Research and Training at the Faculty of Human Sciences
To increase the effectiveness and efficiency of teaching and research in the area of the human sciences, the University of Cologne has decided to concentrate existing resources and scientific expertise within the new Faculty of Human Sciences. Founded by the date of January, 1st 2007, the new faculty contains four Departments: Education & Social Sciences, Psychology, Special Education & Rehabilitation and Music & Arts.
The four Departments are connected by the common goal to understand and foster the development of human cognitive and emotional resources and to strengthen communicative competence and social responsibility. Individual development, private and institutionalized education, human cognition and decision making, media uses and effects, as well as training, therapy and rehabilitation are multidisciplinary core topics of the new teaching programs and the manifold research projects aiming at scientific excellence as well as practical knowledge application.
Research activities and teaching areas within the Department of Education & Social Sciences cover a wide range from educational philosophy, anthropology, cultural and societal studies, empirical teaching research and pedagogy of life long learning to comparative education, sociology of education, multicultural education, didactics, media pedagogy and school research.
Development and education are also central areas of training and research in the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation. Complementary to the research and teaching in the Department of Education & Social Sciences this department focuses on education, training and rehabilitation of people with impairments and handicaps. Based on research in medical and psychological foundations the department aims at the development, evaluation and provision of practical resources and support for individuals with special needs in all life stages.
The Department of Psychology covers the following fields in teaching and research: general psychology, cultural psychology, developmental psychology, psychology of education, psychology of learning, developmental disorders and clinical psychology, psychological diagnosis and intervention, psychological research methods, experimental psychology, social psychology, and psychology of communication and media, clinical psychology and psychotherapy.
The Department of Arts & Music conducts teaching and research on arts, textile design and music. In the field of arts, work is focused e.g., on practice, methods, and design, on theories of art and image, and on the teaching of arts. In the field of textile design research and teaching concentrates on e.g., the arts and cultures of textile and clothing, teacher training in textile design, theory of aesthetics and science of textiles. Teaching and research in the field of music is centered on theory and practice of music with special focus on education and teacher training.
The Faculty of Human Sciences has one focus in the training of teachers. The faculty provides the pedagogical, sociological and psychological elements of the various teacher training programs at the University of Cologne. In addition to its contributions to teacher education, the faculty offers specialized disciplinary Bachelor and Master Programs in Education, Psychology, Special Education and Rehabilitation Science.