Area studies on the map
Re: Area studies funding scarce: students, Jan. 23
This article suggests area studies are rather low on the Faculty of Arts & Science’s priority list. Not true. Broadening and diversifying the Arts & Science curriculum is a goal in our academic plan and part of our curriculum review and renewal, and area studies are central to that goal. Like all academic programs, area studies programs vary in size and resources, depending on student enrolment and the priorities of teaching staff. A number of area studies programs have established world-wide reputations, including those focused on East Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Many others are relatively young in the life of the university and their growth takes time, especially given the evolution of teaching staff.
But these programs, including African and Caribbean studies, are indeed growing, and we are making a number of teaching staff appointments to support them. It is noteworthy that during a period of little growth in teaching staff across the Faculty, there has been a significant increase in size and resources in area studies. We are adding three new teachers in Korean and East Asian studies. We are searching for a lecturer in Swahili for African studies, and we are adding a professor in Caribbean studies to be shared with English and Comparative Literature as well as professors in Japanese history and Chinese studies.
Most area studies programs include teaching the language and literature of a given culture or region. The Faculty’s commitment to languages is evident: we offer over 50 languages, have declared 2006-07 the Year of Languages, and successfully secured additional money for languages-including Swahili, a cornerstone of any African studies program-through U of T’s Academic Initiatives Fund.
Providing our students with a global curriculum includes fostering academically rigorous area studies programs that attract the best students and teachers. There is excellent leadership in place in area studies and in the colleges which host many of these programs. I am confident that collectively, we will be able to continue to strengthen these programs.
Pekka K. Sinervo, FRSC
Dean and Vice-Provost, First-Entry Programs, U of T
