On April 6, President Tilghman sent an “Update on Princeton’s Response to the Economic Downturn” to the University community. I opened the e-mail and read about “cuts,” “downturns,” “declines” and a flurry of numbers so big it is still hard for me to conceptualize their implications. Something about the abstract language and dizzying numbers numbed me to the impact the budget cuts would have. But after looking at the course catalog for next semester, the reality has sunk in.
During my brief time at Princeton, I have taken courses which have provided me a glimpse into the social, political, literary and historical traditions of Africa. Through the University, I have studied Swahili and traveled to Africa twice. But looking at the course catalog for next semester, I have little faith that future students will have an experience similar to mine.
As of this writing, the only course in next semester’s Program in African Studies (AFS) is MUS 258/AFS 258: Music of Africa, taught by music professor V.K. Agawu. The course guide describes the lecture as an “[i]ntroduction to the vocal and instrumental music of Africa, south of the Sahara.” While I certainly respect the importance of music to effect and reflect the lived experience of people throughout the world, one course for a continent is simply not sufficient.
The director of the program, professor Daniel Rubenstein, said in an e-mail that “[the program aims] to offer two specialty courses per year … Next year the topical courses will cover local governance and developmental policy and rural technology and sustainable development.” This means that next year there will be three courses directly addressing issues on a continent with 53 countries, roughly 2,000 languages and a population of 922 million people.
Shocked by the lack of courses for next semester, I looked at the Registrar’s website for the past couple of academic years to see the typical enrollment in African studies courses. In the 2007-08 academic year, five courses were offered with a total enrollment of 127 students. This year, six courses were offered with a total enrollment of 117 students.
The former director of the program, history professor Emmanuel Kreike, noted that budget cuts might adversely affect AFS. He told me that “the University is cutting all visiting professors across the board which hurts us since we have no faculty and no endowment. The department is very dependent on ad-hoc funding.” Without professors or financial support, it seems that the economic downturn has hurt the size, depth and breadth of courses concerning Africa.
That fewer courses are offered in AFS next semester is especially disappointing because of the strong student support there is for the program. Saddened that his introduction to African studies course is not offered annually, Krieke said, “It would be great to offer this course every year, and there are enough students to do it.” Programs like the Princeton in Dar-es-Salaam Swahili language immersion program and Princeton in Africa are increasingly popular, while courses about Africa are declining in number.
Every department will have to make cuts and limit their number of visiting professors, but the impact of these cuts will vary depending on the endowment of the department. If the politics department has three fewer professors next semester, there will still be more than 30 courses. When AFS cuts three visiting professors, the program shrinks by half. The responsible endowment spending of the past is supposed to shield smaller departments from just the economic downturn we are now experiencing, and yet we’re seeing the opposite.
President Tilghman warned in her e-mail that “[t]he University will have to contract in size.” I recognize that wasteful spending will have to be cut and some departments and programs will not be able to support faculty. But Tilghman also wrote that “if we do this carefully and responsibly it is my conviction that the University will come through this difficult period stronger than ever.” I fear, however, that the budget cuts are not being done responsibly. Rubenstein hopes that AFS courses will “spice up the curriculum by bringing specialists to campus,” but that does not seem sufficient. Courses on Africa should be more than a spice — rather, a substantial mainstay — of a Princeton education.
Michael Collins is a sophomore from Glastonbury, Conn. He can be reached at mjcollin@princeton.edu.
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