The Institute for Research in Social Communication at SAS was established in 1990. The mission of the Institute is to perform basic interdisciplinary research, focusing on social communication and relations between people and groups in society. We build on the conceptual and methodological frameworks from psychology, educational science, and philosophy while bridging the scientific disciplines. We collaborate with local and international institutions in the fields of education and health and disseminate our research results to them. We train PhD. students in collaboration with Slovak universities.
We study the role of language, discourse, and communication in mutually interconnected areas:
- Intergroup relations (between majority and ethnic, sexual, language and other minorities);
- Transformation of intimacy, romantic relationships, and parenthood;
- Literacy and its development (Centre for Pedagogical Research);
- Citizen participation.
At the Institute, we also conduct cutting-edge research in other relevant areas – such as projects in the “society and technology” fields.
The Institute’s unique value lies in:
- its focus on the impact of research on society, especially in the field of education,
- its transdisciplinary and critical approach to social science research,
- its comparative, cross-cultural framework.