The World at Your Feet

Read in the most recent Berkeley alumni newsletter that Chancellor Berdahl appointed John Lie, a Korean-American professor, to be the new dean of the Center for International & Area Studies (announcement here).  IAS holds fond memories.  While majoring in political science, I specialized in area studies and devoted most of my elective units to courses provided by IAS.  Northeast Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and Sub-Saharan Africa.  Specialized courses in Korea and China.  IAS allowed me to explore the world without leaving the steps of Sproul Hall.  A typical day could (and did) include speaking at length with an eminent German scholar about the political dynamics of the Tianamnen Square Massacre, having lunch with a visiting student from Tokyo and discussing their take on the formation of the European Union, and taking a coffee break with my Argentinean teaching assistant to learn about the Patagonias.  The outgoing dean of IAS, Professor David Leonard, actually taught my Sub-Saharan Africa course way back when I was an undergraduate.  There is a dated but amusing Q&A with incoming Dean John Lie on the sociology department's website (link here); after reading through it, you learn that his family immigrated to the States from Korea during the 1950's.  Wow.  Truman was still President and the Korean civil war had just ended in a truce.  From Lie's erudite responses, you also realize why he received both of his degrees from Harvard.