Arts and Sciences Curriculum Committee
Meeting September 30, 2008
CNS 100
Minutes
Present: John Miecznikowski, Jim Shanahan, Shannon Harding, Elizabeth Petrino (Fall 2008 chair), Joan Weiss, Steve Bayne (acting chair), Dean Robbin Crabtree, Maggie Wills, Nels Pearson, Les Schaffer, Jessica Davis
Meeting called to order 3:33 pm
1. Announcements
Bayne clarified to the committee that it is the responsibility of the chair of A&SCC to approve non-substantial changes. Thus the following changes were approved: Chair approved name change of ENW323 from "Photo Journalism" to "Visual Journalism"
Chair approved name change of PH 233 from "Introduction to Oriental Philosophy" to "Introduction to Asian Philosophies" and an expanded catalog description. Chair approved name and number change for SP 211 "Career-Oriented Spanish" to SP 231 "Spanish for Business." He announced that the next meeting will be October 21 in CNS 100 and that the only other odd meeting date will be March 17 due to spring break.
Committee members introduced themselves.
2. Election of new chair
Bayne called for nominations for chair. He described the position as preparing and running meetings. The first meeting of the semester requires the most work because of new course proposals. The chair is also responsible for informing parties about course approvals, including the professor proposing the course, the chair of the department, the dean of the college, and registrar. There are no proposals immediately pending this year. The biggest issue before the committee is the report by the subcommittee on independent study and internship teaching compensation. The chair must collect information and materials for committee meetings and answer basic questions about what needs to be approved and what doesn't need to be approved by the committee. The certificate for financial mathematics needs to be approved and Matt Coleman needs to be contacted. Shanahan asked if the Major in New Media Film, Television, and Radio five year review needs to be addressed. Bayne suggested the new chair remind the relevant parties that this is coming up. Dean Crabtree recommended setting a time frame for looking at the program. Bayne mentioned that courses need to be approved by the Oct 10th deadline. Petrino asked if the chair position is for one year. Bayne said that it has been split by semester in the past, particularly if the chair is going on leave. Petrino nominated herself for the position for the fall semester. Weiss suggested someone who has been on committee for awhile should serve as chair and suggested Bob Epstein. Steve said that he suggested this to Epstein and he declined. Weiss suggested Shanahan serve in the spring semester and Shanahan accepted the nomination. Nominations for Elisabeth Petrino as chair in the fall and Jim Shanahan in the spring. Vote: eight in favor, one opposed.
Bayne left the meeting.
3. Approval of minutes of April 29, 2008
Petrino asked for approval of the minutes from April 29, 2008. Weiss moved to approve, Harding seconded. Vote: 4 approve, 5 abstentions.
4. New Course Proposals
AH 213 The Arts of Egypt: Four Artistic Periods and Cultural Exchange
Discussion: Shanahan noted that some syllabi had 14 weeks listed and others had 15. Miecznikowski also noted that a Monday schedule for a turbo class will miss out on one week due to the holiday schedule. Crabtree noted that it is not appropriate for syllabi to designate a time code as this will be worked out by department need and the registrar. Petrino mentioned that the desire for a turbo time code comes from planned museum field trips. Crabtree said it should be noted the time bank system has changed and the proposed time code for this course no longer exists. The issue of how many weeks the course runs for depends on the semester. Crabtree clarified that the course can be approved but have it noted that the scheduling issues need to be addressed. Petrino will let Katherine Schwab know this. Weiss noted that this course is intended as a VPA Core, but has five prerequisites. Crabtree clarified that the prerequisites should be listed as "or" rather than "and." Weiss said the prerequisites should be listed in the course description. Petrino suggested condensing the list in such a way that the description does not exceed 100 words. Harding asked if this course replaces an existing course as it has the same course number as a course in the catalog. Crabtree said this is a reworking of a course that exists in the catalog. Pearson read the course description of the existing course to clarify the difference. Petrino asked if we can assume that courses being designed for adjuncts will continue to be offered in the future. Crabtree stated that this is a concern for both the committee and for her. This course is going to be taught regularly and it appears that it is better supervised than the previous course and any change will come to her. This course will be an occasional but regular offering rather than occasional and random offering. It is important to note that the approval of courses is not reflective of the funds needed to run the course (for example: to hire adjuncts). We do want to have this course available to our students.
Weiss move to approve, Miecznikowski seconded, unanimously approved.
AR 215 Intermediate Intensive Modern Standard Arabic
Discussion: Davis noted that such an intense course may not accommodate students with restricted schedules, such as science students. Weiss asked if this course will always be offered this way. Crabtree answered that for the moment it will because of the small class size. Curricular revisions are currently being considered in Modern Languages and Literatures so that more students have the ability to study Arabic, Chinese, Russian, and perhaps Japanese. Weiss noted that although this time code is okay for the present small class, it should be changed in the future. Crabtree agreed and stated that this is another case of a time bank issue and the making up of time codes. Approval by A&SCC is for the course, not the time code. Harding pointed out that this is another course that is being taught by an adjunct that will only be here for a year. Crabtree said that this is feasible with the grant that the department has. Spanish, Italian, French, and Chinese are the only languages that are sustained at the tenure track level, which is normative for other institutions as well. Miecznikowski stated that he thinks it is going to be a great course with a couple of notes. The mandatory language tables required during lunch hour may not fit into all student schedules. It is unclear how student grades will be lowered from absences. Petrino stated that there are methods currently being employed for this, but the syllabus is missing an explanation of how student will be penalized. Crabtree mentioned that the location is still to be determined for this course because of the small class size (six students). Weiss asked if we approve this course, is the approval permanent. Crabtree confirmed this and said that how long this course runs for is related to a grant supporting it. Pearson asked if this course is intended to be offered in Spring '09. It is. Petrino asked if this course has this been run as pilot course? Would this not be a better way to go to figure out logistics and bring it back to the committee? Crabtree said that there is no mechanism to do this in the Modern Languages and Literatures department. There are no special topics courses in this department although many departments have been encouraged to offer such courses. Wills suggested noting in the syllabus about Academic and Disability Support Services. Weiss expressed concern about the sustainability of the course but feels it needs to be approved for the students currently enrolled in the introduction Arabic course. Petrino said that this sounds like a great course and is vital.
Weiss motioned to approve, Pearson seconded, unanimously approved.
Crabtree noted that if this course is not sustainable it needs to be removed from the catalog and Petrino noted that the time code has not been approved.
AS MU 403 Critical Issues in American Popular Music: Blues to Hip Hop
Discussion: Wills pointed out 8 to 10 pages for a research paper is too short for a graduate course. Weiss said that this is a reworking of an undergraduate course. Wills said that the final research paper should be worth more of the final grade. Davis asked if graduate courses follow the same rules as undergraduate courses with the amount of points the final can be worth. Weiss said that there is no specificity on the policy. Pearson suggested more readings should be included for a graduate level course. Weiss pointed out that the department minutes do address these issues. Crabtree said that the paper requirements and caliber of readings are still at a 200 level course. The paper requirements need to be increased as well as the level of reading or the readings need to be supplemented in some way. Petrino suggested that one way to achieve this is requiring an annotated bibliography. Crabtree stated that the syllabus needs a better description of the paper requirement. Weiss confirmed that this course is intended to be offered in the spring. Crabtree asked what precedence exists not to approve a course for which major revisions are needed. Davis said that this has been done when major revisions are suggested. Harding pointed out that there is missing information on assignments and points for exam papers are described when the syllabus shows no exams scheduled. For Petrino's response to the course proposer: increase rigor of readings, require an annotated paper with greater page requirements, final research paper needs to be at least 20 pages to be graduate level. Schaffer asked if this can be done by the deadline. Weiss mentioned that the deadline for graduate courses may not be the same as undergraduate courses. Petrino said that since this course won't be listed in the undergraduate listings it can come back whenever the deadline for graduate courses occurs and it will be circulated for the committee to review. Weiss suggested the American Studies Curriculum Committee look at the course again. Crabtree stated that a note needs to go to Lynn Porter and Leo O'Connor addressing these issues. The course will not be voted on now. The vote for a course approval will go out as an e-mail attachment to the A&SCC members once revisions are submitted.
CL 233/ HI 223 The Roman World in Late Antiquity, 284-642
Discussion: Miecznikowski noted that the number of times the course will be offered is not consistent between Classical Studies and History. The weights of the midterm and final exams are the same. If the final is cumulative then this distribution should be reworked. Wills said that, if it is in fact cumulative, then it should be weighted differently. Petrino asked for clarification on how much we should be fine tuning these proposals. Crabtree said that if there are discrepancies in university policy, they need to be addressed. If something wrong is not under our approval we should still flag it. A general consistency in rigor is important especially when the course significantly varies from the norm. Petrino asked if she should include a note to the proposer of the course about the total of the final exam. Crabtree responded that since in does not explicitly describe the exam as cumulative, we can trust faculty to make appropriate judgments on point distribution. Pearson said that he liked the list of course outcomes.
Shanahan moved to approve, Miecznikowski seconded. Unanimously approved.
CO 400 Communication Philosophies, Theories, and Research Traditions
Discussion: Shanahan said that this is a required course for the Communications Graduate program. Crabtree mentioned that the rigor is appropriate for a graduate course. Shanahan said he would include information of disability and academic honesty on the syllabus. Weiss mentioned that, in general, a syllabus submitted for course approval should be a "faculty" syllabus rather than a "student" syllabus. This way we will not see everything that would occur on a student syllabus. Crabtree mentioned that time constraints make it hard not to make mistakes, but learning objectives should be included. Shanahan mentioned that the readings are on Eidos and others will be obtained and put on Eidos. Pearson loves the detail on the weekly readings. Shanahan said that he had plenty of time to work on it and Crabtree mention that this course was conceptualized with the graduate program. Shanahan clarified that this course was in the program proposal even though course was not yet approved. Weiss asked it the other courses were approved and Crabtree said they were.
Harding moved to approve, Wills seconded, unanimously approved.
EN 258/277 American Social Protest Literature
Discussion: Wills said that this looks like a great course. Petrino said that part of the point of this course is to engage students at a level of reflection. This course was first taught as a special topics course. Wills suggested that on the second paragraph of the first page, "Indian" should read "East Indian." Petrino acknowledged this suggestion and said that she had used the jargon of the time period. Crabtree asked if this course is designated a service learning option and Petrino said that she applied for this.
Shanahan moved to approve, Weiss seconded, unanimously approved.
ENW 397 Journalism Practicum
Discussion: Crabtree stated that this is a re-titling rather than a new course proposal Move to approve by chair. Approved.
HI 271 Introduction to Russian History, Culture, and Civilization
Discussion: Crabtree noted that the catalog description is missing. Wills noted that 40% of the work for the course is due on the date of the final exam. Petrino suggested a revision and resubmittal may be appropriate. Crabtree suggested a provisional approval. Shanahan asked that the suggestions mentioned should be addressed as well as having the proposal typed. Miecznikowski found the catalog description on Eidos but wonders if it is too long. Pearson said this course is team taught by David McFadden and Elena Syssoeva. Crabtree clarified that approval is not contingent on how the course is taught.
Shanahan moved for provisional approval, Pearson seconded, unanimously approved (provisional).
HI 294 Social, Cultural, Economic Topics of Modern Middle East in the Late Ottoman Era
Discussion: Crabtree said that this is another course where there is an issue of losing the instructor but the course is a great opportunity for students. Davis asked for clarification on the title of this course. Wills noted that there is too much reading required for this course level. Petrino suggested that 30% of the final grade for participation is unreasonable. Crabtree noted that this visiting scholar needs to have continued mentoring, specifically addressing Fairfield University students. Petrino asked that if the need for revision of the course title and syllabus would make approval of this course provisional. Crabtree expressed that she was unclear about what title was settled on, as three different ones were proposed. Pearson questioned whether or not the A&SCC needs to see the revisions.
Crabtree moved to provisionally approve with revisions to syllabus, that expectations conform within the norms for undergraduates, and continued mentoring of the instructor. Miecznikowski seconded. Unanimously approved.
HI 298 Historical Cultural Geography
Discussion: Wills asked if the reading list reflects a lightened reading requirement, as this seems like it is a lot of reading. Crabtree asked if we should be looking at HI 298 and HI 392 as a sequence. Weiss pointed out that both courses are planned to be offered in the spring of 2009. Wills noted that the reading level is normative for a 200 level course. Crabtree agreed. Wills said that there should be a fixed ratio of how much the final exam and midterm exam count toward the final grade. Petrino said that the points for the final particularly need to be clear. Crabtree said that the reading requirements are not normal for a 200 level course. Petrino reiterated that a more specific breakdown of grading is needed.
Petrino moved to approve, Wills seconded, unanimously approved.
HI 392 Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Discussion: Wills noted that the catalog description is over 100 words and that the point distribution for the midterm, final exam, and project need to be clarified. Shanahan stated that week 8 appears twice, Miecznikowski mentioned that these would mean too many weeks for the course layout. He asked if HI 298 might be suggested as a prerequisite. Petrino and Crabtree agreed that this should be suggested as a prerequisite. Schaffer mentioned that the software for this course has not been purchased yet. Crabtree mentioned that there is a grant and expectation that the software will be purchased. Petrino said that she will e-mail these suggestions to Cecelia Bucki.
Weiss moved to approve, Shanahan seconded, unanimously approved.
IT 330 Redefining the Cosmos: Voyages to the New World in the Italian Renaissance
Discussion: Wills noted that the syllabus is missing weeks 5 (V) and 6 (VI). Petrino likes how the journal entries are listed weekly and the reading list is fantastic. Crabtree noted that she might have been more comfortable if this was presented as a special topics course because it is being taught by a visiting professor. This situation needs to be monitored by the department.
Shanahan moved to approve, Petrino seconded, unanimously approved.
MU 202/ FM 202 Digital Audio Workstation
Discussion: Harding mentioned that this is another course taught by an adjunct. Crabtree expressed that it is worth while to question the credentials of the instructor. The instructor needs to have a masters or above. She is happy to see the cross listing. Jim said that Brian Torff had concern about overlap with another course, MU 157. The syllabus for MU 157 is needed to investigate, although the minutes seem to suggest the overlap was addressed. Crabtree suggested that the focus of this course is different; rather it is focused on creating a sound track. Petrino said the course sounds like it is designed to teach how to use this program (Logic). She expressed concern over the lack of standards and clarification for grading the student projects. Harding expressed concern that the final grade is lowered a whole letter grade if one class is missed. Crabtree said that this course is offered as a turbo. Shanahan asked why the prerequisites do not definitely require having taken a course in music as it seems this is needed to be successful in a course where one needs to create a score or theme. Petrino questioned the potential course overlap and the exact prerequisites. Davis expressed that overlap is significant issue that needs to be addressed. Crabtree stated that this course is designed to teach how to use software. As such, is it appropriate as a 200 level course? Shanahan suggested that maybe advances in technology warrant this course. Petrino suggested that more clarity is needed for this course and she will contact Dr. Nash and ask for clarification on overlap and credentials of the instructor. Crabtree stated that if the focus of the course is on teaching software it belongs in ARCADE. As such, three core credits are not appropriate to teach a course on how to use software. Perhaps it is just a misunderstanding. Petrino will notify Nash about the issues at hand and asked if she should also ask for standards in evaluating students. Shanahan felt she should. Crabtree expressed that if the reading was something more substantial than a manual it may have more validity. As is, this course contains no theory. General consensus in the committee is that the course will not be approved as is.
NM 90 New Media Production Practicum
Discussion: Weiss asked if this course is part of the new curriculum. Crabtree suggested a provisional approval and we ask for an explanation of how this course fits into the department curriculum.
Shanahan moved for provisional approval, Miecznikowski seconded, unanimous approval (provisional).
NM 310 Senior Capstone Seminar
Discussion: Crabtree noted that there exists with this course the same issues with curriculum. Weiss asked if this is a change from independent study to capstone. Crabtree was not clear that this course is an independent experience. A breakdown of the grades into clear parts would adhere better to the instructional handbook and policies. Petrino asked if the schedule is assuming rolling deadlines. Crabtree asked that, if this course is listed as a seminar, why is it listed as "permission only." Davis asked if this is because students are being supervised by a specific instructor. Crabtree clarified that if it is a seminar, than the course is designed to be a common experience combined with an independent experience? Weiss noted that there are independent studies listed in the undergraduate catalog and it seems that this course is replacing them. Crabtree asked if this course is intended to replace independent study and this question needs to be asked to the department. Petrino said that she will ask for clarification on how this course fits into the new media curricula and how it relates to the 301 independent study courses. Crabtree added that Petrino ask that an added component on reflection be added to the course syllabus or is this aspect in the "project book"? Weiss asked that they clarify if this course is replacing 301 (independent study). Crabtree reiterated that students should have the opportunity to do some reflective writing, as this is a capstone course. Petrino verified that she will ask for these clarifications. Miecznikowski noted that the syllabus lists 15 weeks rather than 14.
Weiss moved for provisional approval, Davis seconded, unanimously approved.
PO 131 International Environmental Policy
Discussion: Wills noted that the reading load is more like a 300 level course. Davis mentioned that the final is worth too many points. Wills said that 33% is okay as the requirement is around 30%. Shanahan suggested that the syllabus may be too long. Crabtree stated that it appears the committees general sense is that the work load is too much for a 100 level course. The proposal is very well prepared and has a full range of topics, but this is non-normative in terms of reading load. Shanahan suggested that this may hinder enrollment. For the environmental studies minor, this has very high standards, comparatively. Crabtree suggested that the reading be "selections from" rather than "required." This comment is for PO 131 and PO 269.
Crabtree moved to approve both PO 131 and 269 with no provision but a need to clarify the Fairfield University undergraduate expectations to Downie. Les seconded. Unanimously approved.
PO 269 Climate Change: Politics and Policy
Discussion: Wills noted that the final paper is worth 40% of the final grade. Miecznikowski suggested that too many points are dedicated to participation (30%). Wills also noted that a 30 page paper may be too much, Crabtree suggested 12 pages is appropriate, but if the paper could be broken down into parts, that could break up the grade. Downie may be more satisfied with the student outcome and ensure against plagiarism.
Crabtree moved to approve both PO 131 and 269 with no provision but a need to clarify the Fairfield University undergraduate expectations to Downie. Les seconded. Unanimously approved.
PY 394 Senior Seminar in Health Psychology
Discussion: Shanahan mentioned that all the readings are from one text and all others only suggested. He asked if the students can select readings on their own. Crabtree suggested that the primary literature should be integrated into the syllabus. Shanahan noted that a paper is due every week which requires a reading form the reading list, with 10 total papers at 3% of the final grade each. As such, this seems satisfactory. Crabtree expressed that the psychology department is rigorous in their approvals and therefore the course is likely satisfactory. Pearson mentioned that he liked the self assessment on participation.
Schaffer moved to approve, Pearson seconded, unanimously approved.
5. Review of grandfathered Graduate American Studies Courses
Due to the time, this item is being moved for the next meeting.
6. Adjournment
Meeting adjournment 5:45
Respectfully submitted,
Jessica Davis