Associate Professor Hanssen Denied Tenure

Two months after a Faculty committee released a report discussing the lack of tenured women faculty in the humanities, Associate Professor of German Beatrice Hanssen was denied tenure last Thursday after eight years at the University.

Hanssen, who taught in both the Department of Germanic Languages and Literature and the Department of Literature this year, has offered courses on wide spectrum of topics including German feminist thought, German national identity, and Friedrich Nietzsche.

The report, released in March by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences' (FAS) Standing Committee on the Status of Women, stressed that Harvard's percentage of tenured women faculty--only 22 percent--was well below the national average.

Of the 129 tenured Faculty in Harvard's humanities departments, only 28 are women.

A long-time supporter of Hanssen, Cabot Professor of English Literature and Professor of Afro-American Studies Werner Sollors said that, if anything, Hanssen's case would have been helped by the heigtened sensitivity surrounding the lack of tenured women in the humanities.

Sollors said he feels Hanssen's chances of receiving tenure were hurt because she teaches in a "top-heavy" department in which the number of Faculty members exceeds that of students.

"The professor-student ratio is very advantageous for the students [in the German department]," he said. "The cards seem to be stacked against her."

Sollors said that over the last 30 years, there has been decreased enrollment in several foreign European languages, with the exception of Spanish. Instead, he said students have grown more interested in studyingKorean, Arabic and Yiddish.

"Do we continue to offer important fields eventhough there is not a lot of student demand?"Sollors asked, while still emphasizing that hefeels Hanssen deserved a more permanent place inthe department.

"I've known her for a number of years and I'mvery saddened by the decision," he said, "BeatriceHanssen is such a great scholar. I imagine she wasa wonderful teacher as well."

Both Eckeherd Simon, chair of the Germaniclanguages and literatures department and Thomasprofessor of Germanic languages and literatures,as well as the department's head tutor, andProfessor of German Peter J. Burgard declined tocomment yesterday on Hanssen's denial.

Yesterday, students also praised Hanssen, whosecourse, Literature 118, "Benjamin and theFrankfurt School," received an overall 4.2 ratingin the 1998-99 CUE guide.

Anjeara K. Hans '97, who is a second-yeargraduate student in the department, says taking afour-person seminar with Hanssen during her senioryear pushed her to a new academic level.

The class, German 268, "German Feminism andWomen's Literature," convinced her to pursuegraduate studies.

"She's really a great teacher and an awesomescholar. I feel so lucky to have been able to takea class with her--she really was so brilliant,"Hans said.

"The department has lost something--it will besad for her not in the department anymore," shesaid.

Hanssen had most recently served as a BuntingInstitute Fellow from 1997 to 1998. She iscurrently is working on a book, tentatively titledThe Politics of the Aesthetic.

Hanssen was unavailable for comment last night

"Do we continue to offer important fields eventhough there is not a lot of student demand?"Sollors asked, while still emphasizing that hefeels Hanssen deserved a more permanent place inthe department.

"I've known her for a number of years and I'mvery saddened by the decision," he said, "BeatriceHanssen is such a great scholar. I imagine she wasa wonderful teacher as well."

Both Eckeherd Simon, chair of the Germaniclanguages and literatures department and Thomasprofessor of Germanic languages and literatures,as well as the department's head tutor, andProfessor of German Peter J. Burgard declined tocomment yesterday on Hanssen's denial.

Yesterday, students also praised Hanssen, whosecourse, Literature 118, "Benjamin and theFrankfurt School," received an overall 4.2 ratingin the 1998-99 CUE guide.

Anjeara K. Hans '97, who is a second-yeargraduate student in the department, says taking afour-person seminar with Hanssen during her senioryear pushed her to a new academic level.

The class, German 268, "German Feminism andWomen's Literature," convinced her to pursuegraduate studies.

"She's really a great teacher and an awesomescholar. I feel so lucky to have been able to takea class with her--she really was so brilliant,"Hans said.

"The department has lost something--it will besad for her not in the department anymore," shesaid.

Hanssen had most recently served as a BuntingInstitute Fellow from 1997 to 1998. She iscurrently is working on a book, tentatively titledThe Politics of the Aesthetic.

Hanssen was unavailable for comment last night