Department of Social Sciences

The head of the department is Colonel
Oleh Hmilyar Doctor of Psychological Sciences, Assistant Professor

The Department of Social Sciences is a structural unit of the Educational and Scientific Institute of Military History, Law and Social Sciences of the National Defence University of Ukraine, which carries out educational, methodical, scientific and scientific-pedagogical activity on training students at tactical, operational and strategic levels.

The department consists of:

• department headquarters;
• scientific and teaching personnel/staff.

The department began its history in 1994 after organizations the Department of Social and Military Psychology of the Kyiv Military Humanitarian Institute, which later became as a part of the National Defence Academy of Ukraine (now the National Defence University of Ukraine). As a result of further reformation and development of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, on April 18, 2007 was created the Department of Social Sciences, which exists to this day.

The main tasks of the department are:

• implementation of educational activities that ensure the training of military specialists for the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, other military formations formed in accordance with the laws of Ukraine in selected specialties and specializations;
• carrying out preparation of philosophy doctors in the field of knowledge A "Education" from the specialty A1 "Education sciences";
• advanced training of military personnel, employees of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, officials of other components of the security and defense sector of Ukraine, and civil servants;
• implementation of scientific, scientific-technical and innovative activities in the interests of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the Armed Forces of Ukraine by conducting scientific research and ensuring the creative activity of participants in the educational process, using the obtained results in the educational process of the university;
• ensuring cultural and spiritual development of the individual, education of personnel in the spirit of patriotism and respect for the Constitution of Ukraine.

The department teaches the academic disciplines:

• Socio-philosophical and psychological aspects of modern wars;
• Pedagogical deontology;
• Pedagogy of the higher military school;
• Psychology of the higher military school;
• Pedagogical skills of a teacher of the higher military school;
• Teaching methods in the higher military school;
• Educational and professional coaching in the higher military school;
• Academic rhetoric;
• Theory and practice of personnel selection.

Scientific and pedagogical personnel provide methodological support for the academic disciplines teaching by the department.

The educational process at the department is provided by two doctors of science, seven candidates of science and doctors of philosophy (PhD).

Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor Andrii Vitchenko and Candidate of Philosophical Sciences, Associate Professor Liudmyla Budahiants are considered leading scientists of the Department of Social Sciences. Monographs, textbooks, educational manuals are regularly published under the leadership of the department’s scientists.

Professor Andrii Vitchenko the scientific bases of the pedagogy of the higher military school, military andragogy were substantiated and developed, the system of training the lecturer of the higher educational institution was designed on the basis of competence and technological approaches, the model of interactive learning using case technologies was developed.

The long-term, creative activity of Associate Professor Liudmyla Budahiants contributes to the integration of the latest achievements in the philosophy and methodology of military science, the philosophy of democracy, and philosophical anthropology into the educational process of training university students and PhD students.

Scientific-pedagogical and scientific staff of the department take part in the work of specialized scientific councils for the defense of dissertations in the field of psychological and pedagogical sciences.

The department annually organizes a scientific and practical conference, which highlights current scientific researches on the philosophical, sociological and psychological aspects of modern wars, psychological and pedagogical problems of preparing individuals for special conditions.

The scientific and pedagogical staff of the department practically study the pedagogical, psychological and philosophical aspects of the troops (forces) activities during the Russian-Ukrainian war. The department actively researches the problems of the philosophy of war, teaching methods in a higher military school, pedagogical skills of a teacher of a higher military school, military andragogy, the image and oratory skills of a military leaders, military leadership, professional and psychological selection, psychological training of military personnel for combat operations, gender mentality in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The generalized experience is published for use in the educational process.

The scientific and pedagogical staff of the department constantly participates in international scientific projects, international conferences and seminars.

The department's scientific and pedagogical staff took part in repelling the large-scale aggression of the Russian Federation by providing assistance in organizing psychological support for personnel of troops (forces), as an officers of psychological support structures and officers of combat stress control units (groups), as an officers of psychological recovery teams and POW's recovery officers.