Program Highlighted | Economics & Political Science
Interview with | Vivek Krishnamurthy
Date | November 2001

Interview | Vivek Krishnamurthy

Vivek is an Innis College fourth year Economics & Political Science Student.

Innis: Would you introduce yourself?
Vivek: Hi, I'm Vivek Krishnamurthy and I'm going into my fourth year in Economics and Political Science in September.

Innis: What attracted you to the study of economics and political science?
Vivek: Well I don't know. I guess I always had an interest in both those things. Since I was about ten or eleven years old I always had an interest in politics, international affairs, current affairs, and what's going on in the world. So, it was just kind of a natural thing to go into that field. It took a little thought to figure out exactly which program combination I wanted, but once I saw this program (Specialist Program in Economics and Political Science) I thought, "Yeah it's exactly what I wanted to do."

Innis: Given that there are so many programs offered by the Faculty of Arts and Science, how did you decided to pursue a specialist program in Economics and Political Science?
Vivek: Well, it took a while. I wanted something that would give me a lot of flexibility and options afterwards, and I mean there are specialist programs in both economics and political science and both of those interested me. But first of all, the fact that I could do both was a big bonus. Second is the flexibility that the program offers in terms of future options. This way I could do further work in economics or I could do further work in political science. I could go into the international relations area or I could do law. I mean it just opens so many doors, and it stands pretty well on its own as a degree. It kind of has a right mix of the academics, plus more practical skills that I can apply in terms of essay writing, research, and economics skills.

Innis: What roles did advice/influence from peers, mentors, relatives, and others play in your decision?
Vivek: Mentors and relatives were very helpful. Peers also helped me figure out exactly what I was doing. I was looking at decisions they were making in terms of their degrees. I don't know too many people in the program of Economics and Political Science. It's a pretty small contingent as I understand it.
Most people go into Political Science or Economics but not both, but I liked the idea of the interdisciplinary thing, and I talked to my parents and friends and family. I had a couple of cousins who had gone to U of T not this college though. I pretty much took one summer to try to figure out what I was going to do, which was the summer that I applied to University.

Innis: You were able to figure it out before you attended University?
Vivek: Yeah, pretty much. I decided to take that summer to consciously figure out what exactly I wanted to do. What would be a good plan for the next four years.

Innis: Since you're doing a combination of Economics and Political Science, which subject were you interested in first?
Vivek: I'm a bit more of a Political Scientist at heart, but the funny thing is whenever I do a political science paper there's always an economic bend to it. There used to be something called Political Economy back until the 50's and 60's when the two fields split apart. That's what Harold Innis was into. All his studies were in Political Economy which is really the intersection of the two fields; you have politics and economics coming together. In my Economics paper I'm always looking at what are the political implications, what are the political factors, so it's a real fusion.

Innis: What aspect(s) of this program do you find fascinating or inspiring - curriculum, professors, practical experience, field courses, etc.?
Vivek: I'd say it's the people I've met which has been my best experience. Certainly the teaching staff has been fantastic in my experience here. They've been wonderful and I'm just really really impressed with the faculty. First year you have these huge classes and it's kind of intimidating at first. In upper years, once classes get smaller you get to know the professors and they start to take an interest in you. You can go talk to them and have these discussions with them, that's certainly a wonderful thing. And also getting to know your peers in the program. Certainly as the classes get smaller you get more intimate. The discussion I think is the most important part in learning.

Innis: Did the fact that you have lived in different parts of Canada have any influence in choosing this program?
Vivek: Well I think perhaps living in Ottawa for ten years had something to do with it. But I guess I've been bilingual since I was about five years old. So I've always been aware of the Canadian dilemma. I remember all the constitutional negotiations. I mean Ottawa is a government town, and my parents had dinner parties, and everyone is a civil servant so that's sort of where the conversation turned to. Also the fact that being an immigrant, taking an interest in other countries and how life is in those places. So I guess both those things tilt me towards this field.

Innis: How would you rate the facilities and opportunities offered by this program in the University of Toronto?
Vivek: I'd say in terms of the opportunities it's great. The facilities in this particular program are not that great because it's kind of a small program and kind of gets lost between the two departments. So there isn't as much support on the administrative side as if you were doing a pure degree. With that being said, I think that both departments have been pretty good, especially the political science department which takes the lead in this program. Yeah, pretty supportive I'd say. And tons of resources, I mean it's fantastic on this campus. I mean I spend all my time at Robarts Library and it's wonderful.

Innis: Of all the courses in this program that you have taken so far, which one did you enjoy the most, and why? How did the class size or the frequency of interaction with the professor affect how you rated the course?
Vivek: Geez… I think it's a tie. I took a course this year POL320 which is "Modern Political Thought" with Gad Horowitz, and that course just completely opened my eyes and changed the way I thought. First of all there's the material. It's political philosophy and so we studied the writings of Jean Jacques Rousseau and Edmond Burke, Karl Marx, and Hegal. And all these people, so the writing and reading was a challenge, since we encountered these philosophers. But what Professor Horowitz did was to completely debunk all the programming we've had since we were little kids and to challenge all our assumptions fundamentally and completely turn them around. So it was exhilarating going to this class, but when I came out I sort of felt slightly disoriented because he just whipped away all this accumulative attitude I had. He challenged things that we take for granted, like the ideas that we live in a democracy, and that equality is good, and that justice is good. That was a fantastic experience because it really opened my eyes and made me think. In a sense I came out with stronger convictions than when I went in because after having looked at all those things critically, I came up with better justification for what I believe in. That was great experience number one.

Great experience number two was a Research Opportunity Course I took this year with Professor Steven Clarkson about the Canadian Federal Election. I did research into how the Liberal Party was using new communication technology like the internet, cell phones,etc. The thing I liked about that was the mentorship aspect, because just myself and four other students worked with the Professor. So it's a very one on one experience and you design your own course essentially. I set my own goals and targets. That was nice since I'm a bit of an independent learner.

Innis: What extra-curricular activities have you been involved with on campus since coming to U of T?
Vivek: The big thing has been debating. I've always loved to discuss things and debate things, so I got involved in that right off the bat. In the middle of my first year I got involved with the Debating Committee at Hart House, which organizes formal debates. For example, we had Henry Morgentaler speak about abortion. So that's one thing that we do. The second thing is that we organize two tournaments a year, one for university level debaters, and the other one is for highschool debaters. And there is an outreach function as well; going to schools and showing them how to debate, things like that.

Innis: I was informed that you were part of the Innis College Council for two years?
Vivek: Yes, it was in my second year. I really enjoyed that experience I have to say. I think the reason was because of the parity system, and the fact that students have a 50% voice at this college. It's not something you see in other university governments. For example, I'm on the University Affairs Board and there are four students and everyone else is either an administrator or professor. That balance is a great thing. It makes the process more student-lead and more concerned with the student experience. So that was one an awesome experience. Unfortunately I haven't had time in third year to continue, but I think that in fourth year I might.

Innis: Were there any connections between the extra-curricular activities and the programs that you're in?
Vivek: Well perhaps there is. I guess debating and politics go together. The fact that a lot of my involvement has been in governments like at Hart House on the Board of Stewards or at Innis on College Council, and on the University Affairs Board. It's where my natural inclination is so there has certainly been a connection.

Innis: Given your heavy course load and the organizations that you're involved with, how did you manage to organize your time?
Vivek: God's grace I suppose…. No it's really about budgeting your time. You've got to make time for the things that you want to do. And I find that if I just sat there and studied all day, I'd probably do worse than if I were involved. I need the outlet for the energy I have within and like to do different kinds of things that interests me instead of just hitting the books all the time. Which is interesting, but I mean there's only so much you can do. So it is about budgeting your time, not letting too many things get in the way of your studying. The core reason we're here is to learn. But the other things you do are also another form of learning which I think is equally or perhaps even more important than what you do in the classroom. It's really the life skills that you need to get you through life.

Innis: What is one piece of advice that you would give to someone who is interested in pursuing this program?
Vivek: I would say first of all, you've definitely got to have an interest in the material, and I think that's important in any academic program. If you're not interested and you're just doing this because you think that it'll get you a job or something like that, it's not going to be a very pleasant experience. You are probably to a certain extent wasting your time because you're not going to have your full interest in that program and you're probably not going to do as well as you would like.

Second thing I'd say is to get to know the people in the program. Definitely the teaching staff-make an effort to get to know your professors. Once you do that the experience changes entirely. It's much more rewarding and you learn a lot more…. and to a certain extent your professors learn from you too, because you bring your own unique background and character; your own knowledge and experience into that learning process. So I'd say those are the two things that I would advise if I were in the position to give advice. They are the two things that I thought helped me.

Innis: Of all your achievements here at the University of Toronto, which one are you most proud of?
Vivek: I think it would have to be my involvement with the debating committee at Hart House. I like being able to bring interesting people to the university and to allow the university community to have access to them and give students the chance to meet these people. It also gives them a chance to meet students because they love the experience to meet young people who are interested in issues and feel passionately about things. So that's probably the thing I'm proudest of.

Innis: As a student in this field, I am sure that you have researched the job market. What kinds of employment opportunities are there?
Vivek: Well, the sky's the limit. It's not the type of field that you think would necessarily lead to a lot of employment opportunities but it does. There are all kinds of opportunities in government, certainly the private sector and the financial sector. If you want to slog it a bit longer you can certainly go after a career in law or public administration, and of course you can also make your own careers. I mean, there's no need to go into a conventional job. It's a pretty creative type of program, so if you're interested in writing or being creative you could get into journalism, or the magazine industry. There are so many opportunities. I think a lot of people do non-conventional things with this kind of degree.

Innis: What type of career are you interested in developing in the future?
Vivek: Well, I'm not entirely sure. Quite frankly, I don't think about that too much. I would just rather like to let the chips fall where they may. Realistically speaking, it'd probably be something related to public policy, in political life. Or the other option would be academia. I enjoy the essay writing, the research and spending hours at the library so I kind of have that inclination. So those are the two things, but no matter what I do I just don't want to sit there and coast through life. I really feel that I want to make a difference, and I have a pretty strong circle of conscience, and that's really important to who I am. I don't like to see the homeless, like on the corner of St. George and Bloor. It just really gets under my skin to see that sort of thing in a society that's pretty prosperous. So no matter what specific job I end up doing that's gonna be a big part of it.

Innis: What steps are you taking to assist you in achieving these goals?
Vivek: Right now it's trying to graduate. That's the first step. But I don't think there's really one step that you should take, and you may not necessarily even be conscience about it or do anything with a specific goal in mind. It's just good to keep your eyes and ears open to see what's around you and what opportunities there are to make that difference.

Innis: Are there any other things you would like to say to Innis students?
Vivek: It is important to get involved. By getting involved it doesn't mean in your program, it means doing something apart from school. Play a sport, join a club, do something. Because that's a huge part of the university experience. People who come here just for the academics are missing out on a whole concert of things. You meet so many interesting people, it's so rewarding, and it makes you grow in so many ways. I mean there are opportunities for leadership, but equally there are opportunities to work together in teams and that's an important thing. Kind of like the cooperation balance for the individual expression, so I would definitely say "Do Something!"

On behalf of Innis College I would like to thank you for coming out and sharing your experiences with us ...

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