Please note the following changes in the Office of Interdisciplinary Studies (OIS):
Sean Gouglas has agreed to serve as Director of OIS for a three-year term effective July 1, 2011. He will also continue with his academic position in the Department of History & Classics, as Associate Professor.
Gouglas' most recent appointment was as Program Director of Humanities Computing (HUCO), where he was instrumental in the creation of CMPUT 250: Computers and Games, a course that looks at computer game design using multi-Faculty, multi-disciplinary teams. This approach is one that Gouglas hopes to foster as Director of OIS. In the coming years, he will oversee a re-visioning of the program leading to greater collaborative opportunities across disciplines. Through these collaborations, Gouglas hopes to introduce students to the many innovative teaching methodologies being developed within the Faculty of Arts.
Scott Smallwood will be replacing Sean Gouglas as Director of HUCO for the 2011/12 year. Smallwood, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Music, teaches composition and music technology. His recent research looks into issues surrounding sustainable arts practice and electronic instrument design, including solar-powered instruments and devices.
Albert Braz has been reappointed as the Director of Comparative Literature for an additional year until June 30, 2012. Braz is an Associate Professor in the Department of English & Film Studies and with the Comparative Literature Program, his current research interests lie in the study of the Canada-US border in contemporary Canadian literature and culture.
Andrew Gow has been appointed as the Director of Religious Studies until June 30, 2014. Gow is a professor in the Department of History & Classics, and in addition to his teaching and research duties, he is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Studies in Medieval and Reformation Traditions.
I would like to express my thanks to Geoffrey Rockwell for serving as Interim Director of OIS for 2010/11. He will be on sabbatical for the 2011/12 academic year, returning July 1, 2012 and continuing as professor with the Department of Philosophy and the Humanities Computing Program.
Finally, I am grateful to the members of the selection committees for their advice and assistance in these appointments.