2007:19 R

Evaluation of Film Studies, History and Theory of Art, Musicology and Theatre Studies at Swedish universities and university colleges

The National Agency commissioned 16 subject experts to carry out the assessment under the auspices of a joint chair. Nine of the experts are professionally active in other Nordic countries. The secretariat at the National Agency was made up of Anna Ahlm (Film Studies), Per Ekman and Staffan Wahlén (History and Theory of Art), and Carin Olausson (Musicology and Theatre Studies), who was also the project manager.

The report is in two parts: the assessment team´s report, which includes assessments of 29 subject environments with national overviews for each subject and the overall analysis “The Aesthetic Sciences in a Tight Spot", and the National Agency´s decisions and reflections, which are based on the assessment team´s report.
 
The assessment team notes that Film Studies at Stockholm University is the biggest programme by far, while several of the other programmes are rather small. Film Studies are offered at a total of nine institutions in the country, of which Göteborg, Lund and Stockholm universities also offer postgraduate programmes in the subject.

History and Theory of Art is a subject that has been offered for a long time at the older universities, but is a new and usually small subject at many other institutions. History and Theory of Art is offered at a total of eleven institutions, of which Göteborg, Lund ,Stockholm, Umeå and Uppsala also offer postgraduate programmes in the subject.

Musicology is offered at five universities.Växjö University began offering it in 2001, and only offers undergraduate programmes, while Göteborg, Lund, Stockholm and Uppsala universities also offer postgraduate programmes in the subject.

Stockholm University offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Theatre and Dance Studies, while the other three institutions that offer Theatre Studies have limited resources and have partially incorporated the subject with Literature Studies.

The assessment team notes that financial circumstances for these aesthetic subjects show a continuing tendency to deteriorate, and that this has consequences for the quality of the education. Teachers´ time for their own research and competence development grows shorter. Lectures, seminars, excursions, etc. grow fewer. In most places, the number of postgraduate students admitted over the last few years is very low.

However, the assessors point out as positive the research school in Aesthetic Sciences which is set to open at Stockholm University in 2007, and the Master of Humanities programme that Uppsala University is launching.
 
The assessment team has also found tendencies to isolationism here and there, with no more than sporadic collaboration with others, whether nationally or internationally. But both the Film Studies and Theatre and Dance Studies programmes at Stockholm University are held up as examples of programmes with extensive international collaboration.

Finally, the assessment team believes that Sweden needs a mustering of strength within the humanities, and that better resources need to be allocated to teaching and research in this area.

Based on the assessment team´s report, the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education calls into question the right to award Bachelors´ degrees in Film Studies at the University of Skövde, to award Bachelors´ degrees in History and Theory of Art at Halmstad University, and to award Bachelors´ and Masters´ degrees in Theatre Studies at Lund University.