An Area Study Centre should function in a multi-disciplinary manner and have a wider canvas through a proper organizational structure in the University system so that it may effectively utilise the expertise and facilities of all departments available in the University. It may operate as an independent administrative and academic unit and have the status of a department in the University.
An Area Study Centre should have a Director who should be a senior faculty member of the Centre with a specialization in the concerned area study. The term of the Director should be according to the prevailing practice regarding departmental heads in the concerned university. If the Director is to be changed before this period it should be done in consultation with the UGC.
The Director of the Centre must be a member of all appropriate bodies of the University and of the selection committee to recruit the Centres faculty. The office of the Director should be located in the Centre.
There should be an inter-disciplinary Advisory Committee for each Centre for the formulation, execution and coordination of its programme. The Vice-Chancellor in consultation with the Director of the Centre who may be the convenor of the Committee may constitute the Advisory Committee.
The Committee should consist of the following :
- The Director of the Centre
- 3 eminent scholars, one each from the Department of Social Sciences, Humanities and Science
- Two experts nominated by the UGC. (The expenditure on travel of these experts may be met out of the contingent grant)
- A representative of the Ministry of External Affairs, preferably the head of the concerned division.
- The meeting of the Advisory Committee should be held once in a year and the UGC may be informed accordingly.
While historical and theoretical studies are important, emphasis should also be made on the study and research of contemporary issues. The results of the studies in these Centres should be useful in the formulation of our national policies in foreign affairs, defence and culture and in the spheres of bilateral, multilateral and regional cooperation. There should be close interaction between the Area Study Centres and the relevant Ministry.
Programmes should, as far as possible, be inter-disciplinary in nature and language teaching should be integrated with the academic programme of the Centre.
The studies should involve, both, course work and project work. The student should be awarded the degree in basic discipline, which may entitle him/her for teaching in the basic discipline. Wherever feasible, the Universities, at the initiative of the Centres may institute appropriate degrees in Area Studies. Course work must involve teaching of at least one non-Indian language of the concerned area.
The faculty should be multi-disciplinary.
Special innovative programmes of intensive nature may be devised on a select basis, and they may include both course study and research.
Every Area Study Centre should have its own sectional library, which will form part of the central library system in the University.
The Documentation Officer of the Area Study Centre should primarily be responsible for indexing the material and for providing a library service to the scholars.
Posts sanctioned for Area Studies Programme should be filled on the same basis as equivalent posts in the University. In the case of the appointment of a language teacher, a relaxation of qualifications where suitable qualified candidates are not available, if necessary, should be done in consultation with the Advisory Committee.
As field trips connected with the research programmes of an Area Study Centre are an essential part of the programmes, leave of absence for this purpose should be treated as on duty. Younger scholars should be encouraged to go for field-work. The Director in consultation with the Vice-Chancellor may approve the field trip. The duration of field trip should be a minimum of two weeks and may not exceed 60 days. The period of visit may be confined to the area of specialization concerned.
The scholar working in an Area Study Centre should have a real working knowledge of the Area being studied. If necessary, facilities should be provided for the training of scholars in the relevant language through courses in the language either in India or abroad.
An Area Study Centre shall hereafter include in their studies and research not merely the History, Politics, Economics, Law, Geography, Sociology, International and Security Studies of the countries concerned but science and technology, culture, society, religion and philosophy. More importantly, they should relate to the present and be relevant.
In order to maximize job opportunities for those scholars offering an Area Studies subject in the NET EXAM, they should be deemed to have also qualified in the subject of their masters degree. The tenure of the Project Assistant non-NET qualified in the Area Studies Programme should be increased from one year to three years at fixed emoluments to be determined by the UGC from time to time.
Since the Area Study Centres are mainly devoted to research and guidance of M.Phil/Ph.D. students, the University authorities should not apply the same formula of workload as applied to teaching departments in the University system. However, their accountability should be ensured in terms of reasonable research output, annual reports and evaluation.
The study of relevant languages and cultures of the concerned areas and countries is an essential component of the Area Study Centre. The Centre may make a proposal for providing language teacher for the Centre under Cultural Exchange Programme.
