Curriculum Committee Minutes
October 3, 2000
Present: Barry, Beck, Breitenbach, Clark, Hale, Kerrick, Kontogeorgopoulos, Lenderman,
Livingston, Neff-Lippman, Neshyba (chair), Pasco-Pranger, Stevens, Sugimoto, Tomhave,
Warning, Washburn
Visitor: Ricigliano
Neshyba called the meeting to order at 9:03 a.m.
Approval of Minutes of September 26, 2000
Breitenbach noted an omission from his minutes. He remarked that a person who had expended
considerable time and treasure to master a dead and useless language and who had finally found
an opportunity to use an arcane word from that language in a practical context—such a person
would naturally be disappointed if the word did not appear in the minutes of the meeting during
which it was uttered. This very disappointment had been suffered by Dean William D. Barry, who
at the last meeting had noted that when the Curriculum Committee discusses the proposed Core
guidelines, it serves as a “probouleutic” body for the Faculty Senate. Barry referred, of course, to
the function of preliminary deliberation, a function performed by the Athenian senate, which
discussed matters before they were submitted to the Assembly. Today Breitenbach proposed to
lift the cloud of vexation that still hovered around the brow of the chagrined Associate Dean by
inserting the term “probouleutic” as an addition to the minutes. With that addition, the minutes for
the meeting of September 26, 2000, were approved.
Announcements
Neshyba appointed a new subcommittee to evaluate a proposal for a Special Interdisciplinary
Major. Hale will chair the subcommittee, which must make a decision before the second week of
November.
Report of the Science in Context Subcommittee
Livingston (chair) brought forward three newly proposed courses for the Science in Context Core
area. All three proposals were submitted by single instructors rather than teaching teams. The
Committee discussed and reaffirmed its policy that such “solo” SCXT courses would be approved
for one year only. The proposer would be required to develop a teaching team before the course
could receive permanent approval as a SCXT Core course.
ACTION: Livingston M/S/P to approve SCXT 318 (“The Science of Gender”) as a Science
in Context Core course for one year.
ACTION: Lenderman M/S/P to approve SCXT 352 (“Memory in a Social Context”) as a
Science in Context Core course for one year.
ACTION: Livingston M/S/P to approve SCXT 322 (“Water Resources”) as a Science in
Context Core course for one year.
Report of the Fine Arts Subcommittee
Barry brought forward a newly proposed Fine Arts Core course for approval. ACTION: Barry
M/S/P to approve Foreign Language 365 (“Japanese and Asian Film”) as a Fine Arts Core
course.
Continued Discussion of New Core Guidelines
Barry indicated that the Committee has two tasks before it: first, the evaluation of each rubric’s
guidelines for adequacy and for ease of implementation and enforcement; second, a broader
consideration of consistency and distinctiveness across all of the rubrics’ guidelines. Neshyba
suggested that the Committee proceed by going through each rubric in turn, discussing the
following five topics: (1) ease of implementation; (2) adequacy of definition; (3) consistency with
other guidelines in form and style; (4) distinctiveness between guidelines; and (5) other concerns,
such as enrollment caps. Hale asked what level of consistency we should be seeking. Barry said
that we should not force rigid conformity. (Here he might have wanted to mention a Procrustean
bed, but he did not, lest he again be disappointed by a torpid secretary.) Breitenbach inquired
whether the Committee should discuss the substance of the guidelines; his own preference was
that such a discussion be left to the faculty as a whole. Barry suggested that the Committee
might want to highlight controversial matters of substance and to frame choices for the faculty to
consider.
As time ran out, Barry suggested that the Committee begin next time by discussing his draft
Preface for the guidelines. He urged members to email him any suggested revisions for the
Preface before the next meeting. Breitenbach asked the chair to consider reversing the normal
order of business for the next meeting by setting aside a specific period of time at the beginning
of the meeting to discuss the new Core guidelines.
Stevens M/S/P to adjourn at 9:51 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
William Breitenbach
Secretary