GENERAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE MINUTES, 11/4/15
CALL TO ORDER / ROLL CALL
Members present: L. Ametsbichler, S. Bradford, M Cracolice, R. Fanning, J. Galloway, C.
Greenfield, T. Ravas, K. Reiser, C. Smith, G. Weix
Ex-officio members present: B. French, N. Lindsay
Members Absent/ Excused: J. Hickman, T. Shearer

The minutes from 10/21/15 were approved.
COMMUNICATION

The Diversity Advisory Council Co-Chair Phyllis Ngai and committee member Lucila
Rudge joined the meeting at 4:30p.m. to be part of the discussion on possible
changes to the X and Y designations.
BUSINESS ITEMS

Members provided input in terms of what should be included in the data analysis of
General Education Courses. Camie has a meeting tomorrow with the Office of
Planning, Budgeting and Analysis. Associate Provost Nathan Lindsay will also attend.
Data should be provided for two years and organized in a manner that will show
distribution patterns. The data should include enrollment and instructor. The data
should be organized by group and also by college. This should identify the most
popular general education courses and also which groups are underrepresented.
When time allows Camie will review the current list of approved courses to see how
many groups may be met within students’ majors.
Students are advised to complete general education course in their first two years.
Students then take all upper-division courses in their major the last two years, which
can make for difficult semesters. Is this still considered best practice for student
success?

The following general education requests were approved. Dance 108 A is pending
follow-up. The CSD form was previously submitted and approved in 2013.
General Education Group
Course
Group III Exception
EDLD 486, Statistical Procedures in Education
Expressive Art
Dance 108, Dance Forms- pending

American & European
& Criteria /Learning goals
THTR 101, Introduction to Theatre
Indigenous & Global
& Criteria / Learning Goals
MART 307, Cinema of Latin America
The Committee discussed the draft definition and learning goals for a Democracy
and Citizenship category.
Democracy and Citizenship (Y)
These courses ground students in the antecedents, ideas, institutions, and
practices of United States democracy. Knowledge gained through courses in the
Y perspective prepares students to be informed U.S. citizens and to assess the
contributions and contradictions of United States democracy.
Upon completion of a Democracy and Citizenship course, students will be able
to:
 Demonstrate informed and reasoned understanding of United States
democracy as expressed in its historical and/or contemporary ideas,
institutions, and practices; and
 Analyze and evaluate the significance and complexities of United States
democracy.

Diversity is an issue of citizenship and is missing in the definition. The language is too
broad and is missing specific mention of issues of power and discrimination. It
would seem many of the ethics courses could fit in this category and some courses
meeting the American Indian Education for all mandate by the State. However,
students would still be able to graduate without taking a course that covers
appropriate American Indian content. UM could adopt a similar strategy to the MUS
Core – “students must successfully complete at least one course that includes
significant content related to the cultural heritage of American Indians.”
The antecedents to democracy include principles of respect and equality. Students
need to understand the rights and responsibilities of US Citizenship. The definition
should be revised be more concrete and include specific skills students should
develop from these course.
The revised category would eliminate the separation of courses covering Europe
from the Global Group based on geography. The indigenous and global perspective
could be reconfigured to focus on international cultures that include a comparative
element of understanding those outside of ones culture of origin.
The Committee might think about defining the groups more narrowly rather than
worrying about current general education courses fitting within the revised
categories. If all students need specific knowledge or skills then those should be
prioritized in the requirements. It is a definite possibility that existing general
education courses may no longer fit in the framework.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 5:34 p.m.