The Department of Social Anthropology and History of the University of the Aegean is committed to a policy aimed at providing a high level of education, producing new knowledge under conditions of academic freedom, safety, equality, and transparency, as well as evaluating the educational process. This policy was approved by the Department Assembly and is consistent with the quality policy of the University of the Aegean, as established in the relevant decisions of the University Senate, the Quality Assurance Unit, the University’s strategic planning, and the principles of the Internal Quality Assurance System. As a leading department in the field of the social sciences, the Department of Social Anthropology and History aims to adapt to scientific, social, and cultural developments in Greece and internationally, and seeks to educate its students at the highest possible level by equipping them with quality knowledge and skills that correspond to its interdisciplinary character.

Quality Principles

The Department recognizes that quality policy constitutes an ongoing process of improving educational and research practices, and that, from this perspective, vigilance and academic dialogue are required to ensure it. In shaping its quality policy, the Department follows broader academic developments and the formation of a European and international academic landscape regarding the composition and structure of Undergraduate Study Programs, as well as developments in the job market, where conditions are constantly changing.

Within this framework:

• The Undergraduate Program “Gender Studies” reflects and highlights the academic identity of the Department, while at the same time responding to the growing interest in gender studies at the academic, social, and professional levels.
• The learning outcomes of the Undergraduate Program “Gender Studies” correspond to Level 6 of the European and National Qualifications Framework for Higher Education.
• The teaching and research focus of the Undergraduate Program “Gender Studies” draws on the long-standing engagement of the Department’s faculty members with gender-related issues, as reflected in their teaching, research, and published work, as well as in its collaborations with institutions abroad.
• The program seeks to connect teaching with research, both within the framework of the undergraduate curriculum and through established educational structures.
• It provides high-level knowledge that responds to contemporary needs and interests, offering the possibility of different professional pathways in the public and private sectors, while also forming the basis for doctoral-level studies.
• Emphasis is placed on the quality of electronic services supporting the courses, as well as on the support of teaching through the extensive collection at the University of the Aegean Library Branch in Mytilene.

Quality Assurance

The Undergraduate Study Programs of the Department of Social Anthropology and History apply the quality assurance procedures of the Internal Quality Assurance System of the University of the Aegean, with the required specialization where appropriate. The implementation of the Internal Quality Assurance System and the achievement of the objectives of the Quality Policy of the Undergraduate Programs fall under the responsibility of the Coordinating Committee of each program, the Internal Evaluation Group, and the Department Assembly.

The Coordinating Committee of each Undergraduate Program is responsible for the overall operation of the program, while it also submits proposals to the Assembly regarding the allocation of teaching work and the revision of the curriculum.

Drawing on the process of internal and external evaluation of the Department and the Institution, the Department Assembly consistently examines and decides on practices for improving the educational function and its outcomes, in accordance with the applicable legal framework, with the aim of ensuring the provision of education, the conduct of research, and the dissemination of scientific findings, as befits academic ethics and the broader principles it serves. The Assembly, in cooperation with the Coordinating Committees of the Undergraduate Programs, ensures the conduct of the annual internal evaluation and review of the quality assurance system of the Department’s undergraduate programs under the supervision of the Department’s Internal Evaluation Group and the University’s Quality Assurance Unit.

The Internal Evaluation Group participates in the quality assurance process of the Undergraduate Programs within the framework of its broader responsibilities for the quality assurance of the Department’s programs, by collecting annual statistical data and submitting them to the Quality Assurance Unit of the University of the Aegean.

Within this framework:

• The Department’s undergraduate programs are reviewed and updated every spring semester and on an annual basis. To this end, data concerning the undergraduate programs are collected and classified, and their results are analyzed. In addition, undergraduate programs in related academic fields at Greek and foreign higher education institutions are gathered, analyzed, and compared.
• The quality and effectiveness of teaching are evaluated annually.
• Annual internal evaluations of the undergraduate programs are carried out with the aim of ensuring quality.
• Best practices are sought both in the Greek and the international academic environment to strengthen the effectiveness of the undergraduate programs, as well as the Department’s outward orientation and international visibility, always within the framework of the possibilities offered by the University of the Aegean.

Publication of the Quality Assurance Policy

Responsibility toward students, the administration of the Institution, the academic community, and Greek society requires reflection on educational practices with a view to implementing the highest possible quality in education and evaluating it. The quality assurance policy of the Department’s undergraduate programs is available on the Department’s website, as well as in the electronic Study Guides of each undergraduate program, which are updated annually and are directly accessible to every interested party. Newly admitted students are informed about this policy at a special briefing meeting held at the beginning of each academic year.