1. Call to Order - The Chair, Kathryn Dindia, called the meeting to order at 12:36 p.m. in HLT 241.
   
   It was moved, seconded, and approved to suspend the agenda to accommodate guests.
   
   

   VI.B.1.	CAR Forms Ethnic 265 Hmong Americans: History, Culture, and Contemporary Life (new; GER-SS/CD - It was moved and seconded to recommend to the Dean approval of the CAR for Ethnic 265. Nicole Nelson, representing Rachel Buff, was available to answer questions. Chuck Schuster noted a number of errors in the syllabus that need to be corrected. In addition, he raised a question about the statement that students, in their papers, will discuss how the knowledge gained in the course has altered their personal and intellectual growth, including its impact on their understanding of local, national, and global issues. This statement assumes that there will be an alteration, which may not be the case. John Berges suggested that the statement could be changed to ask student to discuss alterations, if any. Margaret Atherton expressed concern that the GER statement did not link clearly to the criteria for social science courses as expressed in Senate document 1382. She also felt that the assessment statement did not link to specific learning outcomes. Committee members asked Connie Jo to work with the instructor to revise the syllabus. With that understanding, the motion was approved. JMC 226 Religion, Media, and Culture (new; GER-HU) - It was moved and seconded to recommend to the Dean approval of the CAR for JMC 226. David Backes was available to answer questions. Chuck Schuster questioned a statement in the syllabus that indicated some homework would not be returned. David replied that some homework was assigned just to ensure that students were prepared for class discussion. They received points for turning it in. If he noted problems with the work, he would contact the students via email to discuss the work. Chuck also expressed concern about the statement that late papers would get F grades. Students with legitimate excuses would file complaints. He suggested that David consider a policy of lowering the grade for each day late. David responded that he was much more flexible in administering that policy that the syllabus made it seem. He will consider some alternative wording. The motion was approved.
   VI.B.7.	Proposal to Change the Requirements of the Certificate in Digital Arts and Culture - It was moved and seconded to recommend to the Dean approval of this proposal. Marc Tasman was available to answer questions. Tom O'Bryan noted a discrepancy in the number of credits required for the certificate (22) and the credits students needed to complete all requirements (24). In addition, he suggested that the proposal be changed to state that a "minimum" of six credits in conceptual courses be required; this would make the language of that requirement conform to the other requirement statements. Marc agreed to correct the proposal to make this change and to indicate that 24 credits are required. With those modifications in the proposal, the motion was approved.
   VI.D.1.	Jointly-offered Course Anthro/Geo Sci 636 - It was moved and seconded to recommend to the Dean approval of this jointly-offered course. Lindsay McHenry was available to answer questions. There were no concerns expressed. The motion was approved.
   VI.D.2.	Absence for University Sanctioned Activities - Kathryn Dindia questioned why this recommendation was coming to the College rather than being submitted for the University as a whole. Connie Jo stated that the proposal might carry more weight if endorsed by a faculty group rather than being submitted by an individual. In addition, if the policy is not adopted for the entire university, the College still could adopt it. Deanna D'Abbraccio indicated that approval for the entire university was desirable, but the College's curriculum committee presented a forum for discussion of the implications of such a policy. She noted that the policy did not relate just to athletics but to all university sanctioned activities. Chuck Schuster asked if this was coming forward because of the policy in English composition that six absences would result in a failing grade. John Berges reported that he had negotiated absences with a student in his limnology course, which is a lab course structured so that the labs are not repeatable. Students who miss classes, even for good reasons, can miss a great deal of information that cannot be made up. John worried that a formal policy would allow students to think of makeup work as an entitlement. Dan Sherman noted that his seminars meet just once a week so that missing a few classes is a real problem. He questioned how "excellent attendance" was defined. Deanna indicated that students should miss classes ONLY for sanctioned events. Margaret Atherton stated that although it is good that accommodations can be worked out individually she is not comfortable with a formal policy that puts athletics ahead of academics. Chuck noted that fifteen years ago, when the current English composition absence policy was being developed, he consulted with legal counsel and was advised that there are no excused absences. Introducing that possibility opens the door to a gray area, defining what is "excused." Joe Rodríguez said that most faculty members are very accommodating, but the policy was aimed at a few who will never make accommodations. John proposed some modifications to indicate that making accommodations was strongly recommended but that did not compel that action from faculty members. Dan suggested adding a statement indicating that the athletic department monitors attendance closely. Tom O'Bryan said that defining "university sanctioned" activities was a problem. As is the case with the religious accommodation policy, such policies raise thorny issues because of the lack of precision in the definition of what qualifies. Mike Weinert added that this also is a problem with medical situations...what constitutes a valid medical excuse? Committee members suggested that this issue, if pursued, should be directed to the attention of the University Committee.
   VI.B.2.	Proposal to Change the Requirements of the M.A. in Mass Communication - It was moved and seconded to recommend to the Dean approval of the proposal to change the requirements of the M.A. in Mass Communication. Chuck Schuster asked if these changes had been separated from the proposal to change the name of the M.A. Connie Jo indicated that they had. Gabrielle Verdier indicated that she had responsibility for writing the report on this MA for the Committee on Reviews. She noted that the orientation of the degree had changed over the years and said that the last review indicated that many students were confused because of these changes. They thought they were completing a practical degree, but the program now is theoretically oriented. The proposed changes make this clear. Jeffrey Oxford asked who decides if a particular professional person who is not a member of the faculty could serve on a student's committee. Connie said that they Graduate School would have to approve such committee members. There were no additional questions, and the motion was approved.
   VI.B.1.	CAR Forms Sociol 377 Urbanism and Urbanization (descrip, prereq, jointly-offer) Urb Std 377 Urbanism and Urbanization (new; jointly-offered) It was moved and seconded to recommend to the Dean approval of these two CAR forms. Joe Rodríguez pointed out that this is an existing in course in Sociology that now will be jointly- offered with Urban Studies. Mike Weinert asked if it is common for exams in courses at this level to be multiple choice and true-false. Joe indicated that the syllabus had come from Sociology, and he did not know the common practice there. There were no other questions, and the motion was approved.

   It was moved, seconded, and approved to return to the order of the agenda.
   
   
2. Procedural Matters
   1. Semester II Meeting Schedule - There were no questions about the meeting schedule.
      
      
3. Automatic Approvals - none
   
   
4. Automatic Consent - Tom O'Bryan raised a question about the JMC 262 CAR form. The remaining automatic consent items stand approved.
   1. Minutes #4, 2005-2006 (December 6, 2005)
   2. Special Listing Requests

      CompRelig	ArtHist 326	Heretics and iconoclasts: The Art and Architecture of the Christian East	Intdptl Mjr
      Cult&Com	CompLit 232	Literature and Politics: "Women and War" & "The Representation of Revolution" subtitles	Certif Prg
      Ethnic St	Hebr St 238	Topics in Hebrew/Jewish Literature, Art, and Culture: "Jewish American Experience" subtitle	Certif Prg
      Intl Std	Ethnic 250	Selected Topics in Ethnic Studies: "Hmong History,Culture, and Contemporary Life;" "Starbucks, Ethnicity, and Globalization;" "Ethnic Groups/Processes in Contemporary Russia;" "The Scottish Experience;" "Ethnicity and Politics in Post-Soviet Russia" subtitles	Intdptl Mjr
      LatAmCar	ArtHist 251	Introduction to the Art and Architecture of Latin America	Certif Prog
      Lit-in-Tran	CompLit 135	Cross-Cultural Literary Forms	Spec Lstng
      Lit-in-Tran	CompLit 192	Freshman Seminar: (Subtitle)	Spec Lstng
      Lit-in-Tran	CompLit 230	Literature and Society: (Subtitle)	Spec Lstng
      Lit-in-Tran	CompLit 240	Norse Mythology	Spec Lstng
      Lit-in-Tran	CompLit 309	Great Works of Modern Literature: (Subtitle)	Spec Lstng
      Lit-in-Tran	CompLit 320	Mediæval Literature and Culture: (Subtitle)	Spec Lstng
      Lit-in-Tran	CompLit 362	Transnational Asian Cinemas: (Subtitle)	Spec Lstng
      Lit-in-Tran	CompLit 363	Chinese Literature in the Global Context: (Subtitle)	Spec Lstng
      Peace Std	Global 101	Introduction to Global Studies I: People and Politics	Certif Prog
      Peace Std	Global 201	Introduction to Global Studies II: Economics and the Environment	Certif Prog
      Peace Std	Global 202	Introduction to Global Studies III: Globalization And Information Technology	Certif Prog

   3. CAR Forms - view online at http://www3.uwm.edu/des/apps/carform/login.cfm

      Ethnic 550	Senior Seminar in Comparative Ethnic Studies: (Subtitle) (title, descrip, prereq)
      French 431	Seminar in Literature of the Francophone World: (Subtitle) (prereq)
      French 433	Seminar in French Literature: (Subtitle) (prereq)
      French 527	Seminar on Prose Written in French: (Subtitle) (title, descrip, prereq)
      French 528	Seminar on Poetry Written in French: (Subtitle) (title, descrip, prereq)
      French 529	Seminar on Dramatic Works Written in French: (Subtitle) (title, descrip, prereq)
      Hist 379	The City in Chinese History (delete)
      JMC 262	Principles of Media Studies (prereq)

      Tom O'Bryan expressed concern about the grading policies adopted by the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication to cap the number of JMC majors. JMC restricts enrollment in a number of its courses to declared majors and minors. To control that number, JMC has a policy that no more than 20% of the students who take one of the entry courses (201) can earn grades of A or B, regardless of the quality of the students' performance. The 20% restriction is attached to each individual section, not the entire course, so it is quite possible that some very good students will be denied admission to the major because their section of 201 has a higher percentage of well qualified students than do the other sections. He feels that the arbitrariness of this grading policy is unfair. Committee members agreed this was an issue worth discussing, but it does not bear on the proposal to change JMC 262, and the CAR should be approved as part of automatic consent business. The Committee will invite a JMC representative to meet with the Committee to discuss its grading policy.
   4. Medical Physics U/G courses approved in September (change from U/G to G status)
      581 Medical Radiation Physics (chg to 781)
      606 Molecular, Cellular, and System Biophysics (chg to 705)
      682 Physics in Medical Imaging (chg to 782)
      684 Radiotherapy Physics (chg to 784)
      686 Medical Physics Practicum (chg to 786)
      
   5. Request for Authorization to Implement a Master of Arts in Spanish (edited) - gold
      
      
5. Old Business - The Chair requested and received approval to delay the Old Business until the next meeting.
   1. Self-Contained L&S Degree Programs
   2. Sport and Recreation Courses
   3. Variable Content Courses
      
      
6. New Business
   1. Humanities
      1. CAR Forms
         English 237 Written Argument: Theory and Practice (new) - It was moved and seconded to recommend to the Dean approval of English 237. Margaret Atherton expressed concern about the ability to teach such a course with students from many different disciplines, although she applauded the effort to improve students' writing skills. Chuck Schuster agreed that teaching such a course is very difficult. Other Committee members shared these concerns and others. It was moved, seconded, and approved to table the CAR and to ask Alice Gillam to attend the next meeting. Members asked Connie to communicate members' concerns: how to structure a course aimed at students from many disciplines; what topics could be covered in such a course; what is the audience for the course, i.e., will these be juniors and seniors taking a lower division course?
         Jewish 101 Jewish Culture in America: History, Literature, Film (new; GER-HU) - It was moved and seconded to recommend to the Dean approval of Jewish 101. Members expressed concern that the learning goals and assessment techniques did not link more directly to the definition of the course as a humanities course. With the understanding that Connie Jo would work with the instructor to revise the syllabus, the motion was approved.
      2. Proposal to Change the Requirements for Honors in the Communication Major - It was moved and seconded to recommend to the Dean approval of the proposal to change the requirements for honors in the communication major. Tom O'Bryan asked if the GPA requirements were for all course work, including transfer work, or just UWM courses. Kathryn Dindia indicated that the department had not discussed that distinction. Committee members agreed that in the absence of any language to the contrary, "all coursework" was to be interpreted to include transfer work. Taly Dresner asked if the implementation date was appropriate. Kathryn said the change was being requested retroactively so that honors could be granted under these criteria for the current semester. There were no other questions, and the motion was approved.
   2. Social Sciences
      1. CAR Forms (see also VI.D.)
         Anthro 408 Hormones and Behavior (new) - It was moved and seconded to recommend to the Dean approval of Anthro 408. Dan Sherman pointed out that the undergraduate review sometimes was called a research paper in the syllabus, making the U/G distinction less clear. Connie was asked to work with the instructor to clarify that language. With that understanding, the motion was approved.
         
         Margaret Atherton expressed her concern that the Graduate School's rule requiring a 30% difference in the work assigned to undergraduate and graduate schools was having the unintended consequence of watering down the undergraduate work. She suggested meeting with the Graduate Curriculum Committee to discuss this issue. Committee members agreed that this issue should be discussed and authorized Margaret to approach the GCC on the matter.
         
         

         Ethnic 265

         Hmong Americans: History, Culture, and Contemporary Life (new; GER-SS/CD) - see above

         Hist 385 Political Islam to Zionism: Middle Eastern Intellectual History, 1789-1990 (new) - It was moved and seconded to recommend to the Dean approval of Hist 385. The lack of U/G distinction was noted. The Committee asked Connie to contact the instructor to request that the level of the course be changed to U only or that the U/G distinction be spelled out in the syllabus. Contingent upon one of these changes being made, the motion was approved.
         
         Hist 455 American Science, Race, Ethnicity, and Gender: A Biographical Approach (new) - It was moved and seconded to recommend to the Dean approval of Hist 455. Concern was expressed about the U/G differentiation being based on quantity rather than being a substantive difference. The Committee asked Connie to request that the instructor define the differentiation more clearly, making substantive changes in the requirements. Contingent upon changes to the grading formula, the motion was approved.
         
         

         JMC 226	Religion, Media, and Culture (new; GER-HU) - see above.
         Sociol 377	Urbanism and Urbanization (descrip, prereq, jointly offer) - see above.
         Urb Std 377	Urbanism and Urbanization (new; jointly offer) - see above.

      2. Proposal to Change the Requirements of the M.A. in Mass Communication - see above
      3. Proposal to Change the Requirements of the Ph.D. in History - It was moved, seconded, and approved to recommend to the Dean approval of the proposed changes to the requirements of the History Ph.D.
      4. Proposal to Change the Requirements of the M.A. in History - It was moved, seconded, and approved to recommend to the Dean approval of the proposed changes to the requirements of the History M.A.
      5. Proposal to Change the Requirements of the Major in Geography - It was moved, seconded, and approved to recommend to the Dean approval of the proposed changes to the requirements of the Geography major.
      6. Proposal to Establish Honors in the Major for Women's Studies - It was moved and seconded to recommend to the Dean approval of the proposal to establish honors in the women's studies major. Kathryn Dindia pointed out that the proposal did not contain the minimum College requirements for honors in the major. Connie Jo indicated that the proposal had been changed to include that information, but she apparently photocopied the earlier version of the proposal when sending out the agenda. With the understanding that the minimum College requirements were included, the motion was approved.
      7. Proposal to Change the Requirements of the Certificate in Digital Arts and Culture - see above.
   3. Natural Sciences
      1. CAR Form (see VI.D.)
   4. Other
      1. Jointly-offered Course

         Anthro/Geo Sci 636

         Geochronology (new) - see above.

      2. Absence for University Sanctioned Activities - see above.
      3. Inclusion in Syllabus of Statement on Special Accommodations/Holidays - Kathryn Dindia asked if this matter should be put before the University Committee. Connie Jo explained that the issue had grown out of the Committee's request for Communication to change the statements in the syllabi for a group of new courses to bring those statements in line with language recommended by the Student Accessibility Center. John Berges had suggested that this should be required language for all syllabi. Mike Weinert asked if a general statement could appear on the web, with syllabi containing a single line referring students to that web site. Tom O'Bryan noted that he had just come from a meeting about the standard requirements for syllabi, and the legal opinion was that all necessary information should be put into the syllabus rather than online. The Committee supports including this standard language; members asked Connie to circulate the university's syllabus guidelines for comparison. The issue will be on the agenda of the next meeting.
      4. Approval Status of Expired Entitlement Requests (discussion item) - The Committee discussed the status of L&S Faculty approval of an entitlement request that System withdraws after five years have lapsed. This has happened with the Spanish M.A. request. The Faculty already has approved the implementation plan, but System now insists that the process be started over. After a lengthy discussion, members agreed that the Faculty should be given the option of reconsidering the entitlement request. The Committee will send a message to all Faculty members stating its intention to forward the new entitlement request without putting it on the agenda of a Faculty meeting unless there are objections.
      5. Course Prerequisites (discussion item) - This discussion will be carried over to the next agenda.
         
         
7. Adjournment - The meeting was adjourned at 2:31 p.m.
   
   
   

Respectfully submitted,

Connie Jo, Assistant Dean
Secretary to the L&S Faculty

Distribution: Dean G. Richard Meadows
Associate Deans Harris, Swain
Assistant Deans Horstman, Kissinger
Secretary of the University
Agenda #5, 2005-06.ap&cc

© 2005 UWM-College of Letters and Science
Last Updated: January 27, 2006