College of Letters and Science Faculty Document No. 715
October 13, 2005

Recommendation of the L&S Policies and Curriculum Committee Concerning the Proposal to Amend the L&S Degree Requirements Disallowing Sport & Recreations Credits

Recommendation:

That the L&S Faculty reaffirm its support for the proposal to amend the L&S degree requirements as it was submitted originally to the APCC, retaining the proposal to disallow Sport and Recreation credits, and that the Faculty appeal to the UWM Faculty Senate for approval of the proposal in that form.

Rationale:

The Academic Program and Curriculum Committee recommended approval of all provisions of the L&S proposal except the proposal to change the number of Sport and Recreation credits accepted for the degree from six to zero. The Provost asked the L&S Faculty to reconsider that element of the proposal. This question was discussed by the L&S Academic Policies and Curriculum Committee. The members of the L&S AP&CC have serious concerns about the academic content of Sport and Recreation courses. That concern is partially supported by the fact that, prior to this semester, some of these courses were taught by individuals without a baccalaureate degree.

Preparing L&S students for the complexities of global citizenship is a challenge the College of Letters and Science must address. It is difficult to accomplish this goal within the minimum 120 credits required for the degree. The members of the L&S AP&CC agree that Sport and Recreation classes are valuable contributions to student health and that students should be encouraged to enroll in them. They feel, however, that the 120 credits required for the L&S degree should be completed in courses with substantial academic content. The College Faculty, however, should consider defining a policy (and appropriate criteria) that would allow the academic content of individual S&R courses to be reviewed to warrant acceptance toward the L&S degree.

Committees/AP&CC/Sp&Rec proposal