Humanities interdisciplinary studies opens new office

On July 1, the new Office of Interdisciplinary Studies opened on the seventh floor of Togo Salmon Hall (TSH).

The office, located in TSH-726, functions as the central service point for three interdisciplinary programs offered by the Faculty of Humanities: Women's Studies, Comparative Literature and the Centre for Peace Studies. By the end of the summer, the directors for each program will also have offices on the same floor.

The move is an administrative collaboration only. The three programs will continue to be run independently.

According to dean of humanities, Daniel Woolf, “This represents the first attempt to consolidate interdisciplinary teaching and learning in a single area within this Faculty.”

Elisabeth Boetzkes, director of women's studies, thinks the move is a perfect ideological fit. “As interdisciplinary programs, we each draw on expertise from across the campus.” Faculty members and the programs themselves will benefit administratively from being located close to each other, she says.

Boetzkes says that students will also benefit from the centralized location. Students who especially want the interdisciplinary learning experience will now have a “physical home.”