The English Department has hired Manan Desai to teach Asian-American literature beginning in fall 2011, according to an email sent to students Monday from Prema Kurien, director of the Asian and Asian-American studies minor.  

Desai has research and teaching background in Asian-American literature and South Asian studies, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the South Asian American Digital Project, according to the email. The email was sent to students in the AAA program on behalf of the English Department. Kurien could not be reached for comment.

The process to hire faculty members for the AAA program, which is in its first year at SU, began last summer, said Gerry Greenberg, senior associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences involved in the search and hiring process. Desai was officially hired within the last few weeks, he said.

The position ‘was specifically created with the idea of someone who would be an Asian-American literature expert,’ Greenberg said.

The announcement comes amid recent claims from some students that Susan Edmunds, professor for ETS 315: ‘Ethnic Literatures and Cultures: Asian American Fiction,’ is not qualified to teach the course because she does not have a strong enough background in Asian-American studies.

Fliers and leaflets were dropped in one of Edmunds classes in March, and an online petition questioning Edmunds’ background in teaching courses on Asian-American literature began prior to that.

Asian Students in America (ASIA) declined to comment, as the issue is still ongoing. The campus group sent out an email to group members on April 7 addressing the incident when fliers were dropped in Edmunds’ classroom.

The process of hiring Desai followed the same protocol as hiring any other new faculty member, Greenberg said. When a department sees a need for a new position, members of the department draw up a proposal for Eric Spina, vice chancellor and provost, to review. If approved, the department begins searching for candidates and accepting applications.

Hiring is done through specific departments, not programs. In this case, the hiring was done through the English Department, but the search committee also had members from the AAA program specifically, Greenberg said.

Students had the opportunity to meet and interact with potential candidates for the position when they came to campus, he said.

George Langford, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, will meet with students Wednesday to discuss recent concerns about the AAA minor.

kronayne@syr.edu

 

Published on April 19, 2011 at 12:00 pm