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Letter from R. Vroon to Slavic & East Europ. Lang. & Literature list
Imminent End to Slavic Studies at Basel University Dear Colleagues: On Thursday, January 22, the University of Basel announced its intention to discontinue Slavic studies. The new came suddenly and unexpectedly, without consultation with the members of the faculty or students. This would be a major loss for our field and I urge all of you to write letters to the appropriate authorities (names and addresses below) to express your concern and urge that the program be retained. The background is as follows: The administration's position is that Slavistics is central to the University's core mission. It has been led to believe that profiling Slavistics is not particularly important for Switzerland, and concluded that two Universities (at Zurich and Bern) suffice to meet demand in the field. These conclusions appear to have arisen in a vacuum, with little consideration for the actual state of the program and its international reputation. I recently had the priviledge of conducting an advanced seminar at the University and can speak with first-hand experience about its strengths. The University of Basel has a thriving program on both the graduate and undergraduate level, with some ninety students currently enrolled--a substantial number given the modest size of the University. It has a superb infrastructure, boasting one of Central Europe's finest Slavic collections a large Slavic Seminar Library and joint production of a highly regarded publication series (Slavica Helvetica). It is ably directed by Professor Andreas Guski, known to many of you as a leading specialist in the literaure of the Soviet Period (the production novel in particular). Morale is high (at least until the most recent announcement!) and the faculty is productive, both in terms of scholarship and students awarded degrees. The program has developed an international reputation for innovative research, in particular its seminar series, "Literature and Commerce: the Writer's Profession and Money Symbolism in Russian Realism," a major outgrown of the "New Economic Criticism." It has generated significant interest in the local community as well, and productive ties to local museums and archives (the Stravinsky Archive, the Fritz Lieb Collection, the Tsvetaeva Archive, etc.). THE LOSS OF THE PROGRAM WOULD REPRESENT A MAJOR LOSS FOR OUR FIELD. Additional details about the program, as well as the planned closure, may be found on the Slavic Seminar Web Sites (/). I strongly urge you to write the President of the University Council, the Rector, the Dean, and also to e-mail the head of the Institute, Prof. Andreas Guski, expressing your support for Slavic Studies. Together we can rescue this program. I strongly urge you to write the President of the University
Council, the Rector, the Dean, and also to e-mail the head of the Institute,
Prof. Andreas Guski, expressing your support for Slavic Studies. Together
we can rescue this program. Here are the addresses: Dr. phil. Rolf Soiron Frau Prof. Doktor Annelies Hacki-Buhofer Please send e-mail copies of your letters to the Slavic Seminar Director, Prof. Andreas Guski, at Andreas.Guski@unibas.ch, or by snail-mail to him at: Slavisches Seminar der Universitat Basel Please assist both Basel University and the field of Slavic Studies by participating in this protest action! If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact me off-line (vroon@humnet.ucla.edu).
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