Social Studies Needs Faculty

Renowned scholar, star professor, ground-breaking feminist...Yalie? Professor of Government Seyla Benhabib should have known that great credentials and Yale residency do not mix well. Last Thursday, Benhabib announced she will leave her Harvard post as chair of the Committee on Social Studies for a professorship at Yale in a new political science department program. Benhabib, who is on sabbatical this semester, is one of Harvard's top political philosophers. She is widely recognized for her work in feminist theory, postmodernist theory, continental philosophy and political philosophy.

Along with the new opportunities offered by Yale, Benhabib cited her dissatisfaction with Social Studies non-departmental status as reason for her departure. Committees, unlike departments, are unable to hire their own faculty, nor may they offer graduate level programs to students. Although there has been some discussion of appointing senior faculty in Social Studies for a provisional five-year period, Benhabib believes that even this small effort would meet with considerable resistance from the administration.

While we agree with some of Benhabib's criticisms of Social Studies organization, we do not condone the method in which she went about expressing her views. Leaving an institution is not a constructive mode of addressing problems, once identified. Benhabib should have tried to effect change from within the University's structure before jumping ship for Yale.

As to the content of Benhabib's critique, we are not sure that granting Social Studies full departmental status would really be the best thing for all involved. Social Studies is an interdisciplinary concentration, integrating work from history, political science, sociology, economics, anthropology and philosophy. It thus derives its strength from being able to draw upon the best resources of several other departments, rather than being confined to a short list of its own professors. Furthermore, Social Studies could--and we would argue, should--have many of the advantages which Benhabib misses in its current organization without having to endure the long process involved in becoming a department. In order to allow Social Studies to appoint some of its own senior faculty and to sponsor graduate level studies, the administration could grant the Committee special recognition, similar to that which the Religion and Women's Studies committees now enjoy.

In fact, there is no reason why other committees, like History and Literature and Environmental Science and Public Policy should not have their own privileges expanded in the same fashion. These concentrations, popular amongst students, should be afforded the administrative leeway that their reputations deserve. However, improving resources, not conferring departmental titles, should be the priority for any reforms.