Liberal Learning Advisory Council Minutes Fall 2002

Minutes Arranged by Date

November 13, 2002

Present: D. Kobrynowicz (Chair), R. Anderson (Secretary), W. Ball, W. Behre, C. Cerone, N. Colello, R. Edelbach, R. Fangboner, J. Gray, D. Knox, L. McCauley, A. Quinton, E. Paul (Guest)

The minutes of October 23rd were approved as submitted.
IDSC 312, Downtown: Inner-City Youth and Families was approved as a transformed course meeting social science process under the current general education program. Students will receive four semester hours credit. The understanding is that IDSC 312 is the first of a three-course sequence. The vote was by 12 in favor with neither opposition nor abstention.
Adjournment was at 1:50. The next meeting was scheduled for February 12, 2003.

Courses Approved

IDSC 312 – Downtown: Inner-City Youth and Families (social science process)

October 23, 2002

Present: S. Albertine, R. Anderson (Secretary, Acting Chair), W. Behre, C. Cerone, N. Colello, R. Edelbach, R. Fangboner, J. Gray, D. Knox, L. McCauley, S. Mitchell, A. Quinton

The minutes of October 9th were approved as submitted
Susan Albertine and Bob Anderson reported on plans and progress of CAP, which will be meeting in extra sessions in order to complete a preliminary report sometime in early or mid- November, and which is considering ways of meeting breath and diversity requirements. Sub- committees have been established for the purpose of defining goals for race and ethnicity, global awareness, gender studies, and community engaged learning.
An “Interim Method for Approval of Perspectives on the World Courses” was approved by a vote of 11 to 0 with no abstentions. A copy is appended to the minutes–see imediately below.
Adjournment was at 4:25 to allow members to attend the Culture and Society reception. The next meeting was set for November 13, at 12:30 in Social Sciences 131.

Interim Method for Approval of Perspectives on the World (POW) Courses:

Approved by GEAC, October 23, 2002

This procedure applies to the current general education requirements, not necessarily any program that may replace it. All existing POW courses are grandparented.
Departments with named or obvious POW connections are asked to identify courses for inclusion in their respective categories that have not yet been approved to meet POW requirements in Natural Science, Social Science (process or content), Philosophy or Religion, Fine or Performing Arts, History, or Literature. All such courses will be approved by GEAC based on catalog title and description, except as they are clearly inappropriate. For example, if the English Department includes ENGL311, Beats and Deadlines (a journalism course) then GEAC will almost certainly reject it as a literature course. Similarly, in Art and Music, the departments are advised that purely performance courses do not qualify except under already granted exceptions (e.g., certain ensembles in music).
Departments and programs in this category include Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Economics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology and Anthropology, Philosophy and Religion, Art, Music, English, and Modern Languages.
Interdisciplinary departments and programs, including African-American Studies, Communication Studies, Law and Justice, and Women’s and Gender Studies are invited to submit courses in the same manner as departments named in item 2 above, except that such courses will need to be identified by respective POW category. All such courses will be approved by GEAC in the manner described above.
Other departments or programs from the various schools will be invited to submit detailed syllabi and bibliographies for additional courses they wish to be included in a relevant POW category, along with a rationale explaining why the category is appropriate. GEAC reserves the right to send such proposals to the relevant department or departments for non-binding comment.
Any department or program wishing a diversity designation (Western, non-Western, Gender) to be attached to their proposal (or added to an existing POW course) would need to submit a rationale explaining their request. All courses offered by the Women’s and Gender Studies Program will satisfy the gender studies requirement.
Existing regulations requiring POW courses to be open to all students and to require no prerequisites beyond other POW courses will be waived. For example, history majors will no longer need to take a specially designated general education history course in addition to their major requirements.
The Course Proposal form now in effect will no longer be required by GEAC. Any proposals in progress using that form will continue to be reviewed.

October 9, 2002

Present: D. Kobrynowicz (Chair), S. Albertine, R. Anderson (Secretary), W. Behre, C. Cerone, R. Edelbach, D. Knox, L. McCauley, S. Mitchell, A. Quinton, C. Paces (Guest)

The minutes of September 25th were approved as submitted.
Diane Kobrynowicz distributed copies of the Spring 2002 GEAC report and asked the members to think about our remaining role in completing the new general education program. The consensus was that we need to work closely with members of CAP to flesh out details and implementation processes, and to work out approval mechanisms for first year seminar proposals and possibly for any new interdisciplinary concentrations that may serve to fulfill breath requirements. It was noted that there are now three members of GEAC who also serve on CAP, Susan Albertine, Bob Anderson, and John Landreau, and that their presence on both bodies would help facilitate a working relationship with CAP.
Cynthia Paces of the Department of History presented two proposals for first year seminar pilot courses to be offered in Spring 2003. One was From Lenin to Lennon: Culture and History in Modern Europe to be offered by Dr. Paces. The other was Museums, Tourists, and American History to be offered by Dr. Eliza McFeely. Both courses were approved as pilots for Spring 2003 only, with the understanding that they would count for either Rhetoric II, Athens to New York, Perspectives on the World – history, or a free elective. It was also understood that the courses are open to first year students only except by permission of the instructor, and that no precedent was intended or implied. The vote of approval was 10 in favor, 0 opposed, and 0 abstaining.
Bob Anderson distributed a proposal for simplifying Perspectives on the World Approval. Very brief discussion resulted in a consensus that the document should be revised to give interdisciplinary departments and programs similar latitude to that proposed for departments with “named or obvious POW connections.” Bob promised to re-write it and distribute it electronically prior to the next meeting.
Adjournment was at 1:50. The next meeting is set for October 23rd at 3:30 in Social Science 131.

September 25, 2002

Present: D. Kobrynowicz (Chair), S. Albertine, R. Anderson (Secretary), W. Ball, W. Behre, C. Cirone, N. Colello, R. Edelbach, J. Gray, R. Fangboner, D. Knox, L. McCauley, S. Mitchell, A. Quinton

New and continuing members were introduced; new members were welcomed.
Diane Kobrynowicz was re-elected GEAC chair for academic year 2002-03.
Minutes of May 8, 2002 were approved as submitted.
Meeting dates and times for fall 2002 were set as: Sept 25-3:30, Oct 9-12:30, Oct 23-3:30, Nov 13-12:30, Dec 11-12:30.
John Landreau was designated as representative from CAP (Committee for Academic Programs, the committee to which GEAC is advisory).
The History Department’s plan to pilot seminar sections during Spring 2003 was discussed. However, lack of clear information on what course it will count for, as well as lack of clarity about what is intended in the seminars prompted Susan Albertin to agree to have representatives from the History Department speak to members of the GEAC at the next meeting on October 9th.
An agenda for the fall semester was considered with an emerging consensus that the nature and design of first year seminars, and the method for approving them would be first priority. Other items included a consideration of interdisciplinary concentrations, possible self-directed programs, proficiencies, and the future role of GEAC in the implementation process.
Bob Anderson pointed out that there would still be course approval requests, and he offered to write a proposal for an expedited method to replace the current process, and to share it at the next meeting.
Adjournment was at 4:50. The next meeting was set for Oct 9th at 12:30 to 1:50 in Social Science 131 if it is available.