FINAL FALL 2005 CURRICULUM REPORT

Passed, as amended, by the University Senate on November 30, 2005

 

 

The body of this report consists of two major sections: Course Proposals reviewed fall 2005 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 2006, 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 2006.

 

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 Creative Publishing, 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.

 

 

December 21, 2005:     Curricular proposals for consideration in the winter round must be submitted to the provost’s office.

March 8, 2006:           University Senate considers winter 2006 preliminary report of the University of Oregon Committee on Courses.

March 22, 2006:          Curricular proposals for consideration in the spring round must be submitted to the provost’s office.

May 10, 2006:             University Senate considers spring 2006 preliminary report of the University of Oregon Committee on Courses.

July 2006:                  Publication of 2006–7 University of Oregon Catalog. The changes in the fall report will first appear in this catalog.

September 13, 2006     Curricular proposals for consideration in the fall round must be submitted to the provost’s office.

November 29, 2006      University Senate considers fall 2006 preliminary report of the University of Oregon Committee on Courses.

December 20, 2006      Curricular proposals for consideration in the winter round must be submitted to the provost’s office.

March 14, 2007           University Senate considers winter 2007 preliminary report of the University of Oregon Committee on Courses.

Members, University of Oregon Committee on Courses

 

Voting:       Paul Engelking, Chair                        Ex officio:        Jack Bennett

                  Jack Boss                                                               Herb Chereck

                  David Boush                                                           John Crosiar

                  John Nicols                                                             Toby Deemer

                  Paul Peppis                                                             Scott Skelton

                  Robert Ribe

                                                                                              

Student:      None                                               Staff:               Linda Adkins

                                                                                               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.

 

 

DROPPED COURSE

 

ANTH 321 Peoples of India (4)

 

EXISTING COURSE CHANGES

 

ANTH 314 Women and Culture I (4)

(Changed Title) 


ANTH 314 Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective (4) Satisfies Group II: Social Science general education requirement and Category B: Identity, Pluralism and Tolerance multicultural requirement.

 

ANTH 315 Women and Culture II (4)

(Changed Title) 


ANTH 315 Gender, Folklore, Inequality (4) Satisfies Group II: Social Science general-education requirement and Category B: Identity, Pluralism and Tolerance multicultural requirement.

 

NEW COURSE

 

(Subject previously taught as ANTH 321)

ANTH 331 Cultures of South Asia (4) Survey course on the cultures of contemporary South Asia. Approved to satisfy Group II: Social Science general-education requirement and Category C: International Cultures multicultural requirement.

 

 

NEW COURSE

 

CLAS 310 Early China, Ancient Greece (4) Examines the relationship between knowledge and wisdom in literature produced by two different ancient civilizations, Greece and China, from c. 1000 B.C.E. to 86 C.E. Offered alternate years. Approved to satisfy Group I: Arts and Letters general-education requirement and Category C: International Cultures multicultural requirement.

 

 

DROPPED COURSES

 

OMSE 500 Principles of Software Engineering (3)

OMSE 511 Managing Software Development (3)

OMSE 521 Quantitative Decision-Making (3)

OMSE 522 Modeling and Analysis of Software Systems (3)

OMSE 525 Software Quality Analysis (3)

OMSE 531 Software Requirements Engineering (3)

OMSE 532 Software Architecture and Domain Analysis (3)

OMSE 533 Software Design Techniques (3)

OMSE 535 Software Implementation and Testing (3)

OMSE 551 Strategic Software Engineering (3)

OMSE 555 Software Development Practicum I (3)

OMSE 556 Software Development Practicum II (3)

OMSE 607 Seminar: [Topic] (3R)

OMSE 610 Experimental Course: [Topic] 3R

 

NEW COURSES

 

(Subject previously taught as CIS 410/510)

CIS 433/533 Computer and Network Security (4) Fundamental security topics, including security policies and cryptography, to real-world solutions, such as network intrusion detection, IPsec, security e-mail, web service. Prereq: CIS 432/532.

 

 

NEW COURSES

 

GEOL 462/562 Environmental Geomechanics (4) Application of fluid and solid mechanics to understanding processes in the earth and environmental sciences. Prereq: MATH 253, PHYS 253. Offered alternate years.

 

 

NEW COURSES

 

HIST 415/515 Advanced World History: [Topic] (4R) [Graded only for majors] Advanced intensive study of selected issues in world history. Possible topics include biology and ecology, ancient empires, or intercultural encounters. R when topic changes. Approved to satisfy Category C: International Cultures multicultural requirement.

 

 

EXISTING COURSE

 

HUM 410 Experimental Course: [Topic] (1-5R)

(Changed Course Number)

HUM 410/510 Experimental Course: [Topic] (1-5R) Effective winter term 2006.

(UOCC administrative action)

 

 

 

NEW COURSES

 

LING 315 Language and Categorization (4) [Graded only for majors] Introduces various theories of linguistic meaning and categorization, then applies them to categorization of sounds, parts of speech, semantic networks, perspective, metaphor, and linguistic relativity. Offered alternate years. Prereq: sophomore standing or higher. Approved to Satisfy Group I: Arts and Letters general-education requirement.

 

 

REINSTATED COURSE

 

PHIL 415/515 Continental Philosophy (4) Effective spring term 2006.

 

 

NEW COURSES

 

(Subject previously taught as PS 410/510)

PS 450/550 Ethics, Technology, and Gender (4) [Graded only for majors] Ethical, political, and legal questions raised by technological innovation as it affects gender relations and ecological health. Particular attention paid to reproductive and biomedical technologies.

 

REINSTATED COURSE

 

PS 495/595 United States Political Economy (4) Effective winter term 2006.

 

 

DROPPED COURSE

 

PSY 375 Development (4)

(UOCC administrative action)

 

NEW COURSE

 

PSY 376 Child Development (4) Survey of social, intellectual, and personality development in infancy, childhood, and adolescence. Approved to satisfy Group II: Social Science.

 

 

NEW COURSE

 

(Subject previously taught as FR 399)

FR 342 French Literature in Translation: [Topic] (4R) [Graded only] In-depth examination of French aesthetic and intellectual movements through the reading in translation and discussion of theoretical texts and creative fiction. Conducted in English. R when topic changes.

 

 

 

 

DROPPED COURSES

 

ARCH 181 Introductory Architectural Design I (6)

ARCH 182 Introductory Architectural Design II (6)

ARCH 281 Intermediate Architectural Design I (6)

ARCH 282 Intermediate Architectural Design II (6)

 

NEW COURSES

 

(Subject previously taught as ARCH 181)

ARCH 283 Introductory Architectural Design I (6) [P/NP only] Design studio projects and exercises introducing fundamental concepts and considerations in environmental design. Teaches knowledge and skills needed in subsequent studios and professional course work. Sequence with ARCH 284.

 

(Subject previously taught as ARCH 182)

ARCH 284 Introductory Architectural Design II (6) [P/NP only] Design studio projects and exercises introducing fundamental concepts and considerations in environmental design. Teaches knowledge and skills needed in subsequent studios and professional course work. Sequence with ARCH 283. Pre- or coreq: ARCH 222.

 

(Subject previously taught as ARCH 281)

ARCH 383 Intermediate Architectural Design I (6) [P/NP only] Studio projects for second-year undergraduates. Integration of issues of context, activity support, spatial order, construction, structure, and environmental control. Emphasis on schematic concept formation and subsequent architectural development. Sequence with ARCH 384. Prereq: ARCH 283.

 

(Subject previously taught as ARCH 282)

ARCH 384 Intermediate Architectural Design II (6) [P/NP only] Studio projects for second-year undergraduates. Integration of issues of context, activity support, spatial order, construction, structure, and environmental control. Emphasis on schematic concept formation and subsequent architectural development. Sequence with ARCH 383. Prereq: ARCH 284.

 

 

EXISTING COURSE CHANGES

 

ARTD 250 Multimedia Survey (4)

(Changed title, Description)

ARTD 250 Digital Arts I: Print Based (4) Introduction to the rich, unique resources the computer offers the artist. Image making, print-media design, visual culture. Lab sections and tutorials provide hands-on application.

 

ARTD 251 Multimedia Design Tools I (4R)

(Changed Title, Description, Repeatability) 


ARTD 251 Digital Arts II: Time Based (4) Introduction to the rich, unique resources the computer offers the artist. Interactivity, time-based art. Lab sections and tutorials provide hands-on application.

ARTD 252 Multimedia Design Tools II (4R)

(Changed Title, Description, Repeatability) 


ARTD 252 Digital Arts III: Web Based (4) Introduction to the rich, unique resources the computer offers the artist. Graphics and interactivity for the web. Lab sections and tutorials provide hands-on application.

 

 

DROPPED COURSES

 

IARC 448/548 Thesis Programming and Research (2)

IARC 449/549 Documentation of Thesis Research, Programming, and Design (2)

IARC 484/584 Interior Design (6R)

 

EXISTING COURSE CHANGES

 

IARC 204 Survey of Interior Architecture (4)

(Changed Title)

IARC 204 Understanding Contemporary Interiors (4)

 

IARC 445/545 Thesis Preparation and Programming (3)

(Changed Title)

IARC 445/545 Comprehensive Project Preparation (3)

 

IARC 488/588 Interior Design Terminal Project (6)

(Changed Title, Credits) 


IARC 488/588 Interior Design Comprehensive Project I (8)

 

IARC 489/589 Interior Design Terminal Project (6)

(Changed Title, Credits) 


IARC 489/589 Interior Design Comprehensive Project II (8)

 

NEW COURSES

 

(Subject previously taught as IARC 484/584)

IARC 383 Interior Design Studio (6) [P/NP only] Studio projects for second-year undergraduates. Integration of issues of activity support and spatial order, Emphasis on schematic concept formation and interior design development.

 

 

EXISTING COURSE CHANGES

 

PPPM 608 Community Planning Workshop: (Topic) (1–16R)

(Changed Title, Description) 


PPPM 608 Workshop: (Topic) Effective winter term 2006.

 

PPPM 656 Quantitative Methods in Planning and Public Policy (4)

(Changed Credits) 


PPPM 656 Quantitative Methods in Planning and Public Policy (5) Effective winter term 2006.


 

 

 

DROPPED COURSES

 

(UOCC administrative action)

EDUC 196 Field Studies: [Topic] (1-2R)

EDUC 198 Workshop: [Topic] (1-2R)

EDUC 401 Research: [Topic] (1-18R)

EDUC 402 Supervised College Teaching (1-6R)

EDUC 403 Thesis (1-12R)

EDUC 404 Internship: [Topic] (1-18R)

EDUC 405 Reading and Conference: [Topic] (1-18R)

EDUC 409 Practicum: [Topic] (1-18R)

EDUC 503 Thesis (1-16R)

EDUC 601 Research: [Topic] (1-16R)

EDUC 602 Supervised College Teaching (1-5R)

EDUC 603 Dissertation (1-16R)

EDUC 604 Internship: [Topic] (1-16R)

EDUC 605 Reading and Conference: [Topic] (1-16R)

EDUC 608 Workshop: [Topic] (1-16R)

EDUC 704 Internship: [Topic] (1-16R)

EDUC 705 Reading and Conference: [Topic] (1-16R)

EDUC 706 Special Problems: [Topic] (1-16R)

EDUC 707 Seminar: [Topic] (1-5R)

EDUC 708 Workshop: [Topic] (1-16R)

EDUC 709 Practicum: [Topic] (1-16R)

EDUC 710 Experimental Course: [Topic] (1-5R)

 

 

All approved course proposals are effective spring semester 2006.

 

DROPPED COURSES

 

LAW 631 Real Estate Planning (3)

LAW 654 Insurance (3)

LAW 666 Admiralty (3)

LAW 672 European Community Law (2)

LAW 676 Environment and Energy (3)

LAW 689 Sustainability (3)

 

EXISTING COURSE CHANGES

 

LAW 620 Business Associations I (3)

(Changed Title, Credits) 


LAW 620 Business Associations (4)

 

LAW 621 Business Associations II (2)

(Changed Title)

LAW 621 Advanced Business Associations (2)

 

LAW 648 Creditors Rights (3)

(Changed Title) 


LAW 648 Bankruptcy (3)

 

NEW COURSES

 

LAW 625 Business Bankruptcy (3) [Graded only]

LAW 693 Human Rights and Environment (3) [Graded only]

LAW 712 Small Business Clinic (3) [Graded only]

 

 

 

DROPPED COURSES

 

HC 204H Honors College Introduction to Microeconomics (4)

HC 205H Honors College Introduction to Macroeconomics (4)

HC 304H Honors College Social Science (4)

HC 312H Honors College Arts and Letters (4)

 

The following information is not provided for approval by the University Senate. It is to inform academic and administrative departments about the status of proposals received but not approved by the UO Committee on Courses during fall 2005.

 

College of Arts and Sciences

 

The Oregon University System has approved the request to terminate the master of software engineering degree (M.S.E.) and software engineering major (SE, OMSE) in computer and information sciences. Effective fall term 2005.

 

The Undergraduate Council and the College of Arts and Sciences Curriculum Committee have approved a name change of the minor from German area studies to German studies. Effective winter term 2006.

 

The Office of Academic Affairs has approved and the College of Arts and Sciences endorses the name change of the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures to the Department of German and Scandinavian. Effective winter term 2006.

 

School of Architecture and allied arts

 

The Oregon University system has approved a PhD program in Landscape Architecture. Effective fall term 2006.

 

College of Education

 

The Office of Academic Affairs has approved that Communication Disorders and Sciences in the College of Education now report to the Special Education Area. Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences is dropped. Effective fall term 2005.

 

School of Law

 

The Oregon University System has approved the request to change the name of the Appropriate Dispute Resolution Program to the Appropriate Dispute Resolution Center, School of Law. Effective fall term 2005.

 

School of Music and Dance

 

The Oregon University System has approved the request to change the name of the School of Music to the School of Music and Dance. Effective summer term 2005.

 

 

NEW COURSES

 

INTL 260 Culture and Globalization (4) [Graded only for majors] Cultural and historical perspectives on the development of capitalism as a way of life and its relationship to contemporary global issues and imbalances. Sequence with INTL 240, 250. The department has been asked to submit a new proposal to the College of Arts and Sciences Curriculum Committee for their review and possible forwarding, if approved, to the UOCC.

 

 

EXISTING COURSE CHANGES

 

PSY 459/559 Cultural Psychology (4) Denied request for Category A: American Cultures multicultural requirement.

 

 

 

NEW COURSE

 

PPPM 450/550 Race, Ethnicity, and Social Policy (4)

Requires additional information regarding undergraduate-graduate differential for demonstrating mastery.

 

 

DROPPED COURSES

 

INTL 251 Cooperation, Conflict, and Global Resources (4) Course withdrawn at department head Dennis Galvan’s request. Still satisfies Category C: International Cultures multicultural requirement and Group II: Social Science general-education requirement.

 

 

LAW 704 Judicial (Federal and Oregon) Externships (3-10)

LAW 704 Lane County Circuit Court Externship (3-6)

 

 

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 Offices of the Registrar and Creative Publishing, 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, 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

 

[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 criterions 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 year 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.