The rich and differentiated research landscape in the disciplines leads to a large number of high-ranking research achievements in a wide variety of fields. Researchers at the Schools are involved in international communities and research networks and document their research achievements through nationally and internationally visible publications, conference contributions and the organization of conferences, the supervision of doctoral and postdoctoral theses, expert and advisory board activities as well as the development, acquisition and supervision of externally funded research projects.

In addition to disciplinary research, interdisciplinary collaborative research at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities also makes an important contribution to the research profile of the University of Siegen. Current issues include the profound transformation of everyday practices in the digital, global age, the international comparison of education, health and social systems and the study of transnational cultural and social spaces in Europe and worldwide. The establishment of the DFG Collaborative Research Center "Media of Cooperation" in January 2016 will further strengthen the Schools's profile and make it visible both nationally and internationally. The participating researchers from the fields of Media Studies, Business Information Systems, History, Social Sciences and Philology, among others, work together across the boundaries of their respective subjects, institutes and Schools to investigate cooperative practices that arise in media and from which media in turn arise. The second CRC "Transformation of the Popular " followed in December 2020 with around 60 researchers involved. These bring together the perspectives and methods of a variety of cultural and social science disciplines to investigate how the popular is asserted in various fields of social life today. Other interdisciplinary and interfaculty subject areas include eHumanities (multimodal corpora), European studies, the development of mobility concepts for rural areas and the investigation of linguistic aspects of migration, gender, masculinity and queer studies, music-based church devotional forms and the examination of the phenomenon of "pop", comic research and children's and youth literature. The success of the work is evidenced by research and book prizes (e.g. Heinz-Meier-Leibnitz Prize; NDR "Non-Fiction Book of the Month"; Children's Literature Association Honor Book; German UNESCO Commission Prize "Education for Sustainable Development") and the involvement of the specialist representatives in renowned national and international research contexts (e.g. DFG research group "Children's Literature").DFG research group "Aesthetics and Practice of Popular Seriality"; DFG network "Ethics and Aesthetics in Literary Representations of Ecological Transformations"; cooperation with leading international representatives of KJL research in Newcastle and Cambridge).

Not only the interdisciplinary joint projects, but also the research within the department is guided by the principle of social relevance. For example, with the participation of the social sciences in the National Educational Panel Study/Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories (NEPS), there is a nationwide network with outstanding non-university and university educational research, in which educational processes and skills development are researched from early childhood to old age. In addition, there are national and international coordinated research programs in the social sciences, such as the Horizon 2020 project "TransSOL" coordinated by Siegen, which analyzes European solidarities in times of crisis, as well as the international Norface project "Health Inequalities in European Welfare States (HiNews)". In language didactics, empirical basic research is carried out on competence-promoting learning environments in schools and universities, including in the context of three projects funded by the BMBF and the Mercator Foundation.

Members of the Schools regularly appear in regional and national media. High-profile series and events (e.g. "Forum Siegen", "Mittwochsakademie") are closely linked to the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. Ongoing contacts with foundations, local authorities, associations and state institutions ensure that the Faculty of Arts and Humanities' research findings are also relevant for policy advice.

Another pillar of the transfer of current research is the regular teacher training courses, e.g. in Catholic Theology, History and Romance Studies. They are of great regional importance, particularly in southern Westphalia, because there are no comparable further education institutes here. Another example is research in the field of intercultural coaching, in which English is often used as a lingua franca to support development and change processes, particularly in the context of professional reorientation.

In academic teaching, various challenges of contemporary societies are addressed in an interdisciplinary manner. These include topics such as migration, demographic change, health care, changes in the welfare state, Europeanization and globalization, political participation, representation and legitimacy deficits of democracy, (technically mediatized) linguistic-communicative practices of institutions and organization, reflexivity of religious positions, ecumenism (e.g. in the context of a degree course "Christian Theologies in Ecumenical Perspective", which is unique in Germany and recognized by both major Christian churches). The experiential knowledge required for a reflective approach to media is incorporated, for example through the involvement of lecturers from the media industry. The Schools ensures high-quality practical language training through lecturers for German, English, French, Spanish and Italian.

A particular goal of the Schools is to work closely with the Center for Teacher Training and Educational Research (ZLB) to strengthen the quality of teacher training and to promote cooperation between subject-specific sciences, subject-specific didactics and educational sciences. The University of Siegen in general and Faculty I in particular are to become centers of teacher training in NRW. Coordinated study models are to be developed that enable students to switch between subject-specific and teacher training courses with minimal loss of time.

The range of courses is characterized by numerous interdisciplinary cross-connections, also with the smaller subjects. Teaching and research are closely interlinked. The International Research Centre for Cultural Ecology and Literary Didactics (KöLi) focuses on the role of teachers as "change agents" in accordance with the UNESCO program "Education for Sustainable Development" (ESD 2015+).

The Faculty of Arts and Humanities is well networked worldwide through cooperation agreements and exchange programs. The promotion of international study programs and projects (e.g. the Bachelor's degree programs"European Business Communication - Langues, communication et commerce européens" and"Social Sciences in Europe" and the Master's degree programs "International Cultural History Studies" and "Roads to Democracies") with an international focus not only serve to increase student mobility, but also the acquisition of intercultural key qualifications and skills.

A professional, quality-oriented administration creates reliable conditions for successful study, teaching and research. It promotes individual educational and competence profiles in which different cultural and biographical backgrounds can develop. Lecturers and students meet regularly in "Didactic Salons" to exchange experiences and possible improvements in teaching. The Schools ensures a high-quality range of courses in all subjects and, on this basis, particularly promotes excellent interdisciplinary profile lines. These processes and goals are supported by strategic personnel decisions, be it through targeted new appointments, the strengthening of the academic mid-level faculty or the promotion of professional careers in science-related administration.

The Schools supports research trips and conference participation by doctoral and post-doctoral students of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities as well as information and further training measures initiated by the young academics themselves through a financial support program for young academics.
The advice and information offered by phil: Student Advisory Service, in close cooperation with the Central Student Advisory Service and the academic advisors from the subjects, promotes individual academic success.
The Schools maintains an "Office for International Affairs", which supports the Schools and the subjects in the implementation of international study programs and projects. phil: International Affairs advises members of the Schools (students and lecturers) who are planning a stay abroad and is the point of contact for international students and interested parties from abroad. The faculty-internal mentoring program for students "MAX- Mentoring in International Academic Exchange" is supervised by phil: International Affairs and the certificate of international competencies, BIK, is issued. phil: International Affairs acts as an interface between the International Office of the University of Siegen, the Schools and the students.