Reporter 26/7/00: Report of the General Board on the establishment of an East Asia Institute in the Faculty of Oriental Studies: Notice

Report of the General Board on the establishment of an East Asia Institute in the Faculty of Oriental Studies: Notice

24 July 2000

In their Notice dated 15 May 2000 (Reporter, p. 679) the Council stated that they were referring the remarks made by Dr Evans at the Discussion of this Report on 2 May 2000 (p. 673) to the General Board for comment. The Council have now received the following from the Board:

The General Board have considered the remarks made by Dr Evans in relation to the arrangements for interdisciplinary study and for those scholars whose work involves more than one discipline. They note that there are already, within the University, many examples of interdisciplinary activity in research and teaching, at both formal and informal levels. They acknowledge that much of this activity is dependent on personal contact and the spirit of good will and collaboration to which Professor McMullen referred in relation to the recently established East Asia Institute. The General Board would not wish to underestimate the value of the informal arrangements which have developed and will continue to develop, in many instances fostered through the collegiate nature of the University. Equally, they are mindful of the extent to which the advantages of existing informal arrangements might be undermined through more formal management of interdisciplinarity. Nevertheless, the Board recognize that current arrangements can lead to difficulties in the balance of an individual's teaching and research activities, and they will give consideration to how interdisciplinarity, and the recognition of those working across subject boundaries, might be further fostered.

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