UNIVERSITY CURRICULUM COMMITTEE

Minutes

April 14, 2008

1. The minutes of the March 10 meeting were accepted as written.

2. Professor Terry Ewell presented a proposal to change Music Education’s Vocal/General Track, as well as the Majors in Guitar Performance, and Jazz/Commercial Guitar Performance. All changes relate to ensemble performance requirements. The department was inspired by accreditation issues and a desire to offer additional experience with the primary instrument, similar to the requirements for other instrument majors. Students will still be required to complete 8 terms of ensemble work but will now have a broader choice of ensembles to choose from. No new courses are entailed. The word “term” correlates with accreditation language; students need to participate in an ensemble each regular semester. (Ensembles are not offered in Summer or Minimester.)

Professor Jay Zimmerman moved and Professor Gail Gasparich seconded the motion to accept the proposed change. The motion carried, with 6 votes in favor and 1 abstention.

3. Professor Ewell also presented a proposal to change requirements for Music Education Majors with an Instrumental concentration in stringed instruments. Such students would no longer be required to take one term of Marching Band, in which stringed instruments are lacking.

Professor Elin Lobel moved and Professor Zimmerman seconded the motion to accept the proposed change. The motion carried, with 6 votes in favor and 1 abstention.

4. Professor Craig Johnson presented a proposed change to the Psychology Major. As one element of their majors, students choose one course from each of several Topical Areas, one of which is Diversity. Currently the Diversity course offerings are PSYC 432 (Cross-Cultural Psychology), PSYC 447 (Sex Differences: Psychological Perspectives), and PSYC 451 (Introduction to the Exceptional Child). Psychology would like to add PSYC 421 as an option.

(A name and description change for this course, previously entitled Humanistic Psychology, had been approved by the Course Approval Reporting Committee this February. The new name is Diverse Perspectives in Psychology.) Professor Johnson explained that diversity can be conceptualized in different ways, including theoretical and philosophical approaches.

Some committee members wondered whether the proposed change was in the spirit of diversity, as typically understood within the academy. As the diversity embodied by PSYC 421 is that of psychological theorists rather than the populations under study, perhaps the course represents Theory/Methodology rather than Diversity. (The Research Methods class, PSYC 314, focuses on Research Design rather than theory).

Is it confusing for Psychology’s conceptualization of Diversity to differ from that implied by the University’s current Gen Ed category (II.C.3, Western Heritage: Cultural Plurality and Diversity)? The Psychology Department’s Diversity requirement pre-dates the current Gen Ed requirements, and none of the courses in the Topical Area fulfill the Gen Ed II.C.3.

A more expansive definition of Diversity, its parameters yet unknown, may well be on the horizon for Towson. It was suggested that Psychology’s Topical Area be renamed Diverse Perspectives, to more accurately convey the desired course content.

Ms. Shana Gass moved and Professor Zimmerman seconded the motion to accept the proposed change. The motion carried, with 5 votes in favor and 2 opposed.

5. Professor Jennifer Ballengee presented proposed changes to the Cultural Studies Major. Professor Ballengee explained that Cultural Studies is not under IDIS and does not have its own dedicated faculty. This has made it difficult to offer a stable set of courses. Peoplesoft cross-listing restrictions have hindered free course substitutions. Last summer CLST-affiliated faculty addressed these constraints as well as the evolution of the field and pedagogical goals, substantially reshaping the Major and making it more sustainable.

In response to feedback from Dean Cooney and reviewers, they have added a Methods course, CLST 300, which will be a prerequisite to many of the CLST core classes and also fulfill the Upper-Level Writing requirement. Also in response to feedback, the number of core courses has been reduced. It will now be possible to double-list certain core courses, facilitating their ability to be offered. Courses proposed to be double-listed will be vetted by the CLST Curriculum Committee. Students will be required to take one CLST 370-375 course, boosting the viability of these special topics courses and offering more opportunities to leverage faculty research into teaching. Added is CLST 497, a capstone class to support the already existing requirement that students complete a capstone project. Numbers for Independent Study and Internships have also been added. Electives have been arranged into 8 topical areas, under intriguing headings such as Posthumans in Second Nature; Wild and Docile Bodies. The Major is now a flat 42 credits (vs. 42-45). All new courses have been approved by the Course Approval Reporting Committee.

The Committee commended Professor Ballengee on her fully documented correspondence with all involved departments. Will EMF electives be included? Prof. Ballengee responded that while EMF had been agreeable, this email had come after the proposal’s preparation.

Ms. Tracy Miller moved that the changes to the Cultural Studies Major be accepted, either as presented--or, if CLST faculty desires, with the addition of relevant EMF courses, pending receipt of a revised proposal.

Professor Maggie Faulner seconded the motion to accept the proposed changes. The motion carried unanimously, with 7 votes in favor.

6. Chair Toni Marzotto walked the committee through proposals to changes to the Advertising and Strategic PR & Integrated Communications Tracks.

Parallel changes for both the Advertising and the Strategic PR & Integrated Communications Tracks are proposed: language concerning choosing classes from thematic groupings was clarified; classes were moved to more appropriate groupings; and obsolescent, less relevant, or prerequisite-bound electives were omitted. The new COMM 101 was added as an elective under the Communication Studies grouping. Also, students would be permitted to take only one of the following: MCOM 352, MCOM 385, or COMM 304 (due to the similar learning experiences these courses offer). Units would remain the same: 27.

Note that for the Strategic PR & Integrated Communications Track, the total for Required Professional Skill Writing Courses should be 6 units; the 3 credits for MCOM 255 should be included.

Professor Maggie Faulkner moved and Professor Gail Gasparich seconded the motion to accept the proposed changes, with the errata noted above to be corrected. The motion carried, with 6 votes in favor and 1 abstention.

7. It has come to the Committee’s attention that Honors College seminars have appeared in the catalog as fulfilling a range of Gen Ed requirements, despite never having been submitted to, nor approved by, the General Education Reporting Committee. After discussion, the UCC agreed that all Honors College seminars desired to have General Education status must be submitted to the General Education Reporting Committee, prior to submission to the Registrar. Honors seminars that have changed significantly since the original Gen Ed approval should be re-submitted to the GERC to determine whether the courses continue to meet Gen Ed criteria. Now aware of this issue, the Registrar will be monitoring new course submissions. One option discussed was the possible cancellation of all Gen Ed-categorized courses that have not been submitted and approved by the GERC, according to University procedure.

8. The UCC meeting adjourned at 4:50 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Shana M. Gass

Secretary, University Curriculum Committee