Interdisciplinary majors approved
Faculty pass Modern Middle East Studies, Computing and the Arts by unanimous vote
Yale College faculty members voted unanimously Thursday for the creation of two new undergraduate majors: Modern Middle East Studies and Computing and the Arts.
Both majors received the faculty stamp of approval after lengthy campaigns by professors and administrators to design the interdisciplinary majors and drum up faculty and student support. The formalization of the two majors will not expand course selection beyond what is already available. Students may declare these two majors beginning in the 2008-2009 academic year.
“Both of the new majors that were approved...
What term do you prefer? I'm not a fan of "Middle East" in its own right either, but I'm afraid there's just not really any good indigenous alternative.
"Southwest Asia" is the current standard for those with a bit more cultural sensitivity. It doesn't take too long to get used to it and since it uses the continent as the frame of reference it is less offensive than the alternatives.
If Southeast Asia as popular currency, I think we can adopt Southwest Asia without too much suffering.
Is it just me or does anyone else see the irony of using the archaic Euro-centric definition of the geographic area in combination with the word "Modern"? "Modern Middle East Studies"? It is so oxymoronic I'm ready to fall out of my chair laughing if I weren't too busy gnashing my teeth in disgust. When is Yale going to pull itself through the 20th and then into the 21st century and rename all the programs that currently define themselves from the Victorian British vantage point? It is truly ludicrous and culturally insensitive to maintain the Euro-centric perspective; "Near East, Middle East"--near and middle to what? Do the text books for these departments still use the term "colored natives" as well? Sheesh, all I can say is I have a hard time thinking this is a "global" university when we still view the world from such an archaic paradigm.