UMM CURRICULUM COMMITTEE

MEETING # 8 Minutes

October 31, 2006, 10:00 a.m., Prairie Lounge

Present: Judy Kuechle (chair), Michael Korth, Jooinn Lee, Jenny Nellis, Gwen Rudney, Ferolyn Angell, Harold Hinds, Escillia Allen, Mary Elizabeth Bezanson, Van Gooch, Nancy Helsper, Jeri Mullin, Sara Haugen, Clare Strand

Absent: Isaac Linehan-Clodfelter and two students yet to be named

Visiting: Tom McRoberts, Brenda Boever, Jess Larson, Jayne Hacker

Kuechle opened the meeting.

Approval of Minutes from october 24, 2006

Kuechle asked for approval of minutes from the October 24, 2006 meeting. She noted three course number changes, on pages 4 and 5, which will be corrected before the minutes are posted.

Nellis mentioned that one new course was missing from Dance at the last meeting: Dnce 2332-Jazz Dance II. It’s in ECAS but the Curriculum Committee has not yet seen it. Kuechle stated that the course will be put at the beginning of the agenda for the next meeting.

MOTION (Bezanson/Rudney) to approve the minutes of October 24, 2006, as corrected.

VOTE: Motion passed (9-0-0)

REVISIT OF WELLNESS SPORT SCIENCE (WSS) CATALOG Course Changes

WSS 4901 Senior Seminar

Rudney stated that she supports the discipline’s decision to inactive the course. As an Area of Concentration, there are no specific course requirements.

WSS 2208 Soccer Coaching

Rudney announced that Wellness Sport Science is willing to keep WSS 2208, Soccer Coaching, as an active course.

Bezanson stated for the record that the Curriculum Committee should take up the serious issue of Areas of Concentration at a future meeting to determine if they should be treated like majors and therefore listed in the catalog. Kuechle agreed to put Areas of Concentration on the agenda of a future meeting of the committee.

MOTION (Hinds/Nellis) to approve the WSS catalog changes.

VOTE: (9-0-0)

CONTINUATION OF HUMANITIES DIVISION CATALOG Course Changes

ENGLISH (Eng)

Nellis presented the English discipline course changes, which included three new courses and the inactivation of some courses no longer offered. The number of courses required for a minor has been reduced.

A revised Form B was distributed. Kuechle asked if it was the intent of the discipline to say that licensure requirements alone will not yield a major. The current catalog says that it fulfills the requirements for the major. Rudney asked if the statement should always be present when courses are fulfilling the requirements. Strand noted that PCAS is changing so licensure is separate from the BA program and will be tracked separately. Rudney added that secondary education students are still required to get a major. Kuechle stated that she agrees that the change in wording is good, but would like to see it consistently applied.

Helsper mentioned that on the Multiple Course Revision Form, revision #3, Engl 3052 is a reactivation of this course.

New Course: Engl 2014-Introduction to Popular Literature

This course received provisional approval last March and is presented for full approval now.

New Course: Engl 3142-18th-Century British Fiction

This course is designed to meet the needs of a new faculty member.

New Course: Engl 4023-Research Seminar: Nationalism and Irish Literature

This course is designed to meet the needs of a new faculty member. Mullin stated that the prerequisite will not be imposed because it is also at the consent of the instructor.

MOTION (Bezanson/Angell) to approve new English courses (Engl 2014-Introduction to Popular Literature, Engl 3142-18th Century British Fiction, and Engl 4023-Research Seminar: Nationalism and Irish Literature) and the catalog changes.

VOTE: (9-0-0)

EUROPEAN STUDIES (ES)

Nellis presented the European Studies discipline course changes, which consisted of cleaning up the curriculum to more accurately fit what is being taught under ES.

MOTION (Bezanson/Angell) to approve European Studies catalog changes.

VOTE: (9-0-0)

FRENCH (Fren)

Kuechle announced that the discussion of the foreign language (FL) designator will take place after it has gone before the division chairs for consideration. The FL requirement is not completed until the second course in a single language is completed. The Scholastic Committee has proposed revised language that the division chairs will review. A recommendation will be brought to a future Curriculum Committee meeting.

Nellis presented the French discipline course changes, which included adding the phrase “and the final seminar presentation must be in French.” The assumption was that every student in the major understood it, but putting it in writing makes it clear. Lee asked if it is a consistent requirement with all of the foreign languages, or if it is unique to French. Kuechle stated that the committee would look at the other languages when the discipline was reviewed.

MOTION (Angell/Bezanson) to approve French catalog changes.

VOTE: (9-0-0)

GERMAN (Ger)

Nellis presented the German discipline course changes, which included adding courses that are outside the German discipline. These courses are added as electives to help round out the major, which is taught by one faculty member. The faculty member can teach a portion of the class in German and assign reading and exercises in German. Lee asked if one faculty member is expected to teach all of the courses in the German major. Nellis answered that some classes are taught concurrently or are rotated. Bezanson asked if German requires the final seminar presentation to be given in German. Nellis will ask the foreign language disciplines if they would agree to consistent language across the disciplines.

MOTION (Bezanson/Angell) to approve German catalog changes.

VOTE: (9-0-0)

HUMANITIES (Hum)

Nellis presented the Humanities discipline course changes, which included one new course proposal that had been provisionally approved earlier.

New Course: Hum 2011-On War: History, Ethics, and Representations of Modern Warfare

MOTION (Bezanson/Angell) to approve new Humanities course (Hum 2011-On War: History, Ethics, and Representations of Modern Warfare) and the catalog changes.

VOTE: (9-0-0)

MUSIC (Mus)

Nellis presented the Music discipline course changes, which included one new course proposal and inactivation of a course, Mus 1046-Class Voice. She explained that class piano and class guitar were very successful courses, but class voice was not. Also, Concert Band is changing its name.

New Course: Mus 0200-Entry Level Music Seminar

This course was added for zero credits. It is an introduction to the discipline and is not seen as an experience that should carry credit. Kuechle questioned why faculty would teach a course with no credits or grades associated with it. Nellis stated that it does have S/N grading, which would mean that students receive an S if they attend the class. A zero credit course is used for portfolio reviews in studio art. It is part of the requirements for a major. There are at least four faculty members who meet with students for portfolio reviews. Angell stated that zero credit courses were discussed in Humanities and one of the reasons to make it a zero credit course was to prevent students from going over their credit limits. Rudney asked if we are not obligated to try to honor the limits, rather than find a way to work around them. Kuechle again voiced a concern about how zero credit courses affect faculty workload. Van Gooch agreed and added that it does not mean a zero time commitment from the students or the faculty.

Strand stated that academic progress units will default to how many credits the course is for. It has no value and is only an indicator on the transcript. APAS will not recognize it. That’s an issue with zero credit courses. There is no way to indicate faculty contact hours. Kuechle asked whether Strand could add any tracking notes on APAS, such as contact hours. Nellis mentioned that junior and senior reviews for Studio Art students carry zero credits but have been showing up on APAS. Strand answered that it is because they carry academic credit progress units. Mullin added that if students with 20 credits try to register for Mus 0100, it will put them over the 21 credit limit, because in the background it carries credit, even though they are not paying for it. Strand stated that academic progress units also contribute to the six credit minimum that initiates the student services fee. Nellis asked if it is possible to have a course with a half credit. Strand answered that WSS has many of them. Lee stated that when zero credit courses were first created, one of the reasons he remembered for doing so was to show that the course was used for high school level work and not college level work. That is obviously not the case for this course.

Kuechle stated that the committee would not vote on Mus 0200 until after the division chairs can discuss the issue of zero credit courses. The discussion of Mus 0200 will be brought back to the committee at its next meeting.

MOTION (Bezanson/Rudney) to approve the Music catalog changes, with the new course (Mus 0200-Entry Level Music Seminar) tabled until the next meeting.

VOTE: (9-0-0)

PHILOSOPHY (Phil)

Nellis presented the Philosophy discipline course changes, which included one new course proposal and inactivation of a course.

New Course: Phil 2113-International and Biomedical Ethics

MOTION (Bezanson/Angell) to approve new Philosophy course (Phil 2113-International and Biomedical Ethics) and the catalog changes.

VOTE: (9-0-0)

SPANISH (Span)

Nellis presented the Spanish discipline course changes, which included one new course proposal, a revision, and two inactivated courses.

New Course: Span 3621-Seminar: Confessions and Letters in Latin American Fiction

This course was provisionally approved in 2004.

MOTION (Bezanson/Hinds) to approve new Spanish course (Span 3621-Seminar: Confessions and Letters in Latin American Fiction) and the catalog changes.

VOTE: (9-0-0)

RUSSIAN (Russ)

Kuechle noted that Russian was not included in the Humanities packet of materials and asked whether the intent was to inactivate the courses. In the current catalog, Russian is listed under Humanities. Nellis answered that nothing was brought forward because there is no one to teach the language at present. McRoberts explained that several years ago a faculty member hired to teach German also taught Russian. That faculty member stopped teaching Russian and later left UMM. Russian was offered by CE for a few years, although its home remained in Humanities. McRoberts said an instructor may be found in the future. Kuechle asked if it should be left in the catalog with the CE designator attached, as is done with Italian. McRoberts stated that it was originally created as part of the day school curriculum. He asked for time to speak to Nellis about it before bringing a recommendation back to the committee to consider.

SPEECH COMMUNICATION (Spch)

Nellis presented the Speech Communication discipline course changes, which included inactivating a course and some minor changes. Bezanson asked that the forms be corrected to accurately state the name of the discipline. Strand stated that Spch 2071 and Spch 3071 should be flagged as course equivalents.

MOTION (Angel/Bezanson) to approve the Speech Communication catalog changes.

VOTE: (9-0-0)

STUDIO ART (ArtS)

Nellis presented the Studio Art discipline course changes, which included eight new course proposals, course title changes, creating a cluster of courses for non-majors, and minor revisions.

Korth stated that it appears that the Division of Humanities curriculum is expanding and growing: the dance program is expanding; the German program is shrinking; Studio Art is expanding. He asked if the Humanities Division has discussed a shift in resources and curriculum. Nellis questioned how he saw an expansion in Studio Art. Korth replied that categories are being added, so it appears that the discipline has the ability to offer more courses regularly. He repeated his question of whether the Humanities Division has discussed the resource issues. Jess Larson answered that adding the new courses in Studio Art is just formalizing what was informally offered already, making clearer the combinations to get a major. Nellis added that some of the courses were being offered as directed studies and are now being switched over to the major media. She also explained that the number of classes taught by a faculty member will not change, because, for example, second-year and third year students will be registered for two different drawing courses, but they will be taught in the same classroom, at the same time, by the same faculty member. Bezanson noted that Korth was not talking about Art, but about whether the division has discussed the expansions. Nellis replied that they had not, because there wasn’t an expansion.

Kuechle stated that the requirements for teacher preparation listed under Studio Art should be moved to secondary education and in its place a statement added “see secondary education.”

New Course: ArtS 1001-Visual Studies for Non-Majors: Drawing

Nellis stated that this is the previous first-year drawing course renamed. She also noted that this course should say “when feasible” rather than “every academic year.”

New Course: ArtS 1004-Visual Studies for Non-Majors: Printmaking

This is a new course which represents an opportunity for non-majors to be in the same classroom as majors, with quite different expectations. Bezanson added that non-majors would register for a difference course number than majors.

Meeting adjourned at 11:00 a.m.

Submitted by Darla Peterson