Minutes of meeting for Area Studies Special Advisory Group
University of Birmingham
26 January 2006

In attendance
Professor R J Ellis (RJE), University of Birmingham
Dr Marie-Annick Gournet (MAG), University of the West of England
Dr Susan Hodgett (SH), University of Ulster
Liz Hudswell (EH), Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

Apologies: Dr Katharine Adeney (University of Sheffield), Professor Tony Chafer (University of Portsmouth), Dr Jude Davies, (University of Winchester) Dr Michael Derham, (University of Northumbria), Professor Chris Flood (University of Surrey), Professor David Shepherd (University of Sheffield)

Dr John Canning (Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies) was unable to attend at last minute.

1. Minutes from last meeting and matters arising
JC to talk to Barbara Fennell about Scotland event
4.1 This event was run as Sharing Good Practice in Area Studies, 9 November 2005 [This is a correction by JC to the response reported in the meeting]

UKCASA are planning event on Globalisation running jointly with the Association for the Study of Modern France. The event will have 3 strands
1.	Policy
2.	Research
3.	Teaching
This event is proposed in the next academic year (possibly Spring 2007). Event led by UKCASA. LLAS will support organising it. 

Relationships between UKCASA and Subject Associations
The possibility of supporting lectures/ session on teaching and learning at Subject Association conferences was supported by those present. 
JC to speak to LLAS colleagues. EH mentioned LLAS Guest Speaker Fund.
ACTION JC to email details to Area Studies list.
JC to make contact with CETL at UCLAN. If relevant can set up joint links, events etc.

2. Benchmarking

No activity needed at present as Area Studies is on 2007-8 cycle. Need to involved UKCASA and Area Studies Specialist Group will liaise with them
Last statement was good, dealing well with the difficulties posed because of the wide range of Area Studies approaches.  
Last time there was no one place to identify contacts. This time likely to go to Subject Centre who could point to UKCASA. RJE requested support for eventual meeting from the SC.

Benchmarking will reappear on UKCASA agenda.

3. Centres for Excellence in language-based area studies

RJE anxious that these centres may only be funded for a finite period. Unlikely to prove realistic that they are going to be sustainable in the long term if left unsupported.
SH asked if interdisciplinary research was evident in the RAE. 
RJE indicated that cross referral between panels has been built in and that the administrative head of the RAE has said that area studies will be carefully monitored within this. We need to think about future interdisciplinary events and foreground interdisciplinarity to strengthen this emerging trend.
SH- important that Area Studies is fully recognised by AHRC. Don’t get ring-fenced funding for Canadian Studies.

JC should ensure call for bids goes out through UKCASA. AS SP endorse and applaud this. SH noted that Canadian Studies conference is interdisciplinary and that constituency was practicing this. MAG noted recent conference on race and ethnicity.

4. Oxford Area Studies event 
ESRC, AHRC HEFCE and government asked for this. SC, UKCASA and mant SCs did not know about this. UKCASA contacted Roger Goodman and UKCASA brokered. RJE, John Canning and Philip Davies were among those invited.
Next UKCASA meeting will need government representative at meeting. 
Conference was interesting. ESRC and AHRC had speakers. Did not want to discuss process of establishing centres, but did discuss continuation. There was discussion about why only 4 areas. Event identified need to encourage international exchanges.  Students might do voluntary work abroad.
Discussion about importance of networking and setting up generic event of broad interdisciplinary interest.

There will be a follow-up meeting, but mainly on the 4 strategic areas.

5. 8 December: Event on Globalisation at QUB.
Speaker at Belfast event talked about using internet in teaching Area Studies with regard to the dangers of wikipedia. SH had recently come to grips with web CT since arriving at Ulster. Web is a must in some areas of teaching. Limitations of VLEs.  It was suggested that LLAS organise an event on using/abusing the web in your area studies teaching – a good practice/tips day. John Canning undertook to consider this.

SC sponsored session by Tony Gristwood, showing teaching on the internet and using wikipedia. Other speakers talked about theories of globalisation. Students found cross over from theory and practice difficult, but staff found Gristwood session interesting.   
Possible event : Ways of using the web to teaching area studies

British Association of Canadian Studies has Schools Group with a CD ROM on teaching Canadian Studies in schools. Funded by High Commission. Probably used by geography teachers.

Globalisation teaching in schools- Steve Royle has done events on this in NI. Funded by High Commission.  SR is Chief Examiner for Geography in NI.  

Follow on events from Oxford conference
How to organise events
International examples of setting up networks and how they worked.
Roger Goodman interested in running these. 

6. AOB
Area Studies Box
RJE gave background to languages box, supported by the French embassy. 9/11 gave impetus to approach American embassy. Put together bid. Went off to Washington and we’ve heard nothing since. Bid for £19K. RJE confident we will get money.

Recruitment OK in large departments in old universities. Simple to close smaller departments AS people simply go back into English department etc.

Dates of next meeting
Try to hold on morning of UKCASA meeting to get better attendance. May review membership at the same time.