History of creation
The Department traces its origins back to the 1965-1966 academic year, when it was initially established as the Department of Philosophy. Much of the credit for its formation and development goes to the first heads of the department: PhD associate professors G.P. Krasnov, N.S. Gagarin, and N.D. Pak, who led the department from 1965 to 1981.
From 1982 to 1984, the department was headed by PhD, Associate Professor V.K. Shaprov.
From 1984 to 1996, the department was headed by PhD, L.V. Sanitskaya.
From 1996 to 2002, the department was led by PhD, Associate Professor T.G. Shlyakhtich.
During the 2002-2003 academic year, the department was headed by PhD G. Sh. Nasilina, a graduate of the Philosophy Faculty of Leningrad State University named after A. Zhdanova.
In 2003, starting from February, the Department of Social and Political Disciplines was established, and it was led by PhD, Associate Professor G.O. Imakova.
From 2003 to 2004, the department was headed by Senior Lecturer R.T. Aytbaeva.
From 2004 to 2006, the department was headed by a graduate of the Semipalatinsk Pedagogical Institute, Doctor of Philosophy, Professor K.K. Begalinovna.
From 2006 to 2007, the Department of Social-Humanitarian Disciplines was led by a graduate of Moscow State University (MSU), PhD, Associate Professor I.S. Sarbasov.
In 2007, the Department of Social-Humanitarian Sciences was headed by PhD N. A. Omarova, a graduate of the Faculty of Karaganda State University named after E. Buketov.
From November 2008 to 2017, the head of the Department of Social-Humanitarian Sciences was Talgatbek Makhmetovich Aminov, PhD of Historical Sciences and Associate Professor, a graduate of the Higher Party School (Almaty) and the Institute of National Economy (Almaty).
Since September 2017, the head of the Department of Social-Humanitarian Sciences has been Bibizhamal Kozhakhmetovna Omarova, PhD of Historical Sciences and Associate Professor, a graduate of Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University.
The main goal of the department
is to organize educational, methodological, research, and educational work in the field of social and humanitarian disciplines. It aims to provide objective historical knowledge about the key stages of Kazakhstan's history, to direct students' attention to the issues related to the formation and development of independent statehood in Kazakhstan, and to raise students' awareness of the fundamental problems of social and humanitarian sciences. The department also seeks to teach students scientific methods of philosophical inquiry, to foster a scientific worldview, and to cultivate a strong civic position.
Mission
The department sees its mission in carrying out activities that contribute to the training of highly qualified specialists in the field of medicine by teaching social and humanitarian disciplines using modern teaching technologies.
Humanitarian disciplines shape the personal qualities of medical students, focusing on the philosophical heritage of previous eras, the historical and cultural heritage of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and the humanistic traditions of domestic healthcare.
The implementation of the goal set for the department is achieved by addressing a number of strategic tasks:
Providing high-quality delivery of lectures, practical seminars, and other types of classes; organizing and managing independent work for both undergraduate and graduate students; monitoring students' academic performance and determining the results;
Preparing textbooks, teaching aids, and educational and practical publications for the courses offered by the department;
Conducting research; overseeing students' research work and discussing completed research papers;
Continuously improving teaching methods and the quality of various types of classes by intensifying the educational process and incorporating active and interactive training methods, along with computer-based information technologies;
Monitoring students' knowledge in undergraduate and graduate programs through ongoing assessments, preliminary evaluations, and midterm exams, as well as analyzing the results;
Organizing and facilitating mutual classroom visits by faculty members and conducting pedagogical oversight of department courses;
Developing and improving syllabuses, methodological instructions for preparing practical (seminar) classes, and guidelines for organizing independent work (SRO) for students;
Ensuring faculty participation in scientific and practical conferences at the university, as well as at other higher education institutions in the Republic of Kazakhstan and abroad.
Ensuring the participation of the department's faculty in preparing publications for journals recommended by the Committee for Control in the Sphere of Education and Science, as well as other scientific publications with an impact factor;
Organizing research work for students and postgraduates, including the functioning of a scientific circle, preparation of research and competitive works, scientific publications (including co-authored works with department faculty), and participation in competitive and scientific-practical events at various levels;
Organizing professional development for the department's faculty;
Implementing educational activities with students.
Educational and Methodological Work
According to the instruction letter from the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the department has all the necessary documents related to the nomenclature of cases. There are regulations on the department and the activities of the teaching staff, standard and working syllabuses for students and master’s students in all specialties, available in the state, Kazakh, Russian, and English languages, as well as methodological recommendations for both students and teachers, pedagogical and departmental journals, and work journals.
The teaching staff of the department delivers lectures and conducts seminars on the history of Kazakhstan, philosophy, political science, sociology, and cultural studies for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-year students from all faculties of the University.
Additionally, within the framework of postgraduate education, the History and Philosophy of Science is taught. The educational process for all teachers is organized in accordance with the working syllabuses and standard programs.
The department’s faculty constantly updates their working programs to meet new requirements and applies innovative methods in the educational process to assess students’ knowledge. The faculty members also improve their knowledge annually by actively participating in various professional development courses and internships.
The teaching staff is also actively involved in the development and publication of scientific and educational-methodical literature. In recent years, the following have been published: tutorials by the department head, PhD of History, Assoc. Prof. B.K. Omarova; a monograph and teaching aids by Doctor of History, Prof. Zh.S. Mazhitova; tutorials by PhD of Philology, Zh.I. Daulbaeva; and teaching aids by senior lecturers B.K. Kamzaev, A.Zh. Zhalmurzina, A.E. Karbozov, B.T. Kalmenova, and G.I. Rakhimova.
Scientific Work
The research activities of the department contribute to the development and enhancement of the educational process by integrating scientific advancements into the courses, and they also aim to involve students in solving scientific problems. A significant emphasis is placed on organizing students' research work. The main forms of research include holding scientific conferences and subject Olympiads, preparing student papers for participation in international and national conferences, as well as annual national competitions in the humanities and socio-political sciences.
A student research club is organized and operates within the department. Scientific reports are annually submitted to the final student conference, with subsequent publication in scientific journals.
The teaching staff of the department actively participates in international and national conferences, presenting their research. Each year, more than 10 scientific articles by our faculty members are published in journals recommended by the Committee for Control in the Sphere of Education and Science, as well as other scientific publications with an impact factor.
The department’s faculty members have a Hirsch Index (h-index) according to international citation databases such as Web of Science and Scopus. As of the 2023–2024 academic year, Assoc. Prof. B.K. Omarova has an h-index of 4; Prof. Zh.S. Mazhitova has an h-index of 12; Senior Lecturer A.Zh. Zhalmurzina has an h-index of 3; Senior Lecturer B.K. Kamzaev has an h-index of 2; and Senior Lecturer S.B. Kolganatova has an h-index of 1.
Educational Work
The department actively participates in all events organized by the Гniversity.
Educational work with students is conducted both during and extra class time. The department organizes visits to museums, exhibitions, and theaters, followed by discussions in class.
Each lecture and seminar incorporates an educational aspect. As part of studying social and humanitarian disciplines, students become familiar with key provisions of Kazakhstan’s development strategy, the annual Messages from the President to the people of Kazakhstan, the history of the state symbols of Kazakhstan, and the traditions and customs of the peoples living in the country.
Additionally, as part of seminars on the history of Kazakhstan, first-year students traditionally visit the Presidential Culture Center, the ethnopark, the historical house-museum of Saken Seifullin, and the museum of "Astana Medical University".
For seminars, students prepare papers on significant events in Kazakhstan's socio-political life. Faculty members serve as curators for first-year student groups from various faculties. Throughout the academic year, curators regularly meet with students living in the dormitories to conduct discussions and lectures on socio-political topics. The department’s educational plans also include activities to promote a healthy lifestyle, such as organizing cultural events and holding sports competitions.
Achievements
The educational, methodological, and scientific work of the department has significantly improved, as detailed in the previous sections of this information. This progress has positively impacted the quality of the educational process.
For their outstanding educational, methodological, and scientific work, the head of the department, Associate Professor B.K. Omarova (2021), and Professor Zh.S. Mazhitova (2022) were awarded the silver medal of "Astana Medical University".
Professor Zh.S. Mazhitova was also the winner of the republican competition "Best University Teacher-2020."
Senior faculty members of the department have received several awards. The Certificate of Honor from the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan was awarded to Senior Lecturers B.K. Kamzaev (2019), S.B. Kolganatova (2019), and K.T. Baizhiyenova (2023). A letter of gratitude from the rector of "Astana Medical University" was presented to Senior Lecturer B.T. Kalmenova (2022).
Head of the Department B.K. Omarova, Professor Zh.S. Mazhitova, Senior Lecturers B.K. Kamzaev, K.T. Baizhiyenova, A.E. Karbozov, I.B. Bektaeva, D.T. Aysabekov, and B.Kh. Rakhimzhanova were awarded the University Badge of Honor for the 60th Anniversary of Astana Medical University (2024).
The department's faculty actively participates in volleyball competitions, which are held not only at the university but also in Astana. Moreover, the department’s faculty members regularly earn honorable places in these sports competitions.
Contacts
Astana, Saryarka Ave. 33, 8th floor."
