incursion into "language and culture"

[Buckner, Margaret L]

Dear fellow ling-anths,

At our university, as all around the country, programs are scrambling to create new niches and attract students in order to maintain their faculty positions.

Our Modern and Classical Languages department is proposing a new major called "Language and Culture" that actually has very little culture in it, and does not include classes from other departments or programs, such as anthropology or linguistics.  They didn't even consult us, let alone invite us to participate.

I'd like to know if any of you have faced similar course encroachment, what consequences it's having, how you've dealt with it, and any suggestions you might have for us.

Thanks very much,

Margie Buckner
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Missouri State University
901 S. National Avenue
Springfield, MO 65798
(417) 836-6165
mbuckner at missouristate.edu