Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Academic Council: February 15, 2011 Minutes

Dean Newcomb called the meeting to order at 10:30 a.m. The minutes of the February 1, 2011 meeting were approved.

General Informational Items

N/A

Consent Agenda

The following proposals were approved without further discussion:

Art & Art History

Proposed program revision for Art History

Proposed program revision for Studio Art

New course proposals

ART 465 Thesis Research Seminar
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): ART 365

ARTS 351 Contemporary Theory & Practice for Artists
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): ARTS 105, ARTS 106, and ART 121 or ART 122

Revised course proposals (course title changes):

ARTS 103 3-D Design (formerly Sculpture I)
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): None

ARTS 106 Foundation Space and Time: Sculpture and Video (formerly Foundation Space and Time)
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): None

ARTS 288 Sound, Video, and Animation (formerly Time-Based Media)
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): ARTS 104 or ARTS 106
Biology

New course proposals

BIOL 324 Molecular Virology
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): BIOL 201 (Genetics) and BIOL 205 (Cell Biology) required, BIOL/CHEM 326 (Biochemistry) recommended

BIOL 331 Molecular Ecology
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): BIOL 207 (Ecology) or BIOL 225 (Evolution) required, addition of BIOL 201 preferred

Proposed change to Economics Arts & Sciences (ECNA) major
New course proposals

ECON 201 Games and Experiments in Economics
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): ECON 101 Principles of Microeconomics

ECON 233 Ethics and Economics
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): ECON 101 Principles of Microeconomics

English

New course proposal

ENGL 343 Modernisms
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): ENGL 297 or 298 with a grade of C or better

Environmental Studies

Proposed program revisions in Environmental Studies

Added courses in Marine Biology (BIOL 111), Molecular Ecology (BIOL 331, up for approval), Geography of the James (ENVR/GEOG 215, up for approval), Ecotourism (ENVR/GEOG 210, up for approval), Landscape Ecology (ENVR/GEOG 315), Environmental Gradients (ENVR/GEOG 350), Independent Study (ENVR 390).

Allow BIOL 111 to satisfy the “Environmental Life Science” requirement of the ES major/minor

Allow students to take both CHEM 110 (“Pollutants in the Environment”) and CHEM 316 (“Environmental Chemistry”) for credit towards the major/minor.

Allow the experiential learning requirement to count as elective credit towards the major.

Eliminated the following courses from the major: PLSC 373 (“Methods for Public Policy Research”), ENGL 233 (“Contemporary Native American Lit”), JOUR 304 (“Reporting on the Environment”).

New course proposal

ENVR 390 Independent Studies
0.5 – 1 unit (variable)
Prerequisites (if any): None

Film Studies

Proposal for film studies minor

New course proposal

FMST 202 Introduction to Film Production
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): None

Geography

Proposed program revisions in Geography

Added two courses (currently up for approval)

Clarified language about the experiential learning requirement (not an actual change in the requirement)

Eliminated the language about allowing outside courses

New course proposals

GEOG 215 Geography of the James River Watershed
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): None

GEOG 220 Ecotourism
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): None

Modern Literatures & Cultures

New course proposals

ARAB 203-204 Intermediate Arabic Conversation
.5 units
Prerequisites (if any): Must be taken together with or after completion of ARAB 201 and/or 202

ARAB 303-304 Advanced Arabic Conversation
.5 units
Prerequisites (if any): Must be taken together with or after completion of ARAB 301 and/or 302

ITAL 311 Italian Culture and Society
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): ITAL 221

JAPN 311-312 Japanese in Cultural Context
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): JAPN 202 or permission of instructor

MLC 114-115 Self-Directed Language Learning V-VI
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): MLC 113

MLC 210 Women, Virtue, and Temptation in Literature
1 unit
Prerequisite (if any): None

MLC 346 Insiders and Outsiders: Arabic Encounters with the West
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): None

MLC 352 Language, Race, and Ethnicity
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): None

RUSN 103-104 Elementary Russian Conversation
.5 units
Prerequisites (if any): Must be taken together with RUSN 101-102

RUSN 203-204 Intermediate Russian Conversation
.5 units
Prerequisites (if any): Must be taken together with RUSN 201-202

Political Science

New cross-listed course proposals

PLSC 353/International Studies (IS) 353 International Security
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): PLSC 250 or MSCL 205 or permission of instructor

PLSC 359/International Studies (IS) 359 Global Governance
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): PLSC 250 or permission of instructor

New course proposal

PLSC 366 Poverty and Political Voice
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): PLSC 220 or 260; SOC 101; or permission of instructor

Revised course proposals (change in title/description):

PLSC 311 Classical Political Thought
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): None

PLSC 355 International Relations of the Middle East (formerly Middle East Security)
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): PLSC 250

PLSC 358 The U.S. and Asia’s Great Powers
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): None

Rhetoric & Communication Studies

Proposed changes to RHCS major/minor

New course proposals

RHCS 103 Rhetorical Theory
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): None

RHCS 104 Interpreting Rhetorical Texts
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): None

RHCS 105 Media, Culture, and Identity
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): None

RHCS 200 Public Speaking
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): None

Course deactivation (informational item):

RHCS has deactivated RHCS 386. We did this last year as a way of consolidating our course numbers for independent studies in our major. Formerly, we had RHCS 386 Independent Studies in Rhetoric and RHCS 387 Independent Studies in Communication Studies. We now have only RHCS 387 Independent Studies in Rhetoric and Communication Studies.

Sociology & Anthropology

New course proposals

ANTH 302 Medicine and Health from a Global/Anthropological Perspective
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): ANTH 101; SOC 101; IS 290; MH minor prerequisites waived.

ANTH 329 Anthropology of Race
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): ANTH 101; SOC 101; IS 290

ANTH 335 Law and Order: The Anthropology of Justice
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): ANTH 101; SOC 101; IS 290; LDST 102

Revised course proposals

SOC 233 Understanding Globalization
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): SOC 101

SOC 330 Science, Technology, & Society
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): SOC 101 and SOC 211 or 221

Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies

New course proposal

WGSS 279 Selected Topics
1 unit
Prerequisites (if any): None

Discussion Agenda


Attending Academic Council were Assistant Vice President & Dean of Admission Gil Villanueva, Sr. Associate Director of Admission Steve Wilborn, Sr. Assistant Director of Admission Dolores MacNeilly. Gil Villanueva briefed Council on the status of current admissions; up 8.6% this year after a record year last year. Dolores MacNeilly distributed a handout entitled “Experience Richmond 2011/Academic Snapshots.” Admissions will soon send forms to the chairs and program coordinators for them to indicate the name and location of their session and how many times it will be offered. Students will receive a brochure that describes each snapshot. The information will also be available on the internet. Passes will be given out for each session to discourage overcrowding at any one session.

Associate Dean Scott Johnson went over several possible changes to first-year student registration policies and procedures. The first item, which was unanimously approved by Council, was to limit first-year student registration to four and a half units (instead of five). However, advisors would be allowed to make exceptions in August.

Scott Johnson also stated that advising is looking into other options that would allow first-year students a chance to take a course pass/fail. Currently, first-year students with financial aid are not allowed to drop a course during the first semester. It was suggested that departments and/or programs could create half credit courses. Other members of Council did not believe that to be a viable solution. The dean encouraged Scott Johnson to create a proposal that would move through the proper channels to University Faculty.

As an informational item, registration for current students will be cut off a little earlier this year (mid-June) to allow new students a better opportunity to register. This will also allow new students to familiarize themselves with Banner Web and Grad Tracker and talk with someone if they need help.

Additionally, Dona Hickey, Scott Johnson, and Susan Breeden will be looking at ways to generate seats earlier.

Scott Johnson also asked the chairs and coordinators (or their delegated authority) to serve as the point of contact regarding summer registration requests (overrides, etc.).

Regarding specialty advising, Scott Johnson requested a volunteer faculty advisors to assist with specialty advising in each department, specifically with study abroad and athletics. While most were agreeable to specialty advising for study abroad, there was some concern as to whether athletes should have specialty advising.

University Registrar Susan Breeden summarized the program offerings of the American University Washington Semester visiting away program. Council approved this as a study away program.

Regarding the revision to residency requirement, the dean asked Council to discuss the proposed revision with their faculty and bring their concerns to the next Academic Council Meeting. Currently, if a transfer student has less than two years elsewhere, they cannot study abroad. The new proposal would help address that restriction.

The dean will contact individual departments regarding the NEH and Tucker-Boatwright Festival.

The proposed FY12 budget reallocations seem to be moving forward, $425,000 is still slated to be used for salary adjustments. There will need to be a continued discussion about the eventual goal for faculty salary levels in each rank. These initial adjustments are simply a down payment toward that yet to determined goal and only about half the faculty will receive equity merit adjustments.

The dean discussed the possibility of having chairs and coordinators write a two to three page “department/program profiles” for the new dean as a means to offer a brief introduction to each department/program. The form would be standardized for use by each area, to include faculty names and rank. In addition, there would be four key sections:

1. Specialty areas
2. Strengths of program
3. Aspirations for program
4. Aspirations for the liberal arts (where will the school move next)

Council expressed a desire to wait until the new dean is hired and to find out what information would be useful to him/her. The dean accepted the suggestion, but encouraged Council to think about these key items as information they should provide to the new dean. This will be discussed again at the next Academic Council meeting.

The meeting adjourned at 11:40 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Cheryl Burns

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