The General Board have set up a committee to review University arrangements for teaching, learning, and research within the general field of the social sciences. The scope of the review concerns principally (but not solely) activities which fall within the remit of the Council of the School of the Humanities and Social Sciences.
The terms of reference are to review the University's arrangements for research, teaching, and learning in the social sciences, and to make recommendations for the future, having particular regard to:
| (i) | identification of those areas of critical mass where research in the social sciences should be supported and enhanced and the appropriate strategies to deliver research excellence of the highest quality in these fields; |
| (ii) | whether present arrangements for the delivery of teaching, learning, and examination within the social sciences are appropriate (with particular reference to Education, Psychology, and the Politics, Psychology, and Sociology Tripos) and meet training and quality assurance requirements at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels; |
| (iii) | the future development of, and prospects for, work across the social sciences in the University, including consideration of the extent of duplication and, if so, the appropriateness of this in the context of the need to sustain academic excellence and ensure the effective use of resources; |
| (iv) | the resources available to support the delivery of subjects within the social sciences, including academic and support staff, accommodation, and library and IT provision, and giving consideration to future arrangements for the organization, management, and administration of these activities; |
| (v) | the need to meet statutory and other regulatory timescales and requirements. |
The Committee will determine (a) the institutions to be considered and the nature of that consideration; and (b) the form of any evidence sought from those institutions (and any individuals it considers appropriate whether within or external to the University). The Committee will present an initial report to the General Board by the end of the Michaelmas Term.
The membership of the Committee is as follows:
Professor Richard Smith, DOW (Chairman)
Professor Ian Leslie, CHR
Dr Rachael Padman, N
Professor John Rallison, T
Professor Mike Savage, University of Manchester
Professor Vicki Bruce, University of Newcastle
Duncan McCallum, W, and Peta Stevens, DAR (Joint Secretaries)
The current and incoming Heads of the Council of the School of the Humanities and Social Sciences will be kept fully informed of developments and will attend meetings at the Committee's discretion.
Members of the University are invited to send any comments on the review, before 30 June 2009, to Mrs Stevens, Academic Division, The Old Schools, Cambridge, CB2 1TT (email pms1000@cam.ac.uk).