Operational plan 2025

First and second cycle education

Despite cost-cutting measures over the past two years, the deficit in undergraduate education is increasing, as a result of eroded government appropriations and increased wage costs. This, in turn, leads to additional cost-cutting measures in addition to those that have already been implemented (such as a change in compensation levels regarding thesis supervision at different levels as well as lower compensation for the examination of master's theses, which was introduced for the 2023 financial year). 

Planned cost-cutting measures are that bachelor's theses in the department's three subjects are written in pairs and that the number of alternative courses in Political science and Peace and conflict studies is reduced. Further measures can be expected.

At the turn of the year 2024/25, a new factor conversion system for teaching will be introduced. The total hourly frame for teaching at the department is left unchanged, but the reform includes a general review of course budgets at all levels and as a consequence some courses will receive more hours while others will receive fewer. The ambition is that the quality of the courses will not be negatively affected. The students' mentoring activities will remain unchanged.

During the spring, parts of the undergraduate education will be evaluated with the help of external experts. The courses in Peace and conflict studies and Intelligence analysis (which have not previously been evaluated according to the Faculty of Social Sciences' model) are included, as well as the methods and thesis courses in Political science. The evaluation will be particularly important in view of the implemented and planned cost-cutting measures.

The department will continue to support teachers' pedagogical development by taking courses in teaching and learning in higher education, participating in various types of development projects and/or gaining qualifications within the framework of the faculty's pedagogical merit system. New pedagogical seminars at the department are planned to be carried out to spread experiences between colleagues. A continued priority area is the question of whether and how generative AI can be integrated into teaching and learning in a constructive way and how it affects different forms of examination.

Temporary employment freezes apply to professors, senior lecturers and assistant professors. Temporary substitutes are only employed in exceptional cases (for example in interdisciplinary courses).

The department's education will continue to have a strong international dimension with good opportunities for teacher and student mobility. Existing agreements on student exchange are revised continuously.

Following a multi-year agreement with the Swedish Armed Forces, the department does not currently conduct contract education. The ambition is to work during the 2025 financial year to attract contract education to the department.

Research studies

Increased costs and eroded government funding also affect doctoral education. Recruitment of doctoral students on faculty funds will therefore be temporarily paused. However, at least one doctoral student will be recruited through external funding. In light of the fact that the cohort of newly recruited doctoral students is decreasing in the next few years, the course offerings in the doctoral education will be adjusted. The latter is also done for cost reasons.

The doctoral education will be evaluated during the spring with external experts. The development plan that was developed in 2020 on the basis of the faculty's evaluation of the doctoral education in political science will thus be able to be followed up. A priority area continues to be issues related to doctoral students' stress and health, as well as providing support in issues of ethical review regarding empirical investigations related to dissertation work.

The general research seminar with invited guests from Sweden as well as other countries continues to play an important role in the doctoral education, albeit with a greater emphasis on local guests. The same applies to the department's various internal workshops, which are arranged by the research groups. Research retreats will continue to be replaced with seminars at the department due to the strained financial situation.

Research

The Faculty of Social Sciences has limited faculty funding for research compared to several other faculties. In order to enable research for the majority of teachers, the department's ability to obtain external research funding is therefore of utmost importance. Supporting the department's teachers in their efforts to obtain external funding has always been a priority, but has become even more important in light of the economic situation.

The department's research council will therefore need to strengthen the systematic work to support and further develop the department's research, including by assisting in the process of writing competitive research applications. This also applies to larger research programmes that may include several of the department's researchers. In practice, however, this can be a challenge as the institution currently has limited extra funds for this type of support.

In light of the economic situation, strategic discussions are continuing regarding the scope and direction of the department's co-financing of external research grants.

Based on the experience from the quality evaluation of research at Lund University – RQ20 – a new research strategy was developed for the department for the years 2021–2025 in 2020. The strategy will be followed up during the year and form the basis for the next strategy in 2026–2030. 

The goals and measures identified in the strategy, and which were also reflected in the evaluation of Swedish political science conducted by the Swedish Research Council in 2021, will continue to guide the work to further strengthen the department's research in 2025 and beyond. A central aspect is how we can work to make visible the extensive and high-quality publication that takes place where the department's researchers and teachers are involved.

Due to the financial situation, no funds will be set aside for permanently employed teachers without research grants to participate in conferences/workshops and make purchases of literature. The investment that has previously been made regarding the proofreading of dissertations, books and journal articles will also be paused.

In 2025, the department will continue its collaboration with SASNET (Swedish South Asian Studies Network) and CFE (Centre for European Studies), where employees at the department have different types of assignments. In addition, the collaboration with CMES (Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies) is further deepened, with several joint engagements.

The investment in collaboration that began in 2022, with a special assignment as collaboration coordinator, remains and is being developed in collaboration with the Faculty of Social Sciences' collaboration council.

A number of fixed-term postdoctoral positions, funded by external grants, are likely to be filled during the financial year, as well as positions as researchers and project assistants. The work to promote the possibility of being promoted to professor will continue even though the 2024 process has been paused. This is done through dialogue with the faculty and pressure on Lund University centrally.

Work environment, gender equality, equal opportunities and diversity

The department continues to conduct active and systematic work environment management and work on issues of equality, equal treatment and diversity.

A new annual action plan for occupational safety and health will be adopted at the beginning of the year. The plan for gender mainstreaming and equal treatment is being reviewed and a new plan is planned to be adopted during the year. The work to promote equality and non-discrimination in education continues. In addition, the competence development work regarding students' mental illness continues.

In addition, further efforts are being made to increase transparency in the distribution of teaching commitments and, in a broad sense, to safeguard the department as a continued inclusive work environment.

Administration, external engagement and joint activity

The new, expanded management structure at the department that was introduced in 2021, and which was evaluated in 2023, is revised slightly for 2025. In addition to the head of department and deputy head of department, who have been appointed by election, three assistant heads of department have worked: the assistant head of department for first- and second-cycle education (also deputy head of department); assistant head of department for doctoral education; and the assistant head of department for coordination of research.

From 1 January 2025, the role as assistant head of department for coordination research will be terminated. However, the assignment as coordinator for research remains at 20%. The assistant head of department for doctoral studies will end his assignment on February 1, 2025. The part of the assignment that concerns doctoral students will be transferred to the director of studies for doctoral education, who in the future will combine the assignments of assistant head of department and director of studies for doctoral education (25% + 25%). The employer responsibility for postdocs and assistants is taken over by the head of department.

A new finacial officer from Department Services started working at the department to a limited extent at the end of October 2024. The scope of the service will increase to approximately 60% after the turn of the year. The department is also supported by a financial administrator.