the Royal Institute of Technology.

The assessment group states in its report that, academically, the subject, History of Ideas and Sciences, has a very important function in Swedish higher education. Many students choose to study correspondingly an A-course, or lesser special courses. The transfer frequency to higher levels is, on the other hand, low. The teachers who lecture in the subject are highly qualified and competent, a fact confirmed by the many satisfied students we talked to at the various universities and university colleges.

The studies provide not only a broad spectrum of knowledge but also training in writing. Training writing skills in the Swedish language has priority already at the A-level. The assessors are of the view, however, that there is room for greater international participation by having, for example, course literature printed in English and the Nordic languages and, of course, there must be many more student exchanges. They would also like to see more conclusive-trained stages in the curriculum.

The evaluation of postgraduate studies shows that the 1998 year´s postgraduate studies reform has resulted in a number of less desirable effects. Those postgraduate students who have now been accepted for further studies work under more congenially secure financial circumstances compared to what their predecessors had to contend with, and more information is now available regarding posts in postgraduate research. But the reform has lead to greater unease and stress among postgraduate students. This in its turn has created uncertainty with regard to demands, expectations and target descriptions. It has also negatively influenced seminars; apart from the fact that they are fewer in numbers because of fewer postgraduate student admissions, it is difficult to get those who are admitted to actively participate in the seminars. The postgraduate students are expected to write an empirically comprehensive thesis in lesser time than before, without taking supervision into consideration.

Against this background, the assessment group is of the view that what is needed is an overall discussion of postgraduate study target, purpose and content. Urgency here is underlined when bearing in mind the labour market difficulties encountered by the newcomers to the postgraduate genre.