FASoS and the department of Political Science
The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASoS) is one of the six faculties at Maastricht University. It was founded in 1994. The faculty offers a place where scholars with different disciplinary backgrounds – historians, political scientists, literary and arts scholars, sociologists, anthropologists, philosophers and others – are brought together in joint research. This interdisciplinary approach is predominant in the teaching as well; all programmes acquaint students with different disciplines and perspectives.
Note that the FASoS department of Political Science, which contributes to the VIADUCT network, is the youngest department, being established in 2007. It encompasses around 40 Political Scientists, focusing on European integration and International Relations from different angles such as democratic and regulatory governance and “Europe and the world”.
International outlook
All of the faculty’s programmes are taught entirely in English and with 70% of the students and 50% of the staff coming from abroad, FASoS is Maastricht University’s most international faculty.
Such diversity creates an atmosphere that strengthens the international orientation of research and education.
Problem-Based Learning
All of FASoS programmes are taught using Problem-Based Learning (PBL). Students work in small tutorial groups, and seek solutions to “problems” taken from real world situations. The tutorial group is the heart of PBL and is a forum for research, analysis, debate, negotiation and feedback. Instructors act as facilitators, giving help as it is needed. This allows students to build independence and develop problem-solving skills that they need later on in their careers.
Website: https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/about-um/faculties/faculty-arts-andsocial-sciences
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maastrichtfasos/
Main contact person for VIADUCT activites: Prof Christine Neuhold