Liberal Learning Advisory Council Minutes Fall 2001

Minutes Arranged by Date

December 12, 2001

Present: D. Kobrynowicz (Chair), R. Anderson (Secretary), W. Ball, M. Comstock, R. Fangboner, K. Finkral, D. Knox, L. McCauley, A. Pfenninger, D. Vandegrift, Y, Watson

The minutes of November 14th were approved as modified (with item 3 referring to Deborah Knox’ summary of a draft general education proposal from the School of Science.).
Discussion of Bob Anderson’s “white paper” drew out commentary on the distinction between “experiences” and “proficiencies.” The existing general education program is based on a set of goals and outcomes derived from seeking out “what students ought to know and be able to do.” Focusing on experiences rather than learning could reframe the educational process in the direction of more active student learning. Additional discussion focused on various ways “interdisciplinary” can be understood or demonstrated. It can be so in a course that transcends disciplinary boundaries, or it can be in a collection of linked courses exploring a similarly transcendent theme, but with each course taught from a particular disciplinary perspective.
Members of the council agreed to solicit feedback from each school, and to do so by prioritizing (but not limiting commentary to) issues 2, 3, and 4 from Anderson’s list of December 5th. They are:
- Assuming a mandate for thoroughgoing outcomes assessment, how might we design an assessable program? Do the current program’s 13 goals and 72 outcomes, or a portion of them, retain usefulness?
- How much uniformity is desirable? Should all students have the same requirements? Should there be common requirements? Should there also be separate, school-wide requirements?
- Are “core” experiences desirable? If so, how should they be constructed? How many should there be? To what extent should we be guided by our present Interdisciplinary Core program, “Understanding Humanity”? How uniform should core experiences be? How much, if any, variability ought we allow or encourage among the various schools?
Three dates (beginning February 13th should be reserved to receive feedback from the schools.
Bob Anderson agreed to invite Steve Briggs and Suzanne Pasch to the January 30th meeting. Adjournment was at 1:45.

November 14, 2001

Present: D. Kobrynowicz (Chair), R. Anderson (Secretary), W. Behre, A. Dillon, R. Fangboner, K. Finkral, D. Knox, L. McCauley, S. Mitchell, A. Pfenninger, Y, Watson

The minutes of October 24th were approved as submitted by unanimous vote.
HONR 262, Goodwives and Witches: Women in Colonial America was approved for literature and gender diversity distribution. The vote was 8 in favor, 0 opposed, and 2 abstentions. There were no conditions or qualifications.
Deborah Knox summarized a general education proposal from the School of Science requiring eight courses outside of the school in addition to mathematics and science requirements. At least three different departments would need to be sampled with a minimum of two courses coming from the School of Culture and Society. At least four of the eight courses would be courses also offered to students as part of their major programs.
Bob Anderson distributed a list of general education program summaries from core programs, relatively structured non-core programs, and simpler non-core programs. A less than focused discussion followed.
Adjournment was at 1:45. The next meeting was set for November 28th [but was subsequently cancelled because of the visit of Richard Light; the next meeting was re-set for December 12th].

Courses Approved

HONR 262 – Goodwives and Witches: Women in Colonial America (literature, gender)

October 24, 2001

Present: R. Anderson (Acting Chair, Secretary,), W. Ball, W. Behre, M. Comstock, A. Dillon, R. Fangboner, K. Finkral, D. Knox, L. McCauley, A. Pfenninger, D. Vandegrift

The minutes of October 24th were approved as submitted.
HONR 352, Artistic Reincarnations: The Aesthetics of Adaptation was approved for literature under Perspectives on the world. The vote was 10 in favor, 0 opposed, 0 abstaining. Approval was with the understanding that graded, out-of-class written assignments are at the minimum five pages required or more. An additional question was raised concerning the literary substance of musical “reincarnations” of texts should they be brought into the course as suggested in the proposal. No fundamental objection was registered, but GEAC members expressed interest in seeing such a syllabus if and when it is written.
Bob Anderson solicited comments on a list of eleven questions to be submitted to the college community as part of his report on general education soon to be distributed to the campus community. He indicated that he would modify the questions in accord with the several good responses from the council membership.
As a means to increase faculty input into the process of designing a new general education program, Bob Anderson agreed to invite each of the seven schools to suggest models of general education. Members of GEAC would evaluate them to see what areas in common might emerge.
Finally, members agreed that we would invite members of the campus community initially to respond to Bob Anderson’s report by means of an on-line discussion format, followed by some more personal vehicles, such as focus groups, during the second semester. The target date of late March for submitting a report to CAP remains in place.
Adjournment was at the uncommonly early time of 4:20. The next meeting was set for November 14th, 12:30 to 1:50.

Courses Approved

HONR 352 – Artistic Reincarnations: The Aesthetics of Adaptation (literature)

October 10, 2001

Present: R. Anderson (Secretary), W. Ball, W. Behre, M. Comstock, A. Dillon, R. Fangboner, K. Finkral, D. Kobrynowicz, L. McCauley, S. Mitchell, A. Pfenninger, Y. Watson

The minutes of September 26th were approved as submitted.
In accord with the GEAC resolution of September 26th to list all languages offered by the Department of Modern Languages as fulfilling the Intellectual Skills foreign language requirement provided all three levels are offered on a sufficiently timely basis, together with memos from Adriana Rosman-Askot indicating her willingness to do so, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Portuguese, and Hebrew were added to the approved lists of Languages. These are understood as being offered in the 101, 102, and 103 versions, or their equivalent. The vote was 11 in favor with no one dissenting or abstaining.
By an identical vote, based on a request from Allan Gotthelf, LATN 101 and LATN 102, Latin I and Latin II , and LATIN 201, Intermediate Latin were added to the list of approved foreign language courses.
HIST 246, African History in Film, Literature, and Music was approved for history and non-Western diversity distribution under Perspectives on the World. The vote was 11 in favor, with no dissenting or abstaining votes.
Bob Anderson distributed several handouts including a summary of listserv discussions pertinent to general education, three separate listings of general education programs differentiated by the presence or absence of a core program and by relative complexity and simplicity. He also distributed a summary sheet that identified the manner in which institutions count courses or academic credit. Preliminary discussion included addressing the questions of “What is general education?” and “Why do we need it?” Other issues included the role of faculty in general education, distribution vs. core vs. liberal studies requirements, the manner in which we should involve the larger community and the establishment of a time frame for our actions.
Bill Ball suggested that following Bob Anderson’s report on general education, we form focus groups of faculty members and other interested parties to get reactions and input. Further he suggested that we aim for a more or less complete report to CAP by the end of March 2002. Informal consensus was reached on that plan with the understanding that focus groups will not likely be formed much before the first of the year.
Members of the council agreed that, since meeting times would be limited by the revised Wednesday schedule, members should use the listserv to generate questions and comments.
Adjournment was at 1:50. The next meeting was set for October 24th at 3:30.

Courses Approved

HIST 246 (history, non-Western)
LATN 101, 102, 201
CHNS 101, 102, 103
JAPN 101, 102, 103
ARAB 101, 102, 103
PORT 101, 102, 103
HBRW 101, 102, 103

September 26, 2001

Present: R. Anderson (Secretary-Convener), W. Behre, M. Comstock, R. Fangboner,
D. Knox, D. Kobrynowicz (Chair), L. McCauley, S. Mitchell, A. Dillon, A. Pfenninger, D. Vandegrift, Y. Watson

Meeting dates for Fall 2001 were set as follows:

Sep 26: 3:30 – 4:30
Oct 10: 12:30 – 1:50
Oct 24: 3:30 – 4:30
Nov 14: 12:30 – 1:50
Nov 28: 3:30 – 4:30
Dec 12: 12:30 – 1:50

The minutes of May 9th were approved as submitted.
Diane Kobrynowicz was elected GEAC Chair for academic year 2001-2002. Bob Anderson was reelected Vice-Chair/Secretary and representative to CAP.
Bob Anderson relayed a request from Caroline Miller for GEAC to approve for Intellectual Skills all three-course foreign language sequences offered by the Modern Language Department. Beyond the already approved sequences in French, German, Italian, and Spanish (and Classical Greek offered by the Classics Program) languages mentioned included Japanese, Arabic, Russian, Chinese, and Portuguese. Concern was registered that students beginning a low-demand language could be “stranded” if demand fell off at the 2nd or 3rd level course. The following resolution was passed by a vote of 10 to 0 with no abstentions:
Upon receipt of a listing of those languages and an accompanying statement of the department’s intention to offer them within a time frame amenable to students’ timely completion, GEAC will approve for Intellectual Skills foreign language any nine-semester hour beginning sequence offered by the Department of Modern Languages. Such courses will then be listed as fulfilling the foreign language requirement.
Bob Anderson distributed draft copies of three listings of college and university general education programs having, respectively: core programs, relatively complicated non-core programs, and relatively simple programs. He agreed to revise the material to include the existing TCNJ model and to repair several editorial errors.
Adjournment was at 4:40. The next meeting was set for October 10th at 12:30 in Holman 311.