Department of General Theoretical Legal and Social Sciences and Humanities

Brief information about the department:

The Department of General Theoretical Legal and Social Sciences and Humanities originates from the department of theory and history of the state and law, established at the Kyiv University of Law of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in 1995.

From the moment of its establishment, the academic staff of the department included Doctor of Law, Prof. Prozorova N.S., Doctor of Law, Prof. N.M. Onishchenko, Candidate of Legal Sciences, Prof. Usenko I.B. (the first head of the department), Candidate of Legal Sciences, Assoc. Tarakhonych T.I., Doctor of Law, Prof. Kopilenko O.L., Doctor of Law, Prof. Zaichuk O.V., Candidate of Legal Sciences, Assoc. O.N. Lvov, Doctor of Law, Prof. Bobrovnyk S.V. and others. In the process of structural reorganization of the university, academic staff members of the department of philosophy and social and humanitarian disciplines were added to the academic staff of the department.

The mission of the Department of General Theoretical Legal and Social Sciences and Humanities consists in the formation of highly qualified, comprehensively developed specialists with deep knowledge in the field of law, philosophy, sociology and other humanities, who are able to think critically, adhere to ethical standards and act responsibly in the conditions of modern society.

Goals of the department

The main educational goal of the department is to ensure a high level of teaching of general theoretical legal and social and humanitarian disciplines. We focus on the integration of modern scientific achievements, practical knowledge and current challenges of the time, in particular, we take into account changes in the legal system and the latest trends in the industry. Our goal is not only the transfer of theoretical knowledge, but also the development of practical skills, which is the basis for training competent specialists who are able to respond effectively to changes in the legal field and social processes.

The scientific goal of the department is to actively promote the development of scientific research in the field of legal theory, legal philosophy, sociology, political science, ethics and cultural studies. The department supports innovative approaches to scientific exploration, encourages students to participate in scientific projects and strives to create an environment in which the scientific interests of teachers and students are combined. An important aspect is the development of interdisciplinary connections that allow a deeper consideration of social processes through the prism of legal and humanitarian knowledge.

The methodological goal of the department is focused on improving teaching methods and introducing innovative approaches to the educational process. We actively use modern pedagogical technologies that allow us to ensure individualization of learning, development of students’ critical thinking, and effective integration of theory and practice. The use of such methods as the case method, modeling of legal situations, debates, as well as interactive learning technologies, makes the process of knowledge acquisition more dynamic and interesting for students.

The educational goal of the department is to form students’ legal culture, humanistic values, as well as respect for human rights and democratic principles. Our department strives to educate young people who not only possess a high level of legal knowledge, but are also aware of the importance of ethical norms in professional activity. We actively promote the formation of students’ sense of responsibility towards society, understanding of the importance of justice and the legal order.

The professional goal of the department is focused on the training of specialists who are able to apply their theoretical knowledge in practice. Students must be able to adapt to changes occurring in society and the legal system, and be ready to quickly respond to new challenges. We provide students with not only fundamental knowledge, but also practical skills that allow them to work effectively in various areas of legal activity.

The interdisciplinary goal of the department is to ensure the integration of legal and humanitarian knowledge for a deeper understanding of social processes and the role of law in them. We emphasize the need for interaction between legal and socio-humanitarian disciplines, since modern problems require a comprehensive approach that combines different scientific directions. This allows our students to get a more complete picture of a world in which law is an important, but not the only tool for solving social, political and cultural issues.

Today, the department is a powerful center of educational and scientific activity of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Its main tasks are to promote the formation of a modern democratic worldview of a young person, to provide knowledge and the formation of skills for self-realization of a person in both the professional and social spheres, the formation of general culture and professional ethics, the development of creative thinking of students of higher education, skills for self-learning and self-development.

The department is a structural division of the university, which is mainly responsible for the general training of students of higher education, which is aimed at obtaining thorough knowledge and practical skills in a sufficiently diverse direction: from speech training (Ukrainian language (by professional direction), business foreign language, foreign language of specialization, foreign (English) language by professional direction), German language, translation practice, Latin language); socio-humanitarian training (philosophy, logic and critical thinking, psychology, sociology, rhetoric and oratory, religious studies, history of Ukrainian and foreign culture, etc.) to general theoretical legal training (theory of the state and law, current problems of the theory of the state and law, canon law, history of teachings about the state and law, history of the state and law of Ukraine, legal deontology, etc.).

The multidisciplinary nature of the department’s activity involves a constant search for ways to harmonize the interaction of academic staff members of the department, a search for methodological and theoretical foundations on which the department effectively works to fulfill its functions. At the same time, the department is sensitive to modern trends and innovations in the educational space.

An important direction of the department’s work is educational and outreach work with student youth. Therefore, several scientific and educational circles from different aspects, mainly of a social and humanitarian direction, are constantly working at the department (“History to the touch”, with the aim of in-depth study of the most famous sources of law in the history of mankind and “Latin readings”, “Debates club” to improve the speaking skills of students of higher education, etc.). In addition, the department organizes scientific, scientific-practical, scientific-methodological seminars, conferences, Olympiads, competitions.

The main directions of educational and methodical work of the department

The department actively participates in the development and updating of educational programs, which include disciplines of a general theoretical, legal and humanitarian profile. The development of curricula and programs is aimed at ensuring the relevance of the content of education, taking into account the requirements of the modern labor market and the changing standards of higher education. An important component of this process is the integration of the competence approach, which emphasizes the development of students’ practical skills and their ability to effectively apply theoretical knowledge in real conditions.

Methodical support of the educational process is an important direction of the department’s activity. The teachers of the department are actively engaged in the preparation of educational and methodical complexes, which include methodical instructions, teaching aids, as well as test tasks for evaluating students’ knowledge. As part of methodological support, the department actively implements modern teaching methods, among which special attention is paid to the case method, which allows students to analyze real situations, debates that promote the development of critical thinking, as well as modeling of legal situations, which helps students better understand the complexity of legal processes and make informed decisions.

Digitization of the educational process occupies a special place in the department’s strategy. In the conditions of the rapid development of information technologies, the department is actively working on the development of electronic courses and educational materials that are integrated into distance learning systems, in particular, the Moodle platform. This allows not only to organize the educational process more conveniently, but also significantly increases the accessibility of education for students. In addition, the department actively implements interactive technologies, which makes learning more exciting and effective, stimulating students to actively participate and work independently.

All the department’s efforts are aimed at forming high standards of academic integrity among students. This includes the development of their skills of independent work with scientific sources and compliance with ethical norms in educational and scientific activities. Students learn to use the information they receive correctly, avoid plagiarism and respect intellectual property.

Monitoring the quality of education is an important part of the department’s activities. Regular analysis of learning results and feedback from students allow teachers to adjust teaching methods, adapting them to the needs and requests of the audience. The improvement of teaching is carried out on the basis of the assessment of the effectiveness of the educational process, which makes it possible to improve the quality of educational services and ensure the successful development of students.

General information about the department:

• Name of the department: Department of General Theoretical Legal and Social Sciences and Humanities
• Contact information: Kyiv University of Law of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. (03142, Kyiv, Akademika Dobrokhotova St., 7-A) aud. 108.
• Location: 1st floor of the Educational building.
• E-mail of the department: kafztpsgd@kup.edu.ua
• Work schedule: Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m