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Minutes
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The JAAS/OAH Collaborative Committee met on Saturday, April 28, 2001, 8:30-10:30 a.m. at the Annual Meeting of the Organization of American Historians held this year in Los Angeles. The following includes the minutes (plus additional or corrected information pertinent to the topics discussed). Present: the entire committee: Casey Blake, Eileen Boris, John Chambers, Masako Iino, Valerie Matsumoto, Masako Notoji, and Naoki Onishi. Also present: Allan Winkler from the OAH International Committee, Lee Formwalt, executive director of the OAH, and for part of the meeting, John Dichtl, deputy director of the OAH. Short-term lecturers in 2000 Before the beginning of the formal meeting, the committee heard an enthusiastic report on her short-term residency at Japan Women's University in Tokyo in 2000 by Professor Mary Logan Rothschild of Arizona State University. Professor Rothschild also volunteered to serve on the committee in the future when there is an opening. Activities load for short-term lecturers. A Japanese member of the committee raised a question about whether approximately eight seminars and lectures constituted too heavy a load in two weeks for the short-term lecturers. Neither Professor Rothschild nor the committee members who spoke seemed to think that this was too heavy a load, although some indicated that the limit should perhaps be eight formal activities, whether these were seminars, lectures, or attendance at faculty receptions, etc. It was also stressed that the short-term lecturer should realize that not all of these activities would require formally prepared scholarly papers, some would but others involve informal talks and discussions to classes or other groups. Professor Rothschild indicated that in her case it had helped that she arrived two days before her first assignment and had the weekend free to recover from jet lag and become somewhat oriented. It was noted that regardless of the location of their host university, most short-term visitors wish to visit Tokyo and Kyoto and many of them also wish to visit Hiroshima. It should be indicated to selectees that if they do intend to visit distant cities in Japan, such visits should be done after their two-week residency at the host university and they should plan their return to the USA accordingly. The committee thanked Professor Rothschild for her presentation. When she left,it began its formal meeting. John Chambers began the committee meeting by reporting that an enthusiastic account by Professor Michael Bernstein of the University of California, San Diego, of his short-term residency at Sophia University in Tokyo in November 2000, will appear in the August 2001 issue of the OAH Newsletter alongside our notice of short-term residencies for 2002. There had been some misunderstandings, John Chambers reported, in regard to the third short-term lecturer in 2000. A discussion led to suggestions that U.S. committee members should talk with visitors before they go about their expectations and what is expected of them. Japanese committee members can help ensure flexibility by talking with the host institution. Selectees for 2001. As reported by email earlier, the selectees for 2001 are: James Barrett, University of Illinois, to Osaka University of Foreign Studies, Osaka, in mid-May 2001. Judith Stein of City College of the City University of New York to Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo, late spring 2001. Katherine Aiken, University of Idaho, to Rikkyo University, Tokyo, fall 2001. None of the three selectees for 2001 was present at the OAH annual meeting. Each had made other plans. This is unfortunate because they could have learned much from the committee members from the US and Japan as well as from the Japanese graduate students attending the annual meeting. It was decided that in the future, the letter informing selectees of their selection as short-term lecturers should indicate that they are expected to attend the OAH annual meeting so they can meet with American and Japanese members of the committee, Japanese graduate students and American alumni of the project. In addition, perhaps wording should be added to the notices in the OAH Newsletter and on the website and anywhere else that requirements are described indicating that as well. In regard to the 2001 selectees: Casey Blake & Eileen Boris agreed to talk soon with Judith Stein, who goes in June to Japan. John Chambers agreed to talk right away with James Barrett, who goes to Japan in mid-May. Valerie Matsumoto agreed to talk with Katherine Aiken, who goes in the fall. Selection Procedures and Applicant Pool:
One of the American members raised the question of mid-career criteria for selection. John Chambers reported that the founders of the project indicated that while this was preferable, they had not intended it to be ironclad. The idea is that all other things being equal, preference would be given to someone in mid-career because of the length of time they could give to the project. At the last meeting of the committee, it was decided to drop that emphasis from notices as it tended to limit the applicant pool. Applicant Pool. The applicant pool continues to shrink. The numbers
of applicants have been as follows:
Allan Winkler of the OAH International Committee reported that applicants were also down in Fulbright applications. The two-career family seemed to be an important reason. Committee members indicated that in our regard to our project, the timing was also sometimes difficult, particularly the fall lectureships, but sometimes the May lectureships too. NOTE: for the information of the committee,
Early October through January or February (private universities through mid-January; public universities through mid-February. University exams are given in mid-January through mid-March. The US academic year for higher education is: For the semester system (most universities, except those in California): Early September through early to mid-December Approximately January 21 through early May For those on quarter system (the California system) INFORMATION YET TO COME ON QUARTER SYSTEM The committee discussed ways to increase the applicant pool. Eileen Boris suggested that a session on the project be added to the program at the OAH Annual Meeting (OAH Executive Director Lee Formwalt indicated that this could be done). The panel would include alumni from among short-term visitors as well as Japanese hosts. The Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission (JUSFC) grant might be written to include transportation to and accommodations at the OAH Annual Meeting for some Japanese hosts as well as some US alumni. We'll have to ask the JUSFC about this before we write it into the grant application. Other suggestions: An advertisement could be placed in the Chronicle of Higher Education about the project. An email notice could be sent to all the OAH membership (Lee Formwalt said this would be a one-shot mailing, because OAH limits the mass email mailings to its members). It was indicated that perhaps earlier knowledge about host institutions, their subject needs, and their dates might help expand the applicant pool. (As indicated at the last committee meeting, the host institutions should also be urged to provide several different subjects and times to encourage candidates.) The OAH Newsletter comes out four times a year: The issues & their deadlines for us since we can have space allocated in advance) are: February issue
May issue
August issue
November issue
The deadline for our applicants is now December 31 (we've moved it from Dec. 15th as the OAH office is closed the last two weeks in December). We place ads for our project in the May, August and November issues (and last year and this year, we are running stories by enthusiastic participants: Lynn Dumenil last May, Michael Bernstein this August) Host Institutions in Japan: Masako Iino, Masako Notoji, and Naoki Onishi explained the timetable and process for obtaining host institutions. There is a JAAS Executive Board meeting in April each year and then the JAAS annual conference is on the first weekend in June. Institutions with graduate students in American history/studies are invited to apply to become hosts. Generally two will be from the Tokyo area and one from somewhere else in Japan. It takes time to obtain the hosts and then for them to decide upon subject areas and times for the visit. Eventually we can invite some of the previous hosts to reapply, but it was believed better now to continue to elicit new host institutions. It was the sense of the committee that, without putting undue burden on our Japanese members, it would be helpful if they could obtain as much information as possible about the next year's hosts by the July 10th deadline for the copy for the August issue of the OAH Newsletter. The name and location of the host institution is the most important for potential candidates, with the subject areas the next most important, and the possible time periods of the visit the third most important. A photograph of the institution is nice for our website but not vital. The aim is to get as much information into the August newsletter as possible. Other material will be added in the November newsletter (with its deadline October 10th). But the problem with the November newsletter is that it comes out very late in the semester and only about six weeks before the applicants are due. Non-U.S. citizens eligible to become short-term lecturers in the project? Allan Winker reported that a new member of the OAH International Committee from Australia raised a question at that committee's meeting about the wording of the qualifications for short-term lecturers in the ads. At present our notices indicate that the competition "is open to all OAH members. OAH and JAAS will send three U.S. historians to Japanese universities" What about OAH members who are not U.S. citizens, he asks, such as OAH members, who are scholars of American history but who live in and are citizens of Australia or other countries? A length discussion followed in the OAH/JAAS Japan Collaboration Committee. Initially, some members emphasized that the original idea of the project was to provide contacts among American history scholars in the USA for Japanese scholars and graduate students, to build linkages in this field between Japan and the USA. But as the discussion evolved, it was recognized that in principle, given the internationalization of the OAH and the study of American history, there is nothing intellectually that would prohibit a scholar of American history and OAH member from Australia, New Zealand, Britain, Germany or any other country from applying and indeed forming a mutually beneficial relationship with the Japanese host institution. (It would undoubtedly also expand the applicant pool.) Some thought it might be too early to expand to this. Others reminded that there are outstanding scholars of American history in Australia and some of the other countries mentioned. It was noted, however, that the host institutions in Japan make the final selection, so even if we included non-U.S. citizens as candidates, the host might or might not choose them. There was no sense of unanimity on the issue among the committee. John Chambers indicated that as a practical matter, it was not at all certain that the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission would fund non-U.S. citizens for short-term lectureships to Japan. John Chambers will check with the JUSFC on this question and report back to the committee. The point may be moot. However, we may have to chance the wording of the notice. NOTE: At the meeting of the US-Japan Conference on Cultural and Educational Interchange CULCON) in Los Angeles, Masako Notoji had a change to talk with Eric Gangloff of the JUSFC about this. He did NOT think the commission would pay for a non-U.S. citizen in this program. As per instructions, John Chambers will write to Eric Gangloff so that we can have a written response for our files. Proposal for Collaboration with US Embassy in Japan: Two months ago, Mr. Warren Soiffer, program development officer at the U.S. Embassy in Japan, wrote to Lee Formwalt of the OAH, after learning about our project from the JUSFC. He raised the possibility of arranging lectures and other events at the American Centers and Consulates throughout Japan (and presumably including Okinawa) for some of the scholars traveling on the JUSFC grant. The events, he said, are for American specialists, including US government officials, academicians, and business people as well as regional universities and study groups in major Japanese cities. The embassy, he wrote, could offer such speakers a package comprised of domestic travel and per diem as well as an honorarium of $200 per program day. Lee Formwalt referred the suggestion to our committee. The committee's discussion of this proposal was lengthy. The main concern was how this addition might influence the highly regarded program that OAH/JAAS have established. The government’s agenda may sometimes differ from ours, and the State Department certainly has more resources. The committee was emphatic that the OAH/JAAS program must not be diluted; for example, it must be prevented from becoming considered a three-way program (that is an OAH/JAAS/ U.S. Embassy program). It must remain clearly an OAH/JAAS program. However, having said that the sense of the committee was as long as it did not modify the fundamental structure of the OAH/JAAS program it might be valuable for individual lecturers. Those selected by the Embassy would have a chance to see more areas and groups in Japan and speak to wider and non-academic audiences. Yet, the lecturers must be reminded that the OAH/JAAS are their sponsors and their longterm responsibility as a result of this lectureship in Japan is to provide contacts in the USA for the Japanese scholars and graduate students of the JAAS.The committee agreed that it might be worth providing a trial of the proposed arrangement for a one-year period. It may be too late for this year, but perhaps in 2002. Of course, the U.S. Embassy in Japan will probably be more interested in the subject areas of some of our short-term lecturers than in others. The embassy will pick and choose. The Japanese members of the committee would provide the names, specializations, and contact information of the three selectees to Mr. Soiffer. The committee was firm in its view that in any letter of agreement with
the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, the following conditions be made clear:
Graduate students at the OAH Annual Meeting in Los Angeles. In all, we had seven Japanese graduate students studying in the USA as our guests at the OAH annual meeting. They included the following: Ms. Yuko Itatsu, University of Southern California (Tsuda College, Tokyo) Ms. Ayako Kusunoki, University of Southern California (Kobe Univ., Kobe) Mr. Daisuke Miyao, NYU School of Cinema Studies (Tokyo Univ. Komaba) Ms. Masako Nakamura, UCLA (Tsuda College) Mr. Takayuki Nishiyama, Rutgers University (Tokyo Univ. Hongo) Ms. Naoko Wake, Indiana University (Kyoto Univ., Kyoto) Ms. Yuriko Watanabe, U.C. San Diego. (Musashino College of Music, Tokyo)
Activities for Japanese scholars and graduate students at the OAH Annual Meeting: The graduate students and several of the members of the committee attended several events together at the Annual Meeting of the Organization of American Historians in Los Angeles. These included the OAH Graduate Students Orientation Breakfast meeting on Friday morning, April 27, the OAH International Committee Reception on Friday afternoon, April 27 and a luncheon for the Japanese scholars and graduate students on Saturday, April 28. In addition, the several of the Japanese scholars and graduate students went to dinner in LA’s “Little Tokyo” on Friday night. All of these social gatherings proved extremely valuable in making contacts and building personal bonds between Japanese and American historians as well as between generations of Japanese studying American history and culture. Future meetings of the OAH in the USA: 11-14 April 2002, Washington, DC
John Chambers ended the meeting by thanking all the members for their attendance and also by praising the work of OAH Deputy Director John Dichtl, who has been instrumental in working with the committee to ensure the smooth operation of this important OAH project. The committee provided a round of applause for Dr. Dichtl. Some items, which were not covered because of the time constraints: 1. Website: We have a website attached to the OAH site right now. John Dichtl has asked whether and how we would like to expand the site? Should it include all the members of the committee? Should it include alumni in USA? Should it include Japanese who have been hosts? Should it include names and affiliations and email address of all of these who agree to be listed? How would it be updated? Who would do this?
John Dichtl has provided the committee members (in a May 23rd email "Re: Journal of JAAS") a list of the American alumni of the OAH/JAAS program. 2. Listserv. Right now we have a listserv which serves the Japan Committee members (as well as John Dichtl). It has proven very useful in communicating among the members of the committee.
Both of these concern our larger outreach and communication. Please
let me have your thoughts on these as soon as you can, certainly well before
our July 1st deadline for the application for the next JUSFC grant.
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