New course proposals were considered as follows
1. PO 135: Global Governance: International Law and Organizations
JJ moved to approve/MI seconded.
VR Ð This is a new faculty member and a new courses for her. MI Ð looks like a much needed course.
7 in favor/1 abstention.
2. PO 136: Threats to Global Security in the 21st Century
MI moved to approve/DP seconded.
MI Ð This looks like a good course for both programs, IL and politics.
Unanimous.
3. MA/CS 151: Functional Programming
JJ moved to approve/GR seconded.
JJ Ð This proposal is modifying
and replacing existing course. It looks like the department has
done its due-diligence and carefully considered the course.
Unanimous.
4. MA 120-221: Applied Calculus II and III
KN moved to approve/AF seconded.
Unanimous.
MI moved/TX seconded.
There were questions about the
numbering and use of 221 in this new sequence. Why is it only for
minors? It seems to catch students who take the lower level
(119/122) calculus sequence, and need the more rigorous third course to
finish the material on integration.
KN -- When the Math Department
proposes changes to the minor to include these new courses, the ASCC
needs to be sure that the course requirements are clear to all
students, particularly given the different levels of calculus that
exist.
Unanimous.
5. RS 240: The Medieval Church
GR moved to approve/DP seconded.
GR Ð This is a fantastic field
for the Religious Studies Department to begin to offer. They
already offer lots of courses about Early Christianity and about modern
religions but the medieval church is important to understanding these
other time periods. The course is a great addition to
departmental offerings. DP Ð The department seems very
enthusiastic about the courses, and it will be useful to the Catholic
Studies program as well.
Unanimous.
6. RS 276: Islamic Theology
JJ moved to approve/TX seconded.
JJ Ð This sounds like a good course and the Religious Studies department clearly supports it.
Unanimous.
7. CO 547: Health Care Organizational Communication
KN moved to approve/MI seconded.
GR Ð Raised questions regarding
the format of the course as a hybrid. It is designed as a seven
week course along with a hybrid component. MI -- Responded that
the expectation is that the course is equally as rigorous as a complete
face-to-face experience. There are a number of courses already
being taught as hybrids at Fairfield.
GR Ð Does not believe that online
interaction is equivalent to in-class time. He is ok with the
accelerated format but not with the online component. He has
never voted to approve an online course.
Im Ð Informed the committee that
there is a proposal in the CAS DeanÕs office to make online courses at
FU more consistently rigorous. The initiative is in the planning
phases, headed for the faculty committee process in the near future.
KN Ð Asked a question regarding
student learning outcomes; in this syllabus there are goals but no
listing of student learning outcomes. VR responded that the
committee typically takes either goals or learning outcomes, but
sometimes makes recommendations to authors about how to improve this
section of their syllabi.
MI Ð Suggested that we might take
some issues that arise from our deliberations to the CAS for discussion
and debate. Some of these might include, 1) more consistent
requirements for online and hybrid courses, and 2) requirement that
both student learning outcomes and course goals be included on new
course proposals.
Approved: 9 in favor, 1 opposed.
8. FTM 220: Intermediate Screenwriting
JG moved to approve/AF seconded.
MI Ð This is a much needed course
for the majors in this department. There is a beginning screen
writing course and then students move onto major projects and
writing. This is a good addition to the program as it will
provide students with needed development of their skills before they do
independent work. DP Ð The grade letter distribution is not in
accordance with FU policy, there is no D- listed there. This
needs to be brought into line with the catalog.
JJ Ð Are these courses ever
cross-listed with English? MI Ð The MFA program might be
interested in offering screenwriting courses to their students.
TX Ð The Creative Writing Program in English is expanding now, so
cross-listing could be a possibility in the future.
Unanimous.
9. FTM 132: Web Design
AF moved to approve/GR seconded.
DP Ð The catalog description is
too long, it exceeds the 100-word maximum. MI Ð Asked questions
about staffing of this FTM course? None of the full-time faculty
have web design expertise. The course will, given current
staffing, always be handled by adjuncts. He sees staffing as a
real issue, and hesitates to approve a course for the catalog that is
waiting for someone to staff. GR Ð There is no real departmental
response to question 9B on the new course proposal form. He
further asked about FTM 10, why is it a prerequisite? What
elements of that course are required for FTM 132?
VR Ð Suggested that the committee
might vote to approve pending answers to some questions -- why is
FTM 10 a prerequisite, and how is the department planning for staffing
the course?
MI Ð Made a motion to table
consideration of FTM 132 pending answers to questions about
prerequisite and staffing. (GR second)
Unanimous.
10. FTM 102: American History Television and Analysis
MI Ð Motion to table, citing the same issues that arose in FRM 132 discussion above.
Unanimous.
11. FTM 107: TV Genres
JG moved to approve/TX seconded.
JJ Ð Asked if there is a
full-time faculty member on staff now to teach this course,
particularly since the department plans to offer it every
semester. MI Ð Replied yes. The department now offers one
sort of genre course every semester, but not TV every semester.
Staffing issues are also a problem again with FTM 107. JJ Ð
In the departmental minutes, it is unclear how frequently the course
will be taught. VR Ð Suggested that the committee has to take the
department at their word that staffing is possible. GR Ð The
committee should ask for a change in the proposal to indicate more
clarity in the plan for course rotations.
MI Ð Replied that full-time
faculty currently on staff can teach this course, even though the
syllabus presented in this proposal was constructed by a part-time
person. JG Ð Noted that this proposal was presented to the
committee by the FTM department rather than by an individual faculty
member. The attached syllabus is by a part-timer, but ÒProposed
byÓ should be a person, not a program or department. The proposal
should indicate an individual full-time faculty contact.
VR Ð Suggested asking the
department for the following clarifications: 1) resubmit the
proposal by a single full-time faculty member, not the department as a
collective, and 2) submit a sample projected rotation to clarify
staffing issue (i.e., what question 9B on the proposal form requests).
JJ Ð Is also confused about how genres will rotate by semester.
Can the student take the same course (with different genres emphasized)
more than once?
GR Ð Made a motion to table FTM
107 pending answers to questions about responsible faculty and
staffing. (JJ seconds.)
Approved: 7 in favor/1 abstention.
12. FTM 109: Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and the Movies
JG Ð Made a motion to table FTM 107, raising the same issues described above. (IM seconds)
Unanimous.
13. EN 130: Literature by Women: Vision and Revision
JG moved to approve/TX seconded.
KN Ð Asked JG about the fit with
other lit courses focused on women writers. JG Ð replied that
this course is part of the departmentÕs 100-level course redesign, and
complements nicely other upper-level offerings.
Unanimous.
14. CL 302: Athenian Democracy and Empire / HI 302
AF moved to approve/JG seconded.
KN Ð Asked a question about the
presentations required of students, will these be every week for every
students or less frequently? This is not clear from the
proposal. GR Ð Clarified that students would have a single large
presentation each semester. JJ Ð Asked about question 9b
for both Classical Studies and for the History Department. How
often will this be taught and how does this fit with other departmental
offerings? GR Ð This is a new 300-level offering for him in the
History Department. It will now fit into his regular rotation for
History 300-level courses. He is swapping it out for another
course that is being let go to sunset. MI Ð Requested an answer
to 9b from the History Department, noting that the committee already
has this information for Classical Studies.
Unanimous approval pending information forwarded from History to the committee.
Other Business
*Theatre
Curriculum Redesign Ð Guest Marti LoMonaco joined the committee to
answer questions about the redesign. This is a Theater Department
curriculum revision. It has been simplified from the existing
curriculum that was designed based on the departmentÕs hope for lots of
theater majors. With fewer students in the program, the tracks
are not useful. The department focusses on theater as a liberal
art and wants to provide broader training for all students than tracks
allow . The theory will be presented in the classroom while the
practice will happen with student participation in Theater
Fairfield. The program has been streamlined and it is easier for
every student to complete the requirements in in 4 years. There
is evidence from conversations with alumni that the more comprehensive
background is more productive for students.
MI Ð Could someone go through the
major and only take 4 upper-division courses in the major out of the 11
courses required for completion? ML Ð most majors take more than
that, but only 4 required. MI Ð concern that could be not enough
depth. ML Ð Responded that her courses provide depth regardless
of their number and that therefore students get all the depth
required. It is hard to fill higher level courses without more
students.
KN Ð In the capstone production
theory course, are minors and majors in same section? ML --
Minors need the experience offered by the capstone, students donÕt get
those experiences in other departmental courses.
AF Ð Does this new curriculum follow best practices in other theater departments? ML Ð Yes.
JJ Ð DonÕt students need 200-level courses to get to capstone? ML -- No, but many do bring this background to the course.
The committee thanked Professor LoMonaco.
GR made the motion to approve/DP seconded.
MI Ð Is concerned about the
possibility that a major could take all lower-level courses and miss
the depth that a major curriculum should provide. VR Ð Other
departments have designed similar curricula, with many lower-level
courses and few (if any) upper-level offerings. It is easier to
get students into courses if there are fewer prerequisites. GR Ð
What, then, do numerical categories for courses mean if some
departments do not follow the numbering convention? VR Ð
Individual departments seem to follow their own norms. UCC might
take up a proposal to encourage departments to reconsider both the
breadth and depth of their curricula.
JG Ð What is the status of all of
the courses listed in the proposal as new courses? VR Ð The are
not yet on the books. He will indicate that new courses listed in
the proposal will need to be reviewed by the committee as they are
developed and revised, even the course being split down the
middle. JG Ð ShouldnÕt we have all of these courses before
approving the curriculum redesign? VR Ð The department may want
to have this framework in place before they write up all of the new
courses. The redesign cannot be implemented until the required
courses are approved.
The Theater Department major was
approved with a note that 100-level courses and all required new
courses must be approved by the ASCC before they are offered.
Unanimous.
*Music Minor Redesign
TX made a motion to approve/MI seconded.
MI Ð Noted that the music education minor is separate from this proposal and would continue to exist as a separate offering..
Unanimous.
DP moved to adjourn/seconded by MI.
Respectfully submitted,
Kathryn Nantz