COLLEGE OF LETTERS & SCIENCES
CURRICULUM COMMITTEE

AGENDA

The Committee will meet THURSDAY, March 22, 2007
at 2:15 PM in Salisbury 102

     
     
  1. Approval of the February 22, 2007 minutes
  2. Announcements
  3. Discussion on problems with unrequisites and course equivalencies in the College
  4. Sociology, Anthropology & Criminal Justice
    1. New Course ANTHROPL 305, "Native North America in Anthropological Perspective."  (This course will assess anthropology’s long-term relationship with Native North Americans as well how these groups today are represented through ethnography.  This will be accomplished through a survey of archaeological and ethnographic literatures.  Students will be asked to react to these topics through writing short papers and a longer critical reflection of Native representation). Consultation will take place with Race & Ethnic Cultures and History
    2. New Course ANTHROPL 310, "Women and the Shape of Latin America."  (This course critically examines roles of women in shaping Latin American culture and society through exploration of individual and collective action.  Through the lenses of film, essay, and objective studies students encounter ways in which women create, maintain and restore cultures often viewed by the outside as strongly male-dominated). Consultation will take place with Women's Studies and History.
    3. New Course ANTHROPL 390, "Anthropological Theory: History, Critique and Current Practices."  (This course is a broad survey of anthropological theory.  The goal is to understand anthropology’s specific historical trajectory as it relates to theory and to see how anthropological theory has been put into practice/informed ethnographic writing, both classic and contemporary monographs).
    4. New Minor, Anthropology Minor.  (Anthropology is the study of human cultures in all of their diversity.  It includes cultural, archaeological, bio-physical and linguistic perspectives on what humans are and have been.  As a discipline it seeks to discover the similarities and differences between cultures and to promote critical thinking about our own culture and that of others).
  5. Chemistry
    1. New Course CHEM 488, "Senior Honors Thesis." (The senior honors thesis is a unique requirement of the honors program which seeks to extend the learning objectives of the current Chemistry emphases.  The principal goal of the program is to train our better students more thoroughly so they can more often enter, and succeed in, highly competitive professional and graduate programs.  The main learning objective is to produce students with strong research, analytical and presentation skills).
    2. New submajor Honors Emphasis in Chemistry. (This program seeks to extend the learning objectives of the current Chemistry emphases.  The principal goal of the program is to train our better students more thoroughly so they can more often enter, and succeed in, highly competitive professional and graduate programs.  The main learning objective is to produce students with strong research, analytical and presentation skills).
  6. Geography and Geology
    1. New Course GEOLGY 203, " Volcanoes."  (The course examines the processes that lead to different types of volcanic activities, role of volcanism on development of continents, oceans, and atmosphere, and its various impacts on the biosphere on planet earth.  Volcanism on other planets and satellites within the solar system will also be explored.  Special emphasis will be placed on volcanoes as major economic resources and potential alternate energy sources). 
    2. New Course GEOLGY 310, "Rocks and Minerals."  (This course will study the formation processes of common rocks and minerals, their physical properties and their various uses will be covered in detail.  Rock and mineral identification techniques will be especially emphasized during the laboratory sessions.  Students will be expected to devote significant amounts of time towards the lab assignments).
    3. New Course GEOGRPY 245, "Gender and Geography." (Human geographies will be studied through the lens of gender along with gender relations at home and abroad.  Content is organized according to a variety of spatial scales including the body, home, city, and world.  Cases investigated at the global scale include gendered livelihoods and migration, nationalism and war, and environmental issues). Consultation has taken place with Women's Studies and the course will be cross-listed with Women's Studies.
  7. Political Science
    1. New Course POLISCI 416, "The Constitution and Civil Rights."  (This course focuses on the development of constitutional law in the area of equal rights protections offered by the Fourteenth Amendment and civil rights protections guaranteed by the national government).
    2. New Course POLISCI 465, "The Politics of Nationalism." (This course will examine and compare past and present separatist movements. The course will focus on the grievances that drive these movements, the justifications used to defend the pursuit of separation, and the processes proposed to achieve it).
  8. Women's Studies
    1. New Course WOMENST 455, "Issues and Topics in Women's and Gender Studies".  ( This course provides intensive study of important issues in Women’s Studies, with special emphasis on courses that reflect the most contemporary thought in our discipline and correspond to faculty research interests.  Topics include Women’s Human Rights, Gender and AIDS, and Women, Militarism and War)
  9. Informational Items
    1. Cross List CRIMJUS 325, "Forensic Documentation" with Anthropology (ANTHROPL 325).  Supports the new Anthropology Minor.
    2. Cross List CRIMJUS 425, "Advanced Forensic Documentation" with Anthroploogy (ANTHROPL 425).  Supports the new Anthropology Minor.
    3. Cross List CHEM 456, " Biochemistry" with Biology (BIOLOGY 456).  Biochemistry is, by nature, a interdisciplinary subject and both the departments of Biology and Chemistry feel that having the course cross-listed better reflects the course content.
    4. Change in the Public Policy and Administration Major. (Removes ITBE 480 as major requirement.  Adds ITBE 280 as major requirement in its place).
    5. Changes to the following Political Science majors and submajors  (NOTE The items below have been withdrawn from the agenda as of 3/22/07).
      1. Political Science BA/BS
      2. Political Science BSE
      3. Political Science Broadfield Emphasis I
      4. Political Science Broadfield Emphasis II
      5. Political Science Minor
      6. Political Science Education Emphasis
(Adds Political Science 465 to Area 3 and Political Science 416 to Area 1).