Minutes
Oct 10, 2005
Professor Toni Marzotto called the meeting of the University Curriculum Committee to order at 3:35 p.m. in the Towson Room (Cook 507) of Cook Library. The minutes of the Sept, 12, 2005 UCC meeting were accepted as written.
Professor Doug Herman, the representative from the Geography and Environmental Planning Department, presented the changes to the Geography major and Global Skills track that were requested at the September UCC meeting. Professor Nechie King moved and Professor Jay Zimmerman seconded a motion to approve adding the Global Skills track to the Geography major. The motion carried unanimously.
Professor Robert Rook and Professor Akim Reinhardt represented their department on the change in the History Secondary Education requirements. Professor Reinhardt explained that global history has become more important in education programs since 9/11. Professor J.J. Lee moved and Professor Leneida Crawford seconded a motion to approve the revised History requirements. The motion carried unanimously.
Professor Jane Williams and Professor Amy Pleet presented the revisions to Special Education’s proposal to reorganize the Special Education undergraduate program so that students can graduate in four years certified in Special Education and “highly qualified” in a content area. The Committee suggested further revisions to clarify that 60 of the required units must be taken before formal admission to the professional education program and to change the required courses in Mathematics, Economics, and Political Science. Professor Jay Zimmerman moved and Professor Reza Sarhangi seconded a motion to approve the reorganization pending review of the further changes by the UCC chair. The motion carried unanimously.
Professor Salvatore Zumbo presented a proposal to restructure the Modern Languages Department degrees in Spanish, French and German into a single Foreign Language major with different tracks. The curriculum remains unchanged. Professor Leneida Crawford moved and Professor Reza Sarhangi seconded a motion to approve the single Foreign Language major pending review of changes in wording by the UCC chair and the registrar. The motion carried unanimously.
No representative was available to present the proposal to drop the Medieval and Renaissance Studies major, but Professor Margaret Faulkner said that she thought that although the formal major would be dropped, students could still choose a Medieval and Renaissance thematic option which would allow them to propose their own individually designed program. Professor Margaret Faulkner moved and Professor Leneida Crawford seconded a motion to approve dropping the Medieval and Renaissance Studies major from Interdisciplinary Studies pending the UCC chair’s confirmation of the reasons for the change. The motion carried unanimously.
The registrar, Mr. Robert Giordani, presented a proposal to differentiate between two kinds of double majors—the “double major” where the students took all the requirements for both majors and the “combined major” where some requirements are waived when there is overlap or flexibility in electives in the two majors. A student representative, Ms. Laura Cox, pointed out that there is a third alternative. A student may complete the full requirements for one major and less than full requirements for the second major. While there was general agreement that the definition of “double major” needed to be clarified, the “combined major” terminology was not universally accepted. The students will consult with peers for their opinions and the issue will be reconsidered at the November meeting.
Professor Marzotto said that the issues on composition of the new courses sub committee and general ed sub committee will be considered at the November 14 UCC meeting.
The UCC meeting adjourned at 5:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Yvonne T. Lev