According to University Lecturer Johanna Uotinen, graduates in the human sciences are specialists with flexibility and broad-based expertise, capable of mastering large entities.
“Medical doctors view the world from the perspective of health. Engineers, on the other hand, focus on technical aspects. IT professionals concentrate on information processing, and natural scientists on our environment. But when a broader view of the world is needed, the human sciences come into play,” says Johanna Uotinen, a University Lecturer in Cultural Studies.
She feels that outside the human sciences, people’s understanding of all the skills and capabilities education in the humanities, for example, provides, remains lacking.
“The world we live in today is quite a complex and intricate place. And the more complex it gets, the more valuable a generalist understanding offered by the human sciences becomes.”
Uotinen says she doesn’t want to make a stark contrast between generalist and specialist fields, as both are needed.
“However, it is frustrating that year after year, we have to keep proving the importance of the human sciences and the existence of our disciplines to others.”
A narrow understanding of the field
Highly mechanistic and utility-based. This is how Uotinen describes the conception of humanity currently prevailing in the Finnish government. People are seen as commodities, and academic disciplines are given value from a very limited perspective.
“There has been a tendency to undervalue the humanities also in the past, but now it seems these views have become even more polarised.”
According to Uotinen, the statement by Finland’s finance minister about culture being a luxury item that costs too much reveals how narrowly these matters are viewed and how little effort is made to understand them.
“This narrow understanding has since made its way into everything associated with the word culture, including cultural studies, the humanities and the human sciences more broadly.”
This is despite the fact that last year, the arts and culture sector accounted for 3.1 percent of Finland’s GDP, while the forestry sector, for example, accounted for just two percent.
“It seems that a very narrow understanding of the human sciences prevails – and even that is usually flawed.”
According to Uotinen, research findings in the human sciences are, for some reason, more easily regarded as opinions compared to other fields, with the assumption that researchers are pushing their own agendas.
“It is dangerous if such claims lead to restrictions on what can be studied. Scholars of the human sciences follow the same principles of science and research as others. It is a highly concerning course of development if someone from outside the scientific community starts dictating what can and cannot be studied – especially if this is justified by nothing more than narrow perceptions.”
Can someone really do such interesting things for a living?
According to Uotinen, an advantage of the human sciences is that every student in the humanities can tailor their study path according to personal interests. Therefore, one’s degree can, to a great extent, be customised.
“As a result, our graduates are not all cut from the same cloth, and they do not compete for the same jobs. A degree in the human sciences can reflect the student’s interests very freely and include unique choices. We encourage a broad orientation and flexibility, thus meeting the demands of the changing world and the ever-evolving job markets.”
Uotinen’s own career in cultural studies is a testament to her ability to learn new things, and to her broad-based expertise.
“I’m originally trained in the fine arts, specialising in printmaking. But since I didn’t want to create the kind of art that would guarantee me a living, I kept my mind open to other possibilities as well.”
Back then, Uotinen remembers thinking of universities as places from where mainly lawyers, medical doctors and engineers graduate. As a result, she was truly surprised when she saw a television programme about cultural anthropology and cultural anthropology research.
“I nearly gasped in amazement at someone actually being able to do such interesting things for a living.”
Inspired by this observation, Uotinen applied to study cultural studies at the then University of Joensuu the following spring.
“I was never an enthusiastic student, and I didn’t really like my time in general upper secondary school. However, when I started cultural studies, I realised that I wasn’t dumb or a poor learner; I just hadn’t had the chance to study things that interested me before.”
“It seems that a very narrow understanding of the human sciences prevails – and even that is usually flawed.”
Johanna Uotinen
University Lecturer
Seize different opportunities
Uotinen’s Master’s degree ended up being quite extensive, as so many things felt fascinating to her. One thing led to another, and she soon found herself working as a project researcher and writing a doctoral dissertation at the university.
“I always tell my students to seize any opportunity they get, even if a job or a task doesn’t feel like a perfect fit at first. I’ve always kept an open mind, and the various roles and interests I’ve had along the way have led me to where I am now.”
With its twists and turns, Uotinen’s career is not a very traditional one, but for this too, she credits the flexibility and variability of the human sciences.
“Of course, being appointed to a permanent university lecturer position before my 40th birthday has also brought certain clarity to my career. That is quite rare in this field, and at that age.”
Education as a tool for mastering new things
Uotinen says she particularly enjoys academic freedom in her work.
“Within that framework, you can develop your teaching as much as you want. In addition, this job enables continuous learning, self-improvement and acquiring new knowledge. That’s truly wonderful.”
Thanks to having an open mind, Uotinen has also made a longer “detour” in her career, working part-time in an elected position in the university’s occupational safety and health organisation for eight years.
“In that role, I had to master a very large new entity in which I had no previous experience. But even there, my generalist background helped me, as it boils down to working with people and having the ability to apply knowledge and master large entities. So, even in my occupational safety and health role, I was able to draw from the core ethos of my education.”
A curious mind always finds something new
According to Uotinen, diversity is an advantage of working at the university.
“If you have the energy, you can always get involved in various working groups. I myself am a digital coach, a contact person in matters related to work ability, and an ERGGI, i.e., an ergonomics specialist for my unit. I’m also involved in student recruitment, in a communications group and in a learning environment committee. And all of that is so much fun!”
Although the core of her work revolves around teaching and research, it is not limited to them.
“One can have multiple roles at the university, and they are not mutually exclusive. Although I have worked here for well over 20 years, I’m glad to see that there is always something new and exciting to find.”
