COLLEGE OF LETTERS & SCIENCES
CURRICULUM COMMITTEE

AGENDA

The Committee will meet THURSDAY, April 5, 2001
AT 2:15 P.M. IN SALISBURY 102


  1. Approval of the March 22, 2001 Minutes
  1. Announcements
  1. Physics

  2. A.  New Courses
    1. 800-100 Energy

    2. (This course is designed to give the non-science major an understanding of the physics of energy, the limits that the laws of physics place on the availability of energy for consumption and current and future sources of energy).
    3. 800-120 Light and Color

    4. (With the growing emphasis on the visual arts on our campus and in our society there appears to be a need for a course dealing with the phenomena of light and color to which we are continually exposed).
    B.    Description change and title change for the following courses:
    1. 800-130 FROM Physical Science Foundations  TO Physics Foundations

    2. (The new title and description emphasize that the course studies the fundamental principles of physics  and connects them to everyday phenomena but overlaps only a little bit with the other sciences).
    3. 800-364 FROM Thermodynamics and Kinetic Theory TO Thermal Physics

    4. (The changes are a modernization and better describe the current content of the course).
  3. MCS

  4. Memo on curriculum revision
    A.  Requisite change for the following courses:
    1. 950-210 Concepts of Database Systems

    2. (Uses the revised 765-171 course taught by Mathematical and Computing Sciences to provide MCS majors with an introduction to Visual Basic for use in database access and manipulation.   Students may take the first Intro to Java course (765-172) simultaneously).
    3. 950220 Concepts of Programming

    4.  (Reflects the change in programming language used in this course from C++ to Java and uses the new 765-172 course taught by Mathematical and Computing Sciences to provide MCS majors with an introduction to Java).
    B.  Course descriptions change for the following courses:
    1. 950-231 Concepts of Data Structures

    2. (Reflects the change in programming language used in this course from C++ to Java).
    3. 950-232 Concepts of COBOL With File Structures

    4. (Makes the description more concise and removes references to specific vendor technology (VAX) that is no longer part of the course).
    5. 950-331 Systems Analysis and Design I

    6.  (States more clearly that the course uses an object-oriented methodology in the approach to systems development)
    7. 950-431 Systems Analysis and Design 2

    8. (States more clearly that the course uses an object-oriented methodology in the approach to systems development).
    9. 950-475 Network Engineering

    10. (Puts more emphasis on the theoretical network models and less emphasis on an actual implementation of a specific network).
    C.  Course revision, description change and title change for 950-325 FROM Client/Server-Local Area TO Web  Development 1. and description change and title change for 950-425 FROM Client/Server-Internet TO Web Development 2
    (When the MCS Client/Server courses were established, there was a marked differentiation between the technologies used to develop computer applications in a local-area environment verses a wide-area environment.  Since then, the Internet and World Wide Web have created a common environment, thus the need to restructure both the 950-325 and 950-425 courses into a Web-based focus).
     
  5. History

  6. A.  Change in the following minors:
    1. History Minor-Elementary Education Emphasis
    2. History Minor-Secondary Education Emphasis

    3. (Since students are no longer required to take U.S. Experience in a World Context (900-120). The current minor requirements assumed that all prospective minors would have already taken this introductory course. Because this can no longer be assumed, the newly designed minor expands the number of required introductory courses (100-level courses).  These changes also respond to recent changes in the DPI guidelines for certification in history, as well as the History department's evaluation of how to best prepare our graduates for their prospective careers as social studies teachers).
    B.  Change in the following majors:
    1. History (BSE)
    2. Social Studies with History Emphasis I
    3. Social Studies with History Emphasis II

    4. (Since students are no longer required to take U.S. Experience in a World Context (900-120). The current major requirements assumed that all prospective majors would have already taken this introductory course. Because this can no longer be assumed, the newly designed minor expands the number of required introductory courses (100-level courses).  These changes also respond to recent changes in the DPI guidelines for certification in history, as well as the History department's evaluation of how to best prepare our graduates for their prospective careers as social studies teachers).
    C.  Change in the History BA/BS Major
       (Since students are no longer required to take U.S. Experience in a World Context (900-120). The current major requirements assumed that all prospective majors would have already taken this introductory course. Because this can no longer be assumed, the newly designed minor expands the number of required introductory courses (100-level courses).
    D.  Change in the History Minor
      (Since students are no longer required to take U.S. Experience in a World Context (900-120). The current minor requirements assumed that all prospective minors would have already taken this introductory course. Because this can no longer be assumed, the newly designed minor expands the number of required introductory courses (100-level courses).
    E.   New Minor BA/BS History Minor with Public History Emphasis
      (This emphasis provides students with an opportunity to study the application of historical understanding, development, and presentation of history outside the academy. The public history emphasis will help prepare students for employment and volunteer opportunities in a growing number of public history venues, including museums, public parks, historical societies, and civic celebrations).
  7. Geography and Geology

  8. A.   New track in Geography Major - Geology Track within the Geography Major
      (The objective of the proposed geology track within the geography major is to prepare UW-W students for graduate work or careers in geology. Students who complete the required and recommended portions of the program stated below with good grades should have little trouble being accepted into graduate school; those who prefer to enter the labor market directly will have the skills to compete with students trained at other institutions which have a full geology major).