Political theory and practice

The first Government was taught in the Faculty of Economics in 1917, but it now looks like we are being moved, against our collective will, to Arts.

Dear Blog,

It looks like my department, Government and International Relations (hereinafter GIR) will be moved – against will of every member of it – to the Arts Faculty. This reorganization has been mooted a half a dozen time before, but this time it looks like it will happen. It seems we are no longer welcome in the Faculty of Economics and Business. Given that perception, we have reluctantly decided to row with the tide. (A note on nomeclature, the word “department” may not be used in official universitiese, but it is the term everyone understands, so I use it).

While some have a small interest in effecting the reorganization since reorganizations are what make a manager’s career, the costs are hidden and, better, borne by others. Nearly all members of GIR has, in the last eight years or nine years, bent their backs to integrating GIR into the Faculty of Economics and Business. We have done that in both pedagogy and curriculum, and to some extent, research, as well, and ,most importantly, in academic appointments. We have led the way in the Faculty in the active pedagogy that produces graduate attributes that the University declaims and which please accreditors. In curriculum we have designed and delivered a dozen or more units of study tailored to the interests of business students by addressing the relationship and interactions of economy, polity, commerce, and business. In still other units of study we have added content specifically for business students, e.g., in GOVT6313 Leadership in Theory and Practice, though the word business does not appear in the title, about 1/3 of the material is rated to the context of business. The same is true in numerous other units. Moreover, we have made academic appointments specially to teach these kinds of units. While retaining a comprehensive approach to political science, we have focussed a great deal. Now to learn that commitment is no longer valued is disappointing. We learn that it is not valued, by the silence that comes from the Faculty of Economics and Business, not by anything that is said in the clouds of words spoken. Instead we hear that all that was yesterday.

The justification for the move is to consolidate and rationalize the social sciences in Arts. Of course, accounting, marketing, and the like are applied social sciences, but that is no matter. One also might suppose Economics is a social science, but it remains in the Faculty, for now. Also remaining in the Faculty will be the Graduate School of Government (GSG). How confusing is all of this? I predict that one result will be an in-house competition between GIR and the GSG for fee-paying masters students. So much of consolidation and rationalization.

There are many details, but managers assign these to others, like me. GIR will have to leave the Merewether Building, and it will have to be unplugged from hardware, accounts, and the like. All of this will bear another, hidden cost.

I resisted the move every other time because I preferred the outward looking, engaged with the world, "we can do better" climate in the Faculty of Economies and Business. But I have had to eat dirt now that it is clear that the Faculty of Economics and Business no longer wants GIR.