International
The distinguishing characteristics of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Göttingen is its broad combination of subjects ranging from Social and Cultural Anthropology (Ethnology), Educational Science, Gender Studies, Modern Indian Studies, Polititcal Science, Sociology to Sport Science. The faculty also runs a cross-departmental Centre of Methods. In the past few years, it has been increasingly successful in establishing interdisziplinary links between these subjects in both teaching and research.
The Faculty's disciplines focus on individual and collective actions and the symbolic production and reproduction of Social Structures from micro-, meso- and macrosocial perpectives. Using a variety of both quantitative and qualitative mehods it is their foremost goal to encourage comparative research. Moreover, by virtue of its ethnological collection, the Faculty is an internationally renowned location for comprehensively mapping the process of cultural change.
For its students the Faculty provides multiple opportunities to study abroad and for international exchange students there are various courses taught in English at the Faculty.
The Faculty of Social Sciences defines Internationalization as ‘Internationalization at Home’. It pursues an outward and inward-looking strategy that aims at creating the best possible context for global knowledge production and global learning. This strategy will be systematically developed and coordinated in a bottom-up-process involving all status groups and units. The internationalization strategy encompasses all status groups (students, professors, fellows, administrative staff) and addresses 1) curricula, which will integrate global knowledge, 2) the institutes, which will develop their own internationalization strategies and integrate international universities according to their needs and profiles. The strategy also aims at promoting exchange with foreign universities on all levels, acquisition of foreign language skills, teaching skills and publication through financial support for proofreading of publications.