John Sivell, Dean of Humanities
John Sivell, Dean of Humanities
This notion of mine may simply be an artifact of increasing age, but I have the distinct impression that composing an introduction such as this must be considered one of life's archetypal no-win situations: unless one writes what is expected, the reader i s very likely to feel somewhat disappointed ... but if one does therefore provide the expected text, the same reader is absolutely certain to feel that way! Confronted by the horns of this dilemma, the only solution is to speak briefly and from th e heart.
First of all, many thanks to the people who have helped to bring the materials of this report together. Heading up the textual editing team were Professors Richard Brown, Department of Philosophy, and Patricia Dirks, Department of History, assisted in many ways by teachers and other staff from the various units described here. Adele Romak, Secretary to the Dean of Humanities, was particularly helpful and patient. The graphics in the hard-copy edition were conceived by Jean Bridge, Visiting Artist, a nd Professor Derek Knight, both from the Department of Film Studies, Dramatic and Visual Arts. And for invaluable aid and advice on the overall layout of the report, Communication Officer Leila Lustig and her colleagues in the Office of Ext ernal Relations deserve warm thanks as well.
The hard-copy document was designed in accord with suggestions at a meeting of Humanities Chairs and Directors. It has all of the normal information on publications, grants and the like that would be expected in a standard-issue annual report, along with a richly-detailed initial section presenting a more humane perspective on the life of the Faculty over the past few year.
Along with its companion electronic version devised by Professor Barry Joe, Department of Germanic and Slavic Studies, this newly-designed report should offer readers a more vivid and more informative view of the Humanities at Brock than has ever been available before.
