The Faculty of Humanities
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The Faculty of Humanities Department of Linguistics Self-Evaluation Report December 2011 Executive Summary A short summary of the main strengths and weaknesses that were pointed out in the self- evaluation process. The Department of Linguistics of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem consists of two programs (‘tracks’), each with its own scientific and pedagogical approach. This structure is the result of the merge of two programs, the Linguistics Department (now the ‘Structural track’) and the linguistics track of the Department of English Language and Literature (now the ‘Generative track’), both of which house faculty members with diverse specializations who work in a number of theoretical and methodological frameworks. Since the merge is very recent (since 2008) these two tracks are at present very much autonomous within the department in terms of programs of study, the setting of goals and learning outcomes, evaluation processes, and – in principle – hiring; moreover, they are quite different in terms of academic culture. This diversity is one of our main strengths: nowhere in Israel does this combination of theoretical and methodological approaches exist, and it is also rare abroad, where departments tend on the whole to be either generative or non-generative. We strongly feel that the unique make-up of our department, with a cadre of linguists who specialize in careful descriptive analysis of specific languages, as well as in typological, historical and comparative treatment of several languages, on the one hand, and linguists working in more cognitively and formally oriented frameworks, on the other, provides the basis for the development of an extremely strong department offering a wide range of opportunities to students with varying academic interests. This should in principle allow us to develop an outstanding program of study with real choices for students, managed in a spirit of cooperation, but without blurring the true differences between varying methodologies. Such a department will be able to attract outstanding students of all kinds. It is important to stress that this situation is still relatively new. As such, we have not yet been able to realize the full potential made available by the new make-up of the department. We have not yet fully developed a common language, as we are still in the process of trying to determine which forms and what scope of cooperation between the two tracks would most benefit the education of our students. Nevertheless, some progress has already been made in the direction of developing a shared language. We have a common departmental seminar, where weekly guest lectures are sponsored alternately by the two tracks. In the Interdisciplinary Forum for the Study of Language, under the joint aegis of the department and the School of Language Sciences, lectures are given which appeal to linguists of both tracks and initial discussions of topics of common interest have taken place in this context. Our department has also founded the 2 first graduate student conference in Linguistics in Israel. Last year, two of our graduate students, one from each track, organized the first meeting of the Israel Graduate Student Conference on Diverse Approaches to Linguistics (IGDAL), which has as its goal to provide a forum for students working on topics in linguistics in all formal frameworks. This conference is projected to convene yearly from now on. Another point of strength of our department is the large number of scholars who engage in research on Afroasiatic languages, including Modern Hebrew, dialects of Aramaic, Arabic, Akkadian, as well as Ancient Egyptian and Coptic, bringing theory and description together. In addition, with the emerging joint academic discourse between members of our department, and those of the Department of Hebrew Language, we probably represent the largest group of linguists actively working on Modern Hebrew anywhere. All of our tenure-track faculty members hold PhDs from prestigious institutions in Israel and abroad and are leading scholars in their respective fields. A number are members of the Israeli Academy of Sciences, and we have no less than five Israel Prize recipients among our teachers and emeriti. Our teachers are regularly invited to hold guest professorships and teach at elite linguistics summer schools. Faculty members play an active role in teaching undergraduate and graduate students and in directing research students; all are also intimately involved in the daily running of the Department. At the moment they are backed up by a small number of high quality junior teachers and efficient and friendly administrative staff. Despite the heavy teaching load and many hours of service in faculty committees and other administrative tasks, the level of teaching and research is high as is evidenced from the data collected for this report. Research is a central component of the Department's activity. The research produced by members of the Department is distinguished not only by its quality but also by its diversity. This diversity is one of the key strengths of the Department. Faculty members publish their research in leading scientific journals and prestigious academic publishers. They also collaborate nationally and internationally in a variety of research projects and publications and serve on international editorial boards. Faculty members regularly attend major conferences and organize conferences and seminars that bring colleagues from Europe and the United States to Jerusalem. In addition to the contribution this makes to the exchange of ideas and academic cooperation, it also enables graduate students, who do not have the financial means to attend conferences abroad, to be exposed to cutting-edge research in the discipline. Faculty members are continuously engaged in seeking research funds that allow them to produce serious research, to train students as assistants, and to help fund graduate students. While funding sources in our field are quite limited, over the past five years the members of the faculty have been successful in raising considerable research funds. The academic quality of our students is reflected in part by their acceptance to prestigious 3 graduate programs, often with full funding, outside of Israel. In recent years, our students have been accepted to PhD programs in the United States, Germany, Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom, and Australia, often at high-ranking universities with prominent linguistics programs. Many of them have gone on to tenure-track positions at excellent institutions. On the other hand, we foresee considerable problems for the continued existence of our department in its current form. The relatively small number of senior staff members (with the prospective retirement, in 5 years or less, of 2 members) and the low likelihood of significant increase within the foreseeable future, due to general institutional economic constraints, prevent the elaboration of the academic program to additional significant fields of research and instruction. This state of affairs dictates a policy of hiring adjunct teachers to cover specific academic needs on a temporary basis, with the evident academic consequences. The desire to supply a rich program and the number of students taking the various courses necessitates more than the expected flexibility on the part of some senior staff members. This is evident in cases where they teach more than the expected teaching load (e.g. 8 weekly hours in place of 6). Regarding the administrative staff, the fact that one person provides extensive secretarial services to 3 different departments (Linguistics, Roman and Latin American Studies and Studies of Central and Eastern Europe), with the particular needs of each academic program, constitutes a major burden on even the most dedicated and efficient secretary. It would be beneficial if a larger administrative staff were to serve the respective departments. A short description of the actions the Institution, the Parent Unit and the Department are going to take in order to improve the weak points that were found. The department has repeatedly alerted the Faculty about the critical situation that the department has reached in terms of manpower, but, unfortunately, the Faculty of Humanities has not had the means to allocate teaching positions and funds for junior and adjunct teaching staff. We take our responsibilities in developing and maintaining excellent programs of study and promoting outstanding innovative research very seriously, and we are confident that our dedicated and dynamic faculty members will do their utmost to address the weak points found in this evaluation process. A brief statement as to the extent which the Study Program has achieved its mission and goals and whether the outcomes comply with its mission statement. Are the Institution, Parent Unit and Department satisfied with the outcomes of the Study Program? The members of the Department of Linguistics feel that the programs of study have achieved their stated mission and goals for most students. This is clearly the case with excellent, good, and average students. On the whole, we are very proud of our students and their 4 achievements. In their linguistic work, from undergraduate seminar papers to PhD theses, our students consistently show the ability to conduct high-quality – and often innovative – linguistic research. An objective evaluation of their quality is to be found in the fact that undergraduate papers and MA theses often develop into articles published