History
- Why a School of Social Sciences and Philosophy?
- Economics
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- Sociology
- The Policy Institute
Why a School of Social Sciences and Philosophy?
The School was founded in 2005 when Schools became the basic units of the College.
While most individual academics remain focused on their individual disciplines, all our undergraduate students study some combination of the different subjects. One way to see this is to think of the current European crisis. It is obviously a financial crisis and can hardly be understood without economics. As the crisis deepens, it is increasingly obvious that it is a crisis of a political system and a crisis of social cohesion. Hence the relevance of political science and sociology. And finally it cannot be ignored that it is also a moral crisis - just one aspect of the relevance of philosophy. Connections like these show the intellectual rationale for a School that combines economics, philosophy, political science and sociology.
Back to TopEconomics
Economics has a long lineage at Trinity College. The Chair of Political Economy was established in 1832, making it one of the oldest chairs of political economy in these islands. This Chair was funded by the newly appointed Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin, Richard Whately, who believed in the proselytising force not only of religion, but also of economics, remarking
"next to sound religion, sound Political Economy was the most essential to the well-being of society."
Professor Philip Lane now holds the Whately Chair of Political Economy and is Head of the Department of Economics. The Department consists of 14 academic staff, 65 postgraduate students and offers courses to over 1,000 undergraduate students.
Back to TopPhilosophy
The Chair of Moral Philosophy was established at Trinity College in 1837, the (former) School of Mental and Moral Science in 1904 and the Department of Philosophy in 1964. However, philosophy has always been an important part of the College curriculum since Trinity was founded in 1592. Undoubtedly, the College's most significant contribution to philosophy to date has come from George Berkeley (1685-1753), who has a permanent place in any list of the great philosophers. After Berkeley, the most distinguished philosopher to come out of Trinity was the political philosopher, Edmund Burke (1729-1797), who inaugurated the College debating society while still a student.
Associate Prof. Vasilis Politis is Head of the Department of Philosophy. The Department consists of seven academic staff, 25 graduate students and over 200 undergraduate students.
Back to TopPolitical Science
Political Science has been taught at Trinity College since the middle of the nineteenth century, but the Chair of Political Science was not established until 1960 when it was taken up first by Basil Chubb and then by Michael Laver in 1993.
Professor Michael Gallagher is Head of the Department of Political Science. The Department consists of 15 academic staff and around 50 postgraduate students. The Department offers modules to over 1,000 undergraduate students.
Back to TopSociology
The Chair of Sociology was established in 1974 and was previously held by John Jackson. Dr Daniel Faas is Head of the Department of Sociology. It consists of ten academic staff, 50 graduate students and offers courses to over 1,000 undergraduate students.
Back to TopThe Policy Institute
The Policy Institute was officially opened by the Tánaiste in 1998 to provide an independent source of public policy research, innovation, advice and evaluation in Ireland.
The Institute’s programme of activities now focuses on delivering conferences and lectures which highlight the contribution of philosophy and social science to current public issues. This includes the Henry Grattan Public Lecture Series which aims to promote informed and non-partisan debate and to offer new ideas to decision-makers and opinion-formers on long-term social, political and economic challenges.