FINAL FALL 2008 CURRICULUM REPORT

 

 

The body of this report consists of two major sections: Course Proposals reviewed fall 2008 and Other Curricular Matters. Policies and definitions governing group and multicultural general-education requirements are under Other Curricular Matters.

 

Course proposals approved by both the University of Oregon Committee on Courses (UOCC) and the University Senate are effective fall term 2009, unless a specific term is requested by an academic department and stated otherwise in this report.

 

The UOCC will consider new proposals during winter term and will submit a winter quarterly report to the University Senate in March 2009.

 

Routing of Minor Changes: The UOCC has confirmed that the following minor course changes may be made without review by the full committee: minor edits of course description, pre- or corequisites, grading option, and conditions of repeatability. Changes may be submitted in writing directly to the Office of the Registrar and Design and Editing Services, in care of Mike Jefferis (jefferis@uoregon.edu) and Scott Skelton (sskelton@uoregon.edu). The memorandum should indicate the effective term for the change(s). Note: extensive changes may be referred to the UOCC for review.

 

Courses Not Taught Report: The UOCC has changed the policy of dropping courses not taught within the past three years from the fall curriculum report to the spring curriculum report. This allows the correct listing of courses in the catalog for the following curricular year. The intention for this change is to allow departments a chance to reply earlier and provide a more thoughtful response while still involved in curricular planning and staffing for the next academic year and can best determine which courses they are able to offer.

 

Multicultural Courses Policy: As part of general education, offerings of multicultural courses at the 100, 200, and 300 levels need to be available to a wide spectrum of students from all across the university. Departments wishing to offer courses to satisfy the multicultural requirement should make these courses available at the more general 100, 200, or 300 levels whenever possible, rather than at the more specialized 400 level.

 

Extended Course Descriptions for Group-Satisfying Courses: All proposals for courses that would satisfy a group requirement for general education must include a suitable extended course description, for use with the course, as specified in senate legislation:

 

“For all group-satisfying courses to be offered during a particular term, faculty members or departments are asked to post electronically, in the Schedule of Classes, course descriptions that are substantially expanded over those provided in the catalog. The posted course information should be understandable to someone unfamiliar with the field and should emphasize the questions or issues that reveal, by their breadth and significance, why the course has earned group-satisfying status.” (US03/04-8, May 12, 2004)

 

 

Academic Year 2008–9

December 3, 2008:       University Senate considers fall 2008 preliminary report of the University of Oregon Committee on Courses.

December 17, 2008:    Curricular proposals for consideration in the winter 2009 round must be submitted to the provost’s office.

March 11, 2009:             University Senate considers winter 2009 preliminary report of the University of Oregon Committee on Courses.

March 18, 2009:             Curricular proposals for consideration in the spring 2009 round must be submitted to the provost’s office.

May 13, 2009:                  University Senate considers spring 2009 preliminary report of the University of Oregon Committee on Courses.

 

 

 

Members, University of Oregon Committee on Courses

 

Voting:           Paul Engelking, Chair                                  Ex officio:            Sue Eveland

                           Jack Boss (absent for fall round)                                                John Crosiar

                           Emma Martin                                                                                      Marian Friestad

                           Frances White                                                                                     Scott Skelton

                           Shlomo Libeskind                                                                             Andrew Wahlstrom

                           Jens Noeckel

                                                                                                                                               

                                                                                                                                               

                                                                                                           

Student:        Dylan Corbin                                                     Staff:                       Tami Oar

                                                                                                                                              Mike Jefferis

 

The University of Oregon Committee on Courses moves that the following course proposals and other curricular matters be approved.

 

Unless indicated otherwise, courses may be taken either pass/no pass or for letter grades. “P/N only” or “graded only” indicates that all students must take the course as specified in the bold print. Separate grading options for majors are bracketed in this report and appear in UO class schedule notes; they are not printed in the UO Catalog. R after course credits means that the course number may be repeated for credit. “Sequence” after the description means the courses must be taken in numerical order.

 

 

New Courses

 

(UO administrative action effective winter 2009)

AFR 196 Field Studies: [Topic] (1–5R) Pass/no pass only grading

AFR 198 Workshop: [Topic] (1–5R) Pass/no pass only grading

AFR 199 Special Studies: [Topic] (1–5R) optional grading

AFR 399 Special Studies: [Topic] (1–5R) optional grading

AFR 401 Research: [Topic] (1–12R) Pass/no pass only grading

AFR 403 Thesis: [Topic] (1–12R) Pass/no pass only grading

AFR 404 Internship: [Topic] (1–12R) Pass/no pass only grading

AFR 405 Reading and Conference: [Topic] (1–12R) Pass/no pass only grading

AFR 406 Field Studies: [Topic] (1–12R) Pass/no pass only grading

AFR 407/507 Seminar: [Topic] (1–5R) Pass/no pass only grading

AFR 408/508 Workshop: [Topic] (1–12R) Pass/no pass only grading

AFR 409 Supervised Tutoring (1–4R) Pass/no pass only grading

AFR 410/510 Experimental Course: [Topic] (1–5R) optional grading 

 

 

REINSTATED COURSES

 

ANTH 350 Ancient Mesoamerica (4)

The course will be reinstated effective winter term of 2009

 

EXISTING COURSE CHANGES

 

ANTH 365 Food and Culture (4) Prereq: ANTH 174 or 270, and ANTH 161

(Remove prerequisite)

ANTH 365 Food and Culture (4) effective summer 2008

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Courses

 

(UOCC administrative action)

ARB 399 Special Studies: [Topic] (1–5R) effective fall 2008

 

 

EXISTING COURSE CHANGES

 

(Change pre-requisite)

CH 417 Physical Chemistry Lab (4) Prereq: PHYS 204, 205, 206; pre- or coreq: CH 411

CH 417 Physical Chemistry Lab (4) Pre or coreq: CH 411. Effective winter 2009

 

CH 418 Physical Chemistry Lab (4) Prereq: PHYS 204, 205, 206; pre- or coreq: CH 412

CH 418 Physical Chemistry Lab (4) Pre or coreq: CH 412. Effective winter 2009

 

CH 419 Physical Chemistry Lab (4) Prereq: PHYS 204, 205, 206; pre- or coreq: CH 413

CH 419 Physical Chemistry Lab (4) Pre or coreq: CH 413. Effective winter 2009

 

 

 

EXISTING COURSE CHANGES

 

CIS 313 Introduction to Data Structures (4)

(Changed Course Title)

CIS 313 Intermediate Data Structures

 

CIS 315 Introduction to Algorithms (4)

(Changed Course Title)

CIS 315 Intermediate Algorithms

 

CIS 413/513 Data Structures (4)

(Changed Course Title)

CIS 413/513 Advanced Data Structures

 

 

EXISTING COURSE CHANGES

 

GEOG 418/518 Fundamentals of Remote Sensing (4) Prereq: GEOG 416/516.

(Change prerequisite)

GEOG 418/518 Fundamentals of Remote Sensing (4) Prereq for 418: GEOG 311; prereq for 518: GEOG 512 or 516.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EXISTING COURSE CHANGES

 

GEOL 432/532 Paleontology II: Mesozoic and Cenozoic Marine Fossils (4) Mesozoic and Cenozoic marine invertebrates. Laboratory exercises on fossil specimens.

(Changed Course Description, Course Title)

GEOL 432/532 Invertebrate Paleontology

An overview of the interpretation and classification of invertebrate fossils, with emphasis on laboratory exercises and fieldwork.

 

GEOL 472/572 Aqueous Geochemistry (4)

(Changed Course Title)

GEOL 472/572 Aqueous-Mineral-Gas Equilibria

 

 

 

EXISTING COURSE CHANGES

 

NORW 101 First-Year Norwegian (4)

(Changed Credits/Workload)

NORW 101 First-Year Norwegian (5)

 

NORW 102 First-Year Norwegian (4)

(Changed Credits/Workload)

NORW 102 First-Year Norwegian (5)

 

NORW 103 First-Year Norwegian (4)

(Changed Credits/Workload)

NORW 103 First-Year Norwegian (5)

 

 

 

REINSTATED COURSES

 

HPHY 676 Human Cardiovascular Control (4) effective winter 2009

 

 

New Courses

 

(UOCC administrative action)

SWAH 399 Special Studies: [Topic] (1–5R) effective fall 2008

 

 

 

 

 

OLD COURSES DROPPED

 

LING 162 Nature versus Nurture in Language (4)

New course LING 202 being added

Previously satisfied Arts and Letters group requirement.

 

LING 290 Introduction to Linguistic Analysis (4)

Adding LING 301, which is more appropriate for level of course.

Previously satisfied Social Science group requirement.

 

LING 490/590 Sociolinguistics (4)

Adding course with overlapping content at 300 level.

 

NEW COURSES

 

(Course previously taught as 162 in 200702)

LING 202 Language Learning and Change (4) [Graded only for majors] Compares biological and social factors in explaining how language structure develops and is used by the individual. Perspectives on language learning and language change.

Approved to satisfy Arts and Letters group requirement.

 

(Course previously taught as 290 in 200703)

LING 301 Introduction to Linguistics Analysis (4) [Graded only for majors] Study of human language and linguistics as a scientific and humanistic discipline. Lexicon, phonology, syntax, semantics, language change. Basic analytic techniques for drawing language generalizations.

Approved to satisfy Social Science group requirement.

 

(Course previously taught as LING 490/590 in 200702)

LING 390 Introduction to Sociolinguistics (4) [Graded only for majors] Language structure and change relative to social-interpersonal interaction. Dialects, pidgin and creole development, language death, attitudes toward language variation, multilingualism. Major theoretical frameworks for sociolinguistics.

Approved to satisfy Social Science group requirement.

Approved to satisfy Identity, Pluralism and Tolerance multicultural requirement.

 

 

New Courses

 

(UOCC administrative action)

PORT 399 Special Studies: [Topic] (1–5R) effective fall 2008

 

(UOCC administrative action effective winter 2009)

RL 605 Reading and Conference: [Topic] (1–6R) Graded only for majors.

 

OLD COURSES DROPPED

 

FR 361 Francophone Literature and Culture (4)

We do not require this course for the major or the minor and we do not have adequate staff to offer it regularly. More or less the same content is offered at the third-year level in FR303: “Culture et langage: identités francophones.” It also overlaps in content with FR 490/590: “20th-Century Literature” and FR 497/597: “Francophone Women’s Writing.”

 

 

 

EXISTING COURSE CHANGES

 

ARTR 446/546 Intermediate and Advanced Relief Printing and Intaglio (4R) Relief printing emphasizes color techniques, chine colle, wood engraving, monotype. Intaglio includes color methods with multiple plates and a la poupee. Focuses on personal imagery development.

 

(Changed Course Description, Course Title)

ARTR 446/546 Intermediate and Advanced Printmaking (4R)

Further exploration of techniques and concepts with emphasis on discussion and creative work. Content varies by term and may include color methods, chine collé, monoprints.

Pre- or coreq: ARTR 346 or 347.

 

 

 

 

 

NEW COURSES

 

(Course previously taught as 410 in spring 2008)

BA 430 Leadership in Action (4) P/NP only. Integrates technical, critical-thinking, communication, leadership, and teamwork skills. Students complete substantive consulting projects with local nonprofit and government organizations. Prereq: BA 352.

 

 

 

EXISTING COURSE CHANGES

 

(Change Prereq)

DSC 466 Project and Operations Management (4) Prereq: DSC 340 or 340H

DSC 466 Project and Operations Management Models (4) Prereq: DSC 335 or 335H. Effective winter 2009.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EXISTING COURSE CHANGES

 

MGMT 455 Business Planning for Entrepreneurs (4) Students research a business opportunity; produce a professional start-up business plan that includes market analysis, cash flow analysis, and financial pro formas.

(Changed Course Description, Course Title)

MGMT 455 Implementing Entrepreneurial Strategies (4) Focuses on turning an idea into a serious business venture. Students research new business opportunities and become skilled in developing business tools and processes to carry out venture launch strategies. Pre-: ACTG 340, MGMT 335, MKTG 445.

 

 

 

 

EXISTING COURSE CHANGES

 

FHS 329 Child-Family Issues and Resources (4) Reviews childhood problems using a developmental framework. Topics address problems across the lifespan with attention to culture and context. Presents assessment techniques and intervention procedures.

(Changed Course Description, Course Title)

FHS 329 Youth Psychopathology in Context (4) Presents child and adolescent psychopathology and problems within a diagnostic framework. Topics address psychosocial issues for youth in family and cultural contexts.

 

ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION

 

(Change grading option from optional to P/NP only effective winter 2009)

EDST 338 Observation: Learning Teaching and Assessment 1

EDST 339 Observation: Learning Teaching and Assessment 2

EDST 348 Observation: Curriculum Studies 1

EDST 349 Observation: Curriculum Studies 2

EDST 429/529 Observation: Equal Opportunity 1

EDST 459/559 Observation: Equal Opportunity 2

 

NEW COURSES

 

(Course previously taught as CDS 410/510 in Spring 2008)

ASL 312 American Sign Language for Educators II (3) [Graded only for majors] Designed for students who have one term of ASL. Sequence with ASL 311. Prereq: ASL 311.

 

 

 

 

 

NEW COURSES

 

 

(Course previously taught as 199 in spring 2008)

PEF 205 Pilates Yoga Fusion (1R) P/NP only. This course combines Pilates and Yoga techniques to improve balance and flexibility while building a strong muscular core. R All PE activity classes are repeatable once.

 

(Course previously taught as 399 in spring 2008)

PEF 325 Healthy Weight Loss (3) For students motivated to use a lifestyle approach to weight loss. Two hours of both lecture and activity each week.

 

(Course previously taught as 199 in spring 2008)

PEI 101 Disc Golf I (1R) P/NP only. Learn the strategies and techniques for this exciting new competitive game. Disc Golf combines skills/concepts from the games of golf and frisbee. R All PE activity classes are repeatable once for credit.

 

(Course previously taught as 199 in spring 2008)

PEI 102 Disc Golf II (1R) P/NP only. Learn advanced skills and strategies for this new game that combines golf concepts and frisbee throwing skills. Sequence: Disc Golf I Prereq: Disc Golf I R All PE activity classes are repeatable once for credit.

 

(Course previously taught as 399 in spring 2008)

PEI 305 Triathlon (2R) P/NP only. Learn to manage your competitive training while improving techniques in swimming, running and biking. Prereq: Beginning swim, run and biking experience. R All PE activity courses are repeatable once for credit.

 

 

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

 

 Instructional program leading to minor in queer studies approved. Effective winter 2009.

 

SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE AND ALLIED ARTS

 

The graduate-level ecological design certificate in architecture and allied arts was approved at the June 6, 2008, meeting of the State Board of Higher Education. Effective date of the program is fall 2008.

 

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

 

The department of Teacher Education has received approval to change its name from Teacher Education to the Department of Education Studies, effective Fall Term 2009.

 

 

SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM AND COMMUNICATION

On March 10, 2008, the State Board of Higher Education approved a proposal for a master of arts (M.A.) degree in strategic communication. Effective fall term 2008.

MULTICULTURAL REQUIREMENTS

 

Students who participate in University of Oregon sponsored study abroad programs can fulfill one Category C International Cultures-satisfying course through this participation in order to meet Multicultural Requirements.

The UO Foreign Study Programs Committee in collaboration with Study Abroad staff will identify which UO-sponsored programs will meet the International Cultures requirement, based on the following criteria:

• Students must be enrolled full-time and maintain satisfactory academic progress throughout their academic programs abroad.
• Approved study abroad programs must be a minimum of five weeks in length. If the program is between five and nine weeks in duration, it must have substantial cultural immersion, and meet at least two of the following three criteria:
1. Include a home stay or immersion living experience
2. Offer a language-intensive and/or culturally-immersive curriculum
3. Provide an internship, service learning, or integrated work or volunteer program
• Programs of ten weeks or longer will automatically satisfy the International Cultures requirement
• A student who participates in a program that does not fit any of the criteria above has the option to petition the Academic Requirements Committee under their usual guidelines.

 

 

REINSTATED COURSES

 

SPAN 497/597 Spanish Women Writers (4) Dropped spring 2005; over allowed time to reinstate. Requires new course proposal.

 

 

NEW COURSES

 

(Course previously taught as 407/507 in spring 2008)

PPPM 465/565 Program Evaluation (4) Introduction to the design and implementation of program evaluations.

 

 

 

 

CDS 609 Practicum Externship (1-16) 

(Changed Course Title)

CDS 609 Practicum Medical Externship

 

 

 

The Committee on Courses offers the following reminders:

 

ü  Proposals to the Committee on Courses must be submitted on electronic forms, available on the CAS website, http://uocurriculum.uoregon.edu/. Arrangements for access may be made by contacting the appropriate college curriculum coordinator for each individual professional school or college. Proposals submitted on old forms will be returned, without review, to academic departments, schools, or colleges. Proposals must be submitted to the Committee on Courses prior to the beginning of the term in which they are to be considered. Proposals received after the beginning of the term will be deferred to the following term. All departments should consult their college curriculum coordinator for deadline dates or go to http://uocurriculum.uoregon.edu/ and click the “Important Dates” link.

ü  The following minor course changes may be made without review by the full committee: minor edits of course description, pre- or co-requisites, grading option, and conditions of repeatability. Changes may be submitted in writing directly to the Office of the Registrar and to Design and Editing Services, in care of Mike Jefferis (jefferis@uoregon.edu) and Scott Skelton (sskelton@darkwing.uoregon.edu), respectively. The memorandum should indicate the effective term for the change(s). Note: extensive changes may be referred to the UOCC for review.

ü  If there is any question that a proposed new or changed course might duplicate coverage in an existing course from another department or school, the proposing department must gain written confirmation that the other department has been consulted and does not object to the new or changed course.

ü  Proposals for new courses must be accompanied by full syllabi.

ü  For 4XX/5XX level courses, both proposal forms and syllabi must state explicitly the substantive and measurable differences in type and amount of work for the two levels.

ü  The minimal requirements for general-education status of a course are regarded as necessary, but not always sufficient, for inclusion of a course as part of a comprehensive general-education program at the university.

Group satisfying courses are intended to provide students with a cohesive general-education program. Proposals for group-satisfying status of a course should explain how the course enhances general-education at the university, explicitly stating how the course would complement other group-satisfying courses, and which other courses would be especially suitable for students to take in accompaniment. Approved March 10, 2004.

According to University Senate legislation, courses submitted for group-satisfying status must be submitted to the Intercollege General-Education Review Committee.

Proposals for undergraduate group-satisfying and multicultural courses must include written justification, regardless of whether they are new or existing courses.

ü  The minimal requirements for multicultural status of a course are regarded as sufficient for inclusion of a course as part of the multicultural course requirements.

Any course that might appear to satisfy the university multicultural requirements, either by title, description, or content, is carefully examined to see if it should be listed as a multicultural course. If a course might appear on its face eligible for multicultural status, the committee needs clear explanation of why the course does—or does not—satisfy multicultural course guidelines. Arbitrary exclusion of courses from the list of multicultural satisfying courses can engender student confusion or cynicism. Approved on March 10, 2004.

ü  The UO Committee on Courses has established the policy that the phrase “or instructor’s consent” will not be stated along with any other course prerequisites. The prerequisites of any course may be overridden by instructor’s consent, and need not be stated explicitly for individual courses. Academic departments are able to override any prerequisite requirements in Banner should a student qualify to enroll.

“Instructor’s consent” is reserved for use alone as a sole prerequisite to allow departments to monitor suitability of enrollment in courses for individual students, preventing enrollment without prior approval. Academic departments should be aware they must code the courses correctly and assume enrollment management responsibilities, preauthorizing each student individually, with this option. Approved March 10, 2004.

 

As the primary, commonly available summary of a course, the syllabus serves several purposes. It outlines the course, it denotes what students may expect from the course, and it locates the course in the curriculum. The syllabus is the best, most concise description of a course by its teacher available to both prospective students and colleagues. The Committee on Courses uses syllabuses in its review of courses. To maximize the usefulness of a syllabus to students and faculty, it should contain the following contents:

 

1. Course Number

2. Title

3. Credits

4. Term, place, time, instructor

(For a new course proposal, indicate when it is likely to be offered, and how frequently)

(For a new course proposal, indicate who is likely to teach the course)

 

5. Position in the curriculum

• Satisfies group requirement? Explain why

• Satisfies multicultural requirement? Explain why

• Satisfies other general-education requirement?

• Satisfies other major or program requirement?

• Preparatory for other courses?

• List prerequisites or other suggested preparation

 

6. Format (lecture, discussion, and laboratory)

 

7. Outline of subject and topics explored

 

8. Course materials (texts, books, readings)

 

9. Instructor expectations of students

• Be explicit (by pages assigned, lengths of assignments)

• Level of student engagement expected (see suggested Student Engagement Inventory on following page)

• Readings

• Problems

• Attendance

• Project

• Writing

• Laboratory

• Field work

• Work with electronic media, network, online

• Performance

• Presentation

• Exams

• Differential expected for graduate work for joint 4xx/5xx-level courses

 

10. Assessment

• Methods (testing, homework)

• Times or frequency

• Grading policy

• Incomplete policy

 

[See Faculty Handbook for other recommendations regarding university policies.]

 

To aid in assigning student credit hours uniformly to courses in the curriculum, the committee inventories the amount of student engagement in a course. The committee has found the following tool to be useful. Departments preparing course proposals are invited to use this form when deciding how many SCH units to request for a proposed course. Departments are encouraged to report to the committee how this tool may be improved for their use.

 

Please identify the number of hours a typical or average student would expect to spend in each of the following activities. The general guideline is that each undergraduate credit should reflect thirty hours of student engagement. Therefore, a 3-credit course would engage students for ninety hours total among the activities listed below, whereas a 4-credit course would list 120 hours of activities in which students are engaged over the course of the term. (Graduate students are expected to perform work of higher quality and quantity, typically with an additional 20–25 percent effort expected.)

 

Educational activity	Hours student engaged	Explanatory comments (if any):
Course attendance
Assigned readings
Project
Writing assignments
Lab or workshop
Field work, experience
Online interaction
Performances, creative activities
Total hours:

 

Definition of terms:

Course attendance	Actual time student spends in class with instructor or GTF
Assigned readings	Estimated time it takes for a student with average reading ability to read all assigned readings
Writing assignments	Estimated time it takes for a student with average writing ability to produce a final, acceptable written product as required by the assignment
Project	Estimated time a student would be expected to spend creating or contributing to a project that meets course requirements (includes individual and group projects)
Lab or workshop	Actual time scheduled for any lab or workshop activities that are required but are scheduled outside of class hours
Field work, experience	Actual or estimated time a student would spend or be expected to spend engaged in required field work or other field-based activities
Online activities	Actual or estimated time a student would spend or be expected to spend engaged in online activities directly related to the course, separate from online research required for projects or writing assignments
Performance, creative activities	Actual or estimated time a student would spend or be expected to spend outside of class hours engaged in preparing for required performance or creative activity

 

 

The following criteria were proposed by the Undergraduate Council and the College of Arts and Sciences Curriculum Committee. The University Senate approved them in May 2001 by Motion US0001-3 Replacement Motion governing the approval of courses meeting general-education requirements and the distribution of courses student must complete within each group.

 

1. Group satisfying courses in Arts and Letters, Social Science, and Science must meet the following general criteria:

1.1. Group satisfying courses in arts and letters must create meaningful opportunities for students to engage actively in the modes of inquiry that define a discipline. Proposed courses must be broad in scope and demonstrably liberal in nature (that is, courses that promote open inquiry from a variety of perspectives). Though some courses may focus on specialized subjects or approaches, there must be a substantial course content locating that subject in the broader context of the major issues of the discipline. Qualifying courses will not focus on teaching basic skills but will require the application or engagement of those skills through analysis and interpretation.

1.2. Group satisfying courses in the social sciences must be liberal in nature rather than being professionally oriented or limited to the performance of professional skills. They must cover a representative cross-section of key issues, perspectives, and modes of analysis employed by scholars working on the subject matter addressed by the course. The subject matter of the course will be relatively broad, e.g. involving more than one issue, place, or time. Courses with an emphasis on methods and skills will satisfy the requirement only if there is also a substantial and coherent theoretical component.

1.3. Group satisfying courses in the sciences should introduce students to the foundations of one or more scientific disciplines, or should provide an introduction to fundamental methods (such as mathematics) that are widely used in scientific disciplines. Courses should introduce students to the process of scientific reasoning.

 

2. Specific Criteria:

2.1. Group satisfying courses must be numbered at the 100, 200, and 300 levels.

2.2. Lower division courses must be offered annually, and upper division courses at least every other year.

2.3. Approved courses must be at least 4 credits each.

2.4. Upper division group satisfying courses must provide depth and rigor beyond that of typical lower-division general-education courses. Departments must justify, in terms of content, workload, and method of instruction, the assignment of a course to the upper level.

2.5. Courses that are offered for majors only are excluded from group status, but courses that are designed for both majors and other students may qualify.

2.6. Although laboratory courses are not automatically excluded from group status in the sciences, to acquire this status, the courses must not focus primarily on techniques or data collection.

 

3. Procedures governing the approval of all courses designed to meet General-education requirements.:

3.1. Before submission to the Senate, such courses proposed by departments must be reviewed at several levels:

3.1.1. By the curricular committees of the various colleges and schools

3.1.2. By an inter-college committee including the members of the CAS Curricular Committee and two representatives appointed by the deans of the others schools and colleges. This second committee is also charged to review such courses as do not meet the standards set in paragraph (2.) and to negotiate a solution with the sponsoring department.

3.1.3. By the University Committee on Courses.

3.2. The inter college committee is authorized to establish procedures governing the review process.

4. Completion of group requirements (student progress):

4.1. Within the full set of courses that fulfills all of the requirements, students may not count

4.1.1. more than one course that has the subject code of the major, or

4.1.2. more than three courses that have the same subject code.

4.2. Within the smaller set of courses that fulfills the requirements of each group, students must complete at least two courses that have the same subject code.

 

The 2000–2001 academic years was the first year that the Committee on Courses systematically deleted from the university catalog courses that have not been taught for three years or more.

 

In several cases, departments had not offered a specialized course under a course number and title specified in the catalog. Yet similar courses had been taught regularly in the department in various formats, under experimental numbers (410, 510, 610), or under the general designations for special topics seminars, workshops, or practicums (the 406/407/408/409, 506/507/508/509, 606/607/608/609 series). With time, departments had discovered that a course description in the catalog was too specialized to apply to any of their courses as actually being taught.

 

Unfortunately, removal of an overly specialized course, although untaught, still might have consequences for departments. Often that course had been the sole representative in the catalog of subjects that are taught by a department and are part of the regular curriculum. Dropping that course could make it appear that a department offered no courses in that course’s subject area.

 

The committee has noted another, companion problem. Over the years, the committee has observed that new courses tailored to the particular research interests and instructional style of an individual faculty member are likely to fall into disuse within a few years as the person’s teaching assignments and interests change, or if the instructor becomes unavailable for teaching that particular course.

 

The Committee on Courses recommends that departments and programs develop more sustainable course descriptions. A sustainable course description would identify a subject area and general approach, but would not be so restrictive as to exclude different perspectives or specializations also representative of that subject area.

 

The committee also recommends that departments and programs be selective when proposing permanent course status for specialized courses that can only be taught by one particular instructor.

 

For example, a department with several experts qualified to teach ceramics, but having only one instructor who specializes in Ming porcelain per se, might currently have a specialized course titled Ming Dynasty Porcelains in the catalog. A more sustainable course title could be Chinese Porcelains or even Porcelains, depending upon the range of expertise available to teach the course. Another approach would use the topics course Ceramics, possibly repeatable as the exact subject material—and transcript title—changes.

 

Departments following these recommendations could then represent the full range of their curricular offerings and could maintain a sustainable list of courses in the catalog.

 

 

Category A: American Cultures. The goal is to focus on race and ethnicity in the United States by considering racial and ethnic groups from historical and comparative perspectives. Five racial or ethnic groups are identified: African American, Chicano or Latino, Native American, Asian American, European American. Approved courses deal with at least two of these groups in a comparative manner. They do not necessarily deal specifically with discrimination or prejudice, although many do.

 

Category B: Identity, Pluralism, and Tolerance. The goal is to gain scholarly insight into the construction of collective identities, the emergence of representative voices from varying social and cultural standpoints, and the effects of prejudice, intolerance, and discrimination. The identities at issue may include ethnicities as in the American Cultures category, as well as classes, genders, religions, sexual orientations, or other groups whose experiences contribute to cultural pluralism. This category includes courses that analyze the general principles underlying tolerance, or the lack of it.

 

Category C: International Cultures. The goal is to study world cultures in critical perspective. Approved courses either treat an international culture in view of the issues raised in Categories A and B (namely, race and ethnicity, pluralism and monoculturalism, prejudice and tolerance) or explicitly describe and analyze a worldview (i.e., a system of knowledge, feeling, and belief) that is substantially different from those prevalent in the twentieth-century United States.

 

 

The Committee on Courses has discussed the criteria for adding an “H” suffix to a course number and recommends the following:

 

The “H” suffix is intended to advise students that a course provides honors content of significant difficulty and requires honors effort from students. The Committee on Courses will be looking for evidence of the following in determining whether a course should hold an “H” suffix designation:

 

1.     Students enrolling should have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.30 in their major.

 

2. The content of the class, and the level of analysis, should be significantly deeper than for nonhonors classes.

 

3. Class size should be small enough to promote intensive student participation.

 

4. The faculty member(s) teaching the course should be available for close advising outside of class.

 

MAJOR

 

Definition

Courses in designated primary subject areas or disciplines in which a student commits to gaining in-depth knowledge, skills, competence, and attitudes through a coherent pattern of courses. A footnote accompanies the major definition: Divisional major programs emphasize a general and integrated approach to learning, with the student’s major program broadly inclusive of work in several of the discipline or subject areas within the specific division within which the student’s degree program lies (i.e., humanities, social science, science). For instance, a divisional major program in the social sciences would call for the student to include within his or her major work from several of the disciplines or subject areas in the social sciences (such as sociology, political science, or economics). Because of the breadth of disciplines or subjects included in the major, the student has less opportunity to delve in depth into a single subject area such as sociology, political science, or economics, than they would be able to do were they in a “departmental major” program in a single one of these disciplines or subject areas.

 

Minimal Requirements

36 credits, of which a minimum of 24 must be upper division. Departments should consider setting minimum residency requirements.

 

MINOR

Definition

Courses in a designated secondary subject area or discipline distinct from and usually outside the student’s degree major in which knowledge is gained in a coherent pattern of courses.

 

Minimal Requirements

24 credits, of which a minimum of 12 must be upper division. Should be within a discipline that already has a preexisting major or is sponsored by a department.

 

CERTIFICATE

 

Definition

An approved academic award given in conjunction with the satisfactory completion of a program of instruction requiring one year or more, but less than four years, of full-time equivalent, postsecondary-level work. The conditions and conferral of the award are governed by the faculty and ratified by the governing board of the institution granting the certificate.

 

Minimal Requirements

36 credits—24 upper division with 12 minimum at 400 level. The sponsoring department must provide guidance—a template or check list and the name of an adviser, with notice that the student must consult an adviser to apply for the certificate at least two terms prior to graduation.