Opposing the School of Languages and Literatures at University of Toronto

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A Strategic Planning Committee at the University of Toronto has recently proposed an amalgamation of the Italian, East Asian, German, Slavic, Spanish & Portuguese, and Comparative Literature Departments into a new "School of Languages and Literatures." This merger would effectively mean dissolution of the East Asian Studies Department by moving all language and literature professors into this new school while the remaining faculty members will be transferred to other disciplines. Therefore, the EAS program - as well as Slavic Studies, Italian Studies, etc. - at the University of Toronto would cease to exist. The Centre for Comparative Literature would also be re-assigned to the School of Languages and Literatures where it will be re-defined as a Collaborative Program. Programs such as Diaspora and Transnational Studies would be dissolved.

We, the undersigned, are strongly opposed to this proposal. We believe the amalgamation of these departments into one single program, along with the dissolution of their current interdisciplinary aspects, is shortsighted and lacking in intellectual rationale. Although we recognize that the faculty is currently facing a large deficit, we predict this move will be detrimental and cause financial repercussions for the university. A broad School of Languages and Literatures will not encourage the number of enrolments that dedicated programs like East Asian Studies currently have, and it will not attract the level of graduate scholarship currently found within such programs as the Centre for Comparative Literature.

We are against this proposed shift from students studying regions in great depth with broad perspectives (through a combination of history, political science, religion, anthropology, languages, etc) to forcing students to study a region through a singular lens within one discipline. We are also concerned for the status of literature within this school, as it appears that literature will become primarily a tool in the study of language, and studies of literature within historical and social contexts will no longer occur. Language alone would essentially become the primary mode of study of a region, with all other components of regional study becoming secondary. This is an antiquated method of regional study and one that the faculty has diverged from in the past decade. It is this diversion that has attracted esteemed faculty to the university, and caused an increase in enrolment numbers in programs such as EAS, as well as earned respect from the wider community.

For these reasons, and others, we strongly protest the dissolution of regional departments into a School of Languages and Literatures at the University of Toronto.

297 Signatures

  • Julianne Kelso
    • Comments
    • I am concerned not only about the loss of the EAS department and the interdisciplinary study opportunities it provides for students, but I am also worried that our amazing professors will take jobs elsewhere where specific East Asia programs still exist. I had intended on continuing my study at U of T through graduate school, but if this dissolution occurs I will have to look elsewhere.
  • Sol Ramon
    • Comments
    • The EAS program as it stands now is the reason why I decided to come all the way from South America to study at UofT. The proposed changes will affect the discipline in such a way that my focus of study will disappear. The creation of the School of Languages and Literatures without any consultation to the faculty and student body is an undemocratic, unilateral decision: as students, we at least deserve to have a say in the programs of study we pay for.
  • Jeff Currie
  • Michel Marion
  • Hana Kim
  • Darcy Gauthier
  • Stephanie Tan
  • Luke Witzaney
    • Comments
    • As an undergraduate, one of the reasons I intended to transfer to the UofT was for myself to be able to undertake a program in East Asian Studies that was well-established. [One that was at least worth the tuition]. Among Montreal, Vancouver, and Calgary, not to mention the whole of Canada, the City of Toronto maintains a substantial diaspora and heritage of East Asian origin. Having transfered from the University of Calgary for reason of their own programs' inadequacies, I am dumbfounded to find yet another Canadian institute of higher-learning simply undercutting and axing such a program. As a matter of consequence, it is simply shortsighted to ignore the significance this region of the world will hold for both Canadians and our world's future.
  • zahra Yousefi
  • Eric Steinschneider
  • Natalie Bosco
    • Comments
    • To preserve diversity we need to retain individuality, not create a melting pot in which cultures will disappear.
  • Nicole Go
  • Ali Hart
  • James Poborsa
    • Comments
    • PhD Student, Dept. of East Asian Studies
  • Juni L. Yeung
    • Comments
    • In the age where East Asia is viably taking the global focus, it is important for Canada's leading university to have a specialized faculty in research of these matters. To eliminate EAS/EALC programs would be equating to the intentional denial of understanding East Asia as a holistic subject in humanities, which is their way of knowledge acquisition and accumulation.
  • Marija Landekic
    • Comments
    • For the sake of remaining a top institution in the study of East Asia I am against this desolution of the EAS department at UofT. Please reconsider the restructuring of departments to accurately portray the state of undergraduate programs and maintain academic research integrity.
  • Adam Bohnet
  • Jae Hyun Park
  • Young-Hwa Hong
  • Tiffany Lau
  • Chi Ton Vo
  • Johann Schrцttner
  • Cynthia Hsiao
    • Comments
    • This is such a short notice and unfair for students who travel from around the world wanting to study in the EAS program.
  • Nusrat Ireen
  • Wooka Chung
  • Jessica Macalinao
  • Julia Chin
  • Ann Ong
    • Comments
    • Save EAS!
  • Amy Tang
  • Justin Mok
  • Renee Hung
  • Tzu-Han Chen
    • Comments
    • If the school is going to combine languages into one department, then what about English and French? Why do these two languages get to be in their own department? This is discrimination against minority people.
  • Jessica Lee
  • Enrico Bargnani
  • Vickt Nguyen
  • Sean Callaghan
  • Sandra Simoes
  • Avery Chuang
    • Comments
    • В
  • Dora Chan
  • Tina Hsu
    • Comments
    •  
  • Molly Guo
    • Comments
    • 02
  • Natalie Yao
  • Angela Yu
    • Comments
    • PLEASE DON'T DO THIS!
  • Jessica b. Kim
  • Gillian
    • Comments
    • outrageous
  • Ryuhei Katami
    • Comments
    •  
  • Thomas Haviland
    • Comments
    • EAS is such an important area of the World to study, especially with the recent growth of China and rising power of Asia in General. It is unthinkable to dissolve EAS when it is such a pivotal area of study in this current day and age!
  • Apple Lam
  • Kara Isozaki
    • Comments
    • Please do not dissolve it! My grandmother and my mother have both gone through the East Asian department and it has always beenn my goal to do so as well! East Asian Studies is the only program I am interested in and if you dissole it, I will have nothing to study.
  • Sara Amodeo