Arts and Sciences Curriculum Committee

Minutes for the meeting of November 8, 2005

Convened at 3:35

Present: Professors Bayne, Brill, Davidson, Dew, Escobar (Chair), Garvey, Harriott, Salafia, and Associate Dean Gogol

Agenda:

I. Announcements.

1. M.A. in Communications. Submission of a proposal from the Communications Department expected in December.

2. Question of the CAPP. Registrar agrees about need for a form to be submitted with new course proposals.

3. Teaching credit for mentoring students through independent study or research. This too awaits a report from a subcommittee (Garvey, Harriott, Lane, and Snyder).

II. New Business.

1. Question of the sunset rule (raised by Rosivach). (Do previously approved courses have to be resubmitted to the committee if they have been removed from the catalogue because they have not been taught in the last four years?) Rosivach felt that interested faculty should meet to hash out the problem. There was disagreement about the “sunset” timetable. Was it four years (Rosivach) or five years (Davidson and Escobar)? Dean Snyder wants to review all such cases in five years (Gogol). Whatever the method, the catalog can be reduced considerably. Another problem, however, is that the policy on such course retention varies from the University College to the College of Arts and Sciences (Simon)

2. Escobar reports that Modern Languages wants to restore a course on “Structure and Syntax” for native speakers. Angela Tauro is willing to teach it for Spanish-speakers, but it has been dropped from the catalogue for some years now. Rosivach proposes a committee to investigate the Tauro and other cases. The Committee gave its informal support to a two-person subcommittee (Salafia joining Rosivach) to call on other departments to submit problems of this sort—such requests to be e-mailed to one or the other professor.

3. Consideration of new course: RS 2284: Buddhist Thought in India

Professor Davidson notes the increasing sophistication and background of his students. His proposal here is on India, and would replace his course on North Pacific Tribal Religions (RS 292). (The latter would remain on the books for a while. Rosivach worries that if such courses are not dropped it would mean the continued proliferation of courses.) Rosivach noted that the course proposal was submitted without a letter of support from the Asian Studies Program. Davidson promised to supply this to Chair Escobar. In the meantime, the Committee voted 10-0 to approve the new course.

4. Consideration of new course: RS 289: Tantrism

Professor Davidson traced the origin of this course to the 1999 Meeting of Asian Studies at which Tantric Studies were featured. Davidson is one of the major scholars in the field and looks forward to a chance to introduce it to his students. It will consider a premodern formulation of power and sexuality at the base of Buddhism and its spread through Asia. The course met with the Committee’s approval (10-0) but with formal approval awaiting submission of a letter from the Asian Studies Program.

5. Business still pending: Evaluation of the Program in Irish Studies

(submission should be by December 1, and discussion in the Committee by December 13)

Next meeting, Tuesday, December 13 at 3:30 in CNS 100.

Submitted by Edward Dew