The Department of Sociology and Social Work is comprised of these two scientific fields – sociology, that is taught in Tbilisi State University since 1920s and Social Work that was institutionalized in TSU since 2005. The department offers separate BA, MA and PHD programmes in Sociology, as well as in Social Work.
Sociology
Sociology has been taught in Tbilisi State University since 1923, when Alexandre Vacheishvili delivered “introduction to Sociology” lectures, yet from 1930s till late 1980s teaching this discipline was restricted under the Soviet regime. In 1960s Georgian professors V. Kvachakhia and E. Kodua established first Concrete Sociology Research Lab and later Concrete Sociology Research Academic Department in TSU that paved the way to introduction Sociology as a major in 1989. This later transformed into Sociology department under faculty of Philosophy and Sociology.
Nowadays Sociology BA and MA programmes offer strong emphasis on theory as well as empirical research components. Sociology students are taught proto-sociological, classical, modern and postmodern theories, as well as qualitative and quantitative research methods; 20 ECTS is reserved for conducting empirical research. Programmes’ elective courses range from thematic sociology courses in culture, delinquency, art, education, religion, political sociology to masculinity studies, interdisciplinary gender studies and feminist thought. Sociology professors are trained or work in the fields of sociology, philosophy, gender studies, psychology, anthropology, and so on, providing our students with interdisciplinary vision of society and culture.
Social Work
Since 2005 our department was the first one in Georgia to offer university education in Social Work, that became possible with the financial assistance from the EU’s TEMPUS – TACIS Programme. The Department of Sociology and Social Work obtained two grants leading establishment of BA Programme (since 2006), MA Programme (Since 2009) and PhD programme (since 2010) in Social Work. Since 2011 TSU’s Social Work MA students are eligible to simultaneously obtain Master of Social Care Academic Degree from Sheffield Hallam University, England. PhD students are supervised by the professors from TSU’s partner universities.
One third of Social Work curriculum focuses on practice of social work. We provide the students with internship/practice placements in one of the 40 governmental as well as non-governmental organisations offering social work services. Our faculty/teachers obtained their social work MA degrees in Columbia University, Washington University in St. Louis, etc. Along with Georgian faculty, our students are taught by professionals from the partner universities, namely, Sheffield Hallam University, Tallinn University, University of Ljubljana, Kyiv-Mohila Academy, Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences;