History of the Department

The history of the Department traces back to 1996, following the merger of the Almaty Institute of Railway Transport Engineers (AlIIT) and the Almaty Road Institute (AADI) into the Kazakh Academy of Transport and Communications (M. Tynyshpayev KazATC).

The social science and humanities divisions of the founding institutes formed the Departments of “Philosophy and History” and “Social and Humanitarian Disciplines,” which were unified in 1997 into the Department of “Philosophy, Political Science, and History.”

Key Milestones and Leadership:

• 1996–2009 — The department was led successively by:

  • Dr. Sc., Prof. A.I. Artemyev;

  • Dr. Sc., Prof. E.A. Urunbasarova;

  • Dr. Sc., Prof., Corresponding Member of NAS RK S.K. Myrzaly;

  • Dr. Sc., Prof. A.U. Rakhimova.

• 2009–2021 — Following the merger with Physical Education, the unit was renamed “Social and Humanitarian Disciplines,” and later “Social and Humanitarian Disciplines and Physical Education” (2013). Leadership: Dr. Sc., Assoc. Prof. R.B. Italmasova, Cand. Sc., Assoc. Prof. K.T. Anasova, Cand. Sc., Prof. A.S. Abdirayimova.

• Present Status — Currently operating under its updated official institutional title — Department of Social Sciences and Human Development.

Academic Mission and Development: The Department of Social Sciences and Human Development is a primary academic and research division of the university, delivering foundational instruction in accordance with state higher education standards.

• Strategic Goal: Enhancing the quality of humanities and social science education, developing dialectical thinking, and cultivating analytical skills necessary for understanding complex contemporary social processes.

• Key Tasks:

  • Preserving the fundamental role of humanities and social science instruction;

  • Developing specialized innovative courses focused on socio-political and historical-philosophical frameworks;

  • Training competitive specialists across technical and multidisciplinary fields.

Research and Institutional Partnerships: The Department maintains active academic partnerships with leading research institutions in Kazakhstan, including the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies (KazISS) under the President of the ROC, the Ch. Valikhanov Institute of History and Ethnology, the R. Suleimenov Institute of Oriental Studies, the Institute of Philosophy, Political Science and Religious Studies, and top national universities (KazNU, KazNPU).