The History of - Göteborgs universitet

1971 the School of Business, Economics and Law becomes part
of the University.
1977 a new higher education reform enables the incorporation of a large
number of independent educational institutions into the University, for example
the university colleges for public administration, teacher education, journalism,
music and performing arts.
Social Sciences
The social sciences did not form their own faculty
until 1964. At that point the different subjects were
scattered across the city and were often housed in office
facilities or even apartment buildings, yet there
was a widespread interest in joint coordination.
In 1990 a large share of the Faculty of Social Sciences
moved into new buildings along Sprängkullsgatan.
The parts of the Faculty that moved into the new
facilities included the Department of Social Work
and the School of Public Administration.
They both date back to 1944, when the first group
of students met at Gothenburg’s institute for social
studies, the second of its kind in Sweden.
On 1 June 1963 all institutes of social studies
were nationalised and renamed socialhögskolor, or
schools of social studies. In 1977 the school of social
studies in Gothenburg became part of the University
and hence could offer third-cycle studies.
In 1979 the University of Gothenburg appointed
Sweden’s first professor in social work, Harald Swedner.
In 1983 the school was split into two departments,
the Department of Social Work and the School of
Public Administration.
The first professorship in public administration
at the University of Gothenburg was established already
in 1901.
The research at the School has long had a particular
focus on studies of voters and elections. Interview surveys
have been conducted regularly since the 1950s.
The SOM Institute serves as a centre for the survey
and seminar work carried out jointly by the Department
of Journalism, Media and Communication, the
School of Public Administration and the Centre for
Public Sector Research (CEFOS) at the University of
Gothenburg. The work is centred around the national
survey that covers 9 000 individuals aged 16-85.
The survey addresses issues such as politics, society,
media habits, public service, the environment, risks,
new media technology and leisure.
Completed in 2007, Campus Linné is the University’s
newest area. It consists of two old, renovated
buildings deeply rooted in the history of Gothenburg,
as well as a new building. Gothenburg’s old
teachers’ college building offers mainly lecture halls,
group activity rooms and a cafeteria. Many people in
Gothenburg were born in the city’s old maternity
ward, built in 1924. Today the building is home to the
Department of Global Studies.
The brand new building is occupied by the
Depart ment of Journalism, Media and Communication
(JMG), formed in 1990. The University started
offering programmes in media and communication
studies in the same year.
The red brick building located closer to Linnéplatsen
is called Psykologen, or ‘the Psychologist’, and
is home to the University’s research and education in
the field of psychology.
22 The History of the University of Gothenburg