Open Letter to the Dean of the Faculty of Behavioural Sciences
Initiative to ensure the continuity of cognitive science as a discipline during the ongoing faculty restructuring
Dear Dean,
In late spring 2015, we learned about plans that would see psychology and logopedics transfer from the Faculty of Behavioural Sciences to the Faculty of Medicine. The future of cognitive science has remained uncertain in this transition. According to discussions within our discipline, cognitive science cannot follow psychology to the Faculty of Medicine. Instead, there are two options: the first is to move independently to the Faculty of Science or another faculty. The second option is the discontinuation of the discipline in its current faculty.
Cognitive science has a relatively short history in the academic world, and the discipline also struggles with challenges arising from limited resources. As a discipline that branched off from psychology, cognitive science is naturally close to psychology in terms of research, publications, and courses. It is likely that cognitive science will no longer have a suitable place in the Faculty of Behavioural Sciences once psychology moves to Meilahti. It must also be noted that the lack of clinical themes will likely not allow cognitive science to follow psychology.
It seems, therefore, that cognitive science also faces a move away from Siltavuorenpenger. Preliminary work on various options has already begun within our discipline by staff and student representatives. For the outreach to other faculties to proceed smoothly, we must be able to trust that the Faculty of Behavioural Sciences can support the future of cognitive science by guaranteeing adequate resources for the faculty transfer. These resources must cover, for example, filling the cognitive science professorship and the costs arising from the study rights of currently admitted students.
As a student organization, we also want to draw your attention to the current unsustainable situation where university lecturer Otto Lappi carries responsibility for almost all practical work produced by the cognitive science discipline. Otto Lappi's current workload (including a large part of our discipline's teaching, thesis supervision, entrance exams, new degree requirements, and now also planning the faculty transfer) is unreasonable and even inhumane for one person, and as a result, cognitive science students are placed in an unequal position compared to other disciplines. Negotiations with other faculties must also be opened by the faculty and department staff. We also request clarification on what resources will be allocated to cognitive science during the transition period through the end of 2016.
The Board of Intelligenzia ry hopes for responsible decisions from the faculty administration regarding both the current division of labor and the future elsewhere.
Respectfully,
Perttu Lähteenlahti Chair
Iina Ala-Kurikka Secretary,
Intelligenzia ry