Speeches & Remarks
Official Text
February 10, 2012
Remarks By CG Jennifer McIntyre At Madras University, Chennai
As Prepared Text
Greetings Vice Chancellor Thiruvasagam, other colleagues on the dais and dear students.
I am happy to be here this morning at the University of Madras, one of the oldest universities in India. I greatly appreciate the role the University has played in lifting the educational standards in Southern India and beyond since its inception in September 1857. The university continues to foster the academic and creative abilities and talents of your students, with the goal of developing them into individuals with character, vision and resourcefulness.
The U.S. Consulate is proud of our long-standing relationship with this university. My colleagues at the consulate as well as visiting American experts regularly engage with the academic community of the university in interactions on a variety of themes.
I am glad that what brought me here today is a subject very close to my heart – American Studies. Today’s program has two important components:
First – We have with us today one of the foremost U.S. experts on American Studies, Dr. Eric Sandeen, who will be addressing you shortly. Thank you, Dr. Sandeen for accepting the U.S. Consulate’s invitation. I look forward to hearing your remarks.
Second – Today we will be launching the official website of the South India American Studies Network, or SIASN.
American Studies in India today, as elsewhere in the world, is at an interesting crossroads.
Globalization and multiculturalism have forced introspection on the definition, relevance and future of American studies in India and around the world. A variety of factors such as the emerging world order, growing internationalism, transformation in U.S.-India relations and multi-disciplinary approaches within American studies have created interesting new possibilities for discourse.
As Indian universities are busy adjusting their curricula, there is lot of interest and enthusiasm among teachers and students to learn more about the U.S – its society, culture and politics.
I understand that University of Madras, thanks to the leadership of eminent leaders like Dr. Thiruvasagam, is also in the process of updating and revamping its curricula across disciplines.
The American Studies Program at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi is probably the only full-fledged program in India. When the Indian School of International Studies (ISIS) was established in 1955, American Studies became part of their program. ISIS became part of JNU in 1969 as the School of International Studies (SIS). Its Department of American studies today offers courses at the Masters, M. Phil., and Ph.D. levels.
American literature, history and political science are part of the undergraduate and graduate programs at numerous Indian colleges and universities. Several doctoral theses on topics in American Studies are produced each year in India including many with cross-cultural and bilateral implications.
The United States India Educational Foundation (USIEF) has contributed immensely to the evolution of American Studies in India. The enthusiasm of U.S. Fulbright lecturers has been instrumental in introducing American Studies in many Indian institutions.
The U.S. Consulate, Chennai has extensively supported the development of American Studies programs in South India. The Consulate regularly organizes lecture discussions, seminars and other interactive sessions with universities and colleges that promote the study of the United States.
When I visited Trivandrum in December 2011, the Consulate donated a gift collection of more than 200 American Studies books to the University of Kerala. The collection was called the Library of America. I see similar opportunities for collaboration and support here at the University of Madras.
But being neighbors here, you have access to another great resource-- the American Library at the U.S. Consulate in Chennai. The Library has more than 14,000 books. The collection consists of multidisciplinary American books, journals, reference materials, U.S. government publications, and think tank reports. Through subscriptions to commercial databases, the library has access to more than 10,000 full-texts of journals and 30,000 other Electronic documents which you can access online from school or home. A small collection of books focusing on American Studies is on display here today. If you have not already done so, please take a look at the exhibit. The consulate staff will give you information about accessing the library resources.
Every year the consulate nominates several teachers for exchange programs known as the American Studies Summer and Winter Institutes. These programs are intensive post-graduate level academic programs with integrated study tours whose purpose is to provide foreign university faculty and other scholars the opportunity to deepen their understanding of U.S. society, culture, and institutions.
The Consulate also works very closely with the South India American Studies Network (SIASN). The Consulate has had a close association with SIASN and has been supporting its activities ever since its inception in 1994. Most recently, the U.S. Consulate sponsored an American Studies Conference in Kerala in August 2011. A Kerala State Chapter of SIASN was formed at this Conference.
The new SIASN website we are launching here today is yet another achievement of the SIASN leadership.
I congratulate them on all their achievements. I am sure that Dr. Sridhar, Secretary of SIASN, who is present here today, will tell us in more detail about SIASN and the website. I request Vice Chancellor Thiruvasagam, and other dignitaries on the dais to join me to formally launch www.siasn.org.