Disciplinary cultures and the moral order of studying – A case-study of four Finnish university departments

Based on qualitative data gathered in one Finnishuniversity, the article examines disciplinary culturesof four study fields: computer science, libraryscience and informatics, public administration, andsociology and social psychology. It is suggested thatthe core of each discipline can be conceptualized asa moral order that defines the basic beliefs, valuesand norms of the local culture. Following this frameof reference, the analysis of students' accountsdemonstrates essential differences regarding how thevirtues and vices of studying are understood and whatkinds of social identities are constructed indifferent fields. The implications of the results forthe quality assessment and the development ofuniversity teaching are discussed.