New Geographies, New Pedagogies: Institute of International Studies; UC Berkeley
The Institute of International Studies is an ideal institutional venue for "The New Geographies" since its mission is precisely to encourage a focus on comparative and transnational phenomena. In working closely with two other units -- International and Area Studies and the Townsend Humanities Centers -- it is simultaneously able to reach out organizationally to all of the area studies research and teaching programs, and to a diverse humanities constituency which is highly "internationalized" on the Berkeley campus. There are 18 area studies programs and six undergraduate teaching programs which fall within the reach of IAS. In addition it is estimated that each semester there are at least 20 undergraduate and graduate courses (excluding languages) taught within the disciplines which are area studies in orientation and focus. The IAS already organizes Doctoral Dissertation Workshops and can readily incorporate the proposed activities. In addition, as a teaching unit IAS is able to offer an institutional framework within which a Doctoral Research Practicum can be taught (and advertised), and crosslisted with Departments in order that students may gain credit for their home programs. IIS is superbly located to reach out to the panoply of area and internationally oriented constituencies and already possesses a visibility on campus capable of launching "The New Geographies."
Governance: The PIs for "The New Geographies" project are Dr. Michael Watts representing IIS, and Dr. David Szanton representing IAS (the area studies and teaching programs). An Executive Committee of six faculty (drawn from differing area studies programs) which rotates yearly will be responsible for the overall design of activities. In addition a rotating Advisory Group of faculty and students will take responsibility for the design and planning of the year-long Theme activities (including the speaker series and the Annual Conference). Some of the activities will be decentralized to participating area studies programs (for example, the Resident Fellow will be housed and accommodated in the appropriate area studies program which will also plan the details of his/her visit). All of the financial, accounting, and administrative functions will be housed within IIS.
Synergies and Linkages: The project offers the prospect of important new linkages and synergies on the Berkeley campus. First, the thematic activities and Working Groups offer a common ground (and an institutional structure) on which the area studies faculty and students can participate in comparative, inter-disciplinary and cross-regional ventures. Second, the Doctoral Research Practicum has obvious spillover effects for the disciplines (students take back their experiences of conducting Bay Area research to their disciplinary based training) and for the area studies programs which, through their faculty, work collaboratively on the year long seminar. Third, there are clear "knock-on" effects between the training and research activities and the teaching of area studies in and outside of the disciplines. Fourth, the multi-disciplinary orientation, coupled with the reach of the participating institutions (humanities, social sciences, professions), offers some opportunities for making new collaborative linkages with the professional schools, and between the internationally-oriented social sciences and the humanities which has been sadly lacking on the Berkeley campus. And finally, through the use of the new electronic media (video-conferencing with other UC campuses, the use of the WWW) and the presence of visiting Residential Fellows we are optimistic that new sorts of inter-institutional co-operation and connections may be fostered.
Next: Revitalizing Area Studies and Its Institutionalization
© Copyright 1999, Regents of the University of California