Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Oxford

Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Oxford
Name	Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Oxford
Established	2008
City	Oxford
Country	England
Parent	University of Oxford

Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Oxford is the administrative division that coordinates the University of Oxford's teaching and research in Humanities, Social science-related fields across faculties and departments. It serves as a central body linking colleges such as Balliol College, Magdalen College, and Christ Church, Oxford with university faculties including Faculty of Classics, Faculty of History, and Department of Economics. The division supports cross-disciplinary initiatives involving organisations like the Bodleian Libraries, the Ashmolean Museum, and external partners such as the British Academy and the European Research Council.

History

The division was created to formalise collaboration among humanities and social science units during a period of strategic restructuring at the University of Oxford that followed similar moves at institutions such as University of Cambridge and London School of Economics. Its formation built on legacies from long-standing entities including the Faculty of Law, the School of Geography and the Environment, and the Ruskin School of Art, while responding to funding frameworks set by bodies like Research Councils UK and initiatives such as the Research Excellence Framework. Key historical moments intersect with events involving donors and patrons linked to the Wolfson Foundation, the Leverhulme Trust, and grant awards competitions run by the European Union.

Organization and Governance

Governance is exercised through a head of division who liaises with heads of faculty and board members drawn from departments such as the Faculty of English Language and Literature, the Department of Politics and International Relations, and the Oxford Internet Institute. The division interfaces with central university organs including the Council of the University of Oxford and the Conference of Colleges, and coordinates policy implementation affected by statutes like those overseen by the Privy Council. Financial oversight involves engagement with funders such as the Wellcome Trust and corporate partners like HSBC on endowed chairs and strategic investments.

Academic Departments and Faculties

The division encompasses faculties and departments including the Faculty of Classics, the Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages, the Faculty of Philosophy, the Faculty of Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics, the Department of Sociology, the Department of Education, and the Saïd Business School-adjacent social science units. It aggregates specialist centres such as the Oxford Internet Institute, the Department of Social Policy and Intervention, and the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography while maintaining links with area studies units like the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies and the Japan Centre for Economic Research-connected programmes.

Teaching and Degree Programs

Undergraduate programmes administered through the division include courses run by colleges for degrees in Literae Humaniores, joint schools with the Faculty of Theology and Religion, and interdisciplinary options that draw on modules from the Faculty of Law, the Department of Politics and International Relations, and the Department of Economics. Graduate teaching spans master's and doctoral training connected to funding from agencies like the Economic and Social Research Council, doctoral training partnerships with the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in interdisciplinary projects, and professional training with bodies such as the National Health Service for health-related social research.

Research Centres and Institutes

Major research units associated with the division include the Oxford Martin School, the Humanities Division's Centre for Enlightenment Studies-linked projects, the Centre for Criminology, and the Economic and Social Research Council Centre for Corpus Approaches to Social Science collaborations. Cross-cutting initiatives bring together scholars from the Wolfson Centre for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, the Berggruen Institute-linked seminars, and partnerships with museums including the Pitt Rivers Museum and the Ashmolean Museum.

Facilities and Resources

Researchers and students use central facilities such as the Bodleian Libraries network, the Radcliffe Camera, the Taylor Institution Library, and special collections like the Bodmer Library and the Ruskin Library. Physical infrastructure includes lecture theatres in the Exeter College complex, seminar rooms at the St Antony's College site, and computing support from the Oxford University Computing Services and the Oxford e-Research Centre for digital humanities and computational social science.

Notable People

Notable academics associated with units in the division include historians and public intellectuals linked to the Faculty of History and figures who have held chairs funded by the Leverhulme Trust and the Royal Society of Literature. Scholars have included recipients of awards such as the Man Booker Prize, the Pulitzer Prize (visiting), and the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (alumni connections), while visiting fellows have come from institutions like Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University, Stanford University, Columbia University, and The British Museum research programmes.

Partnerships and Outreach

The division maintains partnerships with cultural and research institutions including the British Museum, the National Trust, the Historic England, the Oxford Playhouse, and international universities such as University of Chicago, McGill University, University of Toronto, Australian National University, and Peking University. Outreach initiatives engage local authorities like Oxford City Council and charitable organisations such as Oxfam and the Wellcome Trust through public lectures, collaborative exhibitions, and policy briefings with legislative bodies including the House of Commons and the European Parliament.

Category:University of Oxford