General Education Committee Minutes, 3/27/13
Members present: R. Baker, L. Calderon S. Caro, L. Frey, K. Huthaily, J. Randall, K. Reiser, T. Squires, N.
White
Members Absent: H. Ausland, F. Rosensweig
Ex-officio member present: E. Johnson
The minutes from 3/13/13 were amended and approved.
Communication:

There was a brief discussion regarding the email correspondence. Chair White acknowledges that
the committee has a tremendous amount of work to do to clarify the criteria for Indigenous and
Global and American and European Perspectives. However she would like to refocus the Committee
in order to submit options to ASCRC with regard to the ongoing language requirement/incentive
debate.

Professor Gillison shared with ASCRC that MCLL is looking at its curriculum and considering the
possibility of transitioning some of its courses to 4 or 3 credits.
Business Items:

The Science Courses appended were approved. Follow-up is pending for 10 courses.

The Historical and Cultural Studies Subcommittee met and discussed the troubling courses. The four
courses listed below were approved. ANTY 133H may resubmit revised materials in the fall.
COMM 250H
Introduction to Rhetorical Theory
MUSI 301H
Music History I
MUSI 302H
Music History II
THTR 330 H
Theatre History I

Professors White agreed to serve as chair for another year. There were no volunteers for Vice-Chair,
although Professor Ausland was nominated in his absence.

Chair White spoke with MSU’s General Education Committee Chair. Students taking a second semester
of first year language satisfy a culture requirement. [This is rather confusing to pin down when looking at
MSU’s general Education Program – I think it might fall within Humanities.]
MUS –Core Curriculum
o
o
Core Curriculum Requirements
Foundation Courses
 University Seminar
 College Writing
 Quantitative Reasoning
 Diversity
 Contemporary Issues in Science
Ways of Knowing Courses





Arts
Humanities
Natural Sciences
Social Sciences
Additional Research and Creative Experience Courses
The Committee considered the motion included in Chair White’s email correspondence below:
A student completing the second semester of the second year of a foreign language
(SPNS202, FRCH202 etc.) may substitute that language course to successfully complete one
of the following General Education perspectives: Expressive Arts, Literary and Artistic
Studies or Historical and Cultural Studies.
This motion would only target a small group of students and may cause tension across campus
because no discipline wants to give up their claim to be included in courses required for students to
become generally educated. One of the reasons ASCRC did not approve the motion below
submitted in 2012 was because it only would capture students in Anthropology, Communication,
Geography, Psychology, and Sociology (approximately 1300). One possible incentive would be for
the opportunity to access scholarship funds for students completing the second year of language. It
is unfortunate that the GLI program did not address a language requirement.
Effective autumn semester of 2014, undergraduates must fulfill the general education
modern and classical language requirement unless enrolled in a program of study requiring
more than 48 credits leading to a first baccalaureate degree. Credits for the program of
study include all requirements for the primary major including options and designated prerequisite courses, excluding general education courses unless required by the major.
Chair White approached these departments to inquire why language is not required. Some feel that
their students are better served with the mathematics courses in preparation for graduate school.
These majors were eligible for exception based on the fact that their majors require statistics.
Professor Ausland proposed an alternate to the incentive approach in the following motion.
"Whereas ASCRC has expressed a desire to find ways to encourage students to enroll in
foreign language course, and whereas the current university requirement allows students to
evade this via a "symbolic systems" option, and whereas the standard requirement at
credible universities of the same class as UM is for at least two full years of language study
without any such alternative option, be it resolved that the requirement for foreign language
study at UM cease to include an alternative option of "symbolic systems", and be extended to
two years."
He also provided a list of institutions that require language. However, in further examination many
of these schools (Colorado University, Rutgers, and UCLA ) require students to enter the institution
having taken language in high school (see appended language)
One option would be to resubmit the motion from 2012 with a revision to tighten the language by
removing “unless required by the major” from the last sentence.
The Committee could also forward several motions representing different options. This may include
Professor Ausland’s motion as well as the motion above, with another option that may include a
requirement that students exempted from the language requirement must show that they have been
exposed to other cultural perspectives or global awareness of the profession. This may include a
track within the existing general education groups or courses within the major that meet the learning
outcomes. A mechanism would need to be established to administer the requirement. Samples paths
for credit heavy programs should be included in communications for consultation and
implementation.
Again this brings up the the problematic definition of global and indigenous and whether students
would be better served with a diversity requirement such as MSU’s defined below.
Graduates of Montana State University face an ever changing and increasingly complex
world. An understanding of and sensitivity to other cultural perspectives prepares them to
function in the global community and creates a campus climate that is conducive to
academic growth for all students. Diversity courses address the study of identities (e.g. race,
class, gender, sexual orientation, ability, etc.), societies, nations, or national languages and
cultures.
The Committee must be pragmatic in its expectations, but also adhere to curriculum standards. One
idea was to initiate a legislative initiative focused on funding for innovative ways to teach language.
[If this included ways to bring money or business from other countries to Montana it would be better
received. ]
The meeting was adjourned at 5:30 PM.
26 March 2013
MEMORANDUM
To:
Camie Foos, Faculty Senate and the UM GenEd committee
From: Frank Rosenzweig, Liliana Calderon, Tucker Squires, Trina Valencich, Nate McCrady
Re:
Natural Sciences, GenEd renewal proposals
The GenEd Natural Sciences subcommittee is pleased to forward, as a seconded motion, the
following proposals for approval. We are seeking clarification/revision of minor issues on the 10
other proposals assigned to us for evaluation.
ANTY 210N
Intro Physical Anthro
ANTY 211
Anthropological Genetics
ANTY 213N
Physical Anthro Lab
ASTR U 132N
Elementary Astronomy II
ASTR U 134N
Elem Astronomy Lab I
ASTR U 135N
Elem Astronomy Lab II
ASTR U142N
The Evolving Universe
CJUS 125 (ANTH286N) Fund Forensic Science
BIOH 201/202
Human Anatomy & Physiol I
BIOH 211/212
Human Anatomy & Physiol II
BIOL 130N
Evolution and Society
BIOL 135
Biol Yellowstone Hot Springs
BIOB 101N
Discovering Biology
BIOB 101N
Discover Biology
BIOB 160N
Principles of Living Systems
BIOB 170/171N
Principles of Biodiversity
BIOE 172N
Intro Ecology
McKeown
Skelton
McKeown
McCrady
Buhlman
Friend
Friend
Skelton
Henderson
Henderson
Woods
Miller
Murray (UM)
Peters (MSLA College)
Greene
Murray
Callaway
SCI 226N
CHMY121N
ENSC 105
ENSC 245
GEO 105N
GEO 108N/CCS108N
GPHY 111N
NRSM 271N
NUTR 221
PHSX U 141N
PHSX U 205N
PHSX U 206N
PHSX U 207N
PHSX U 208N
PHSX U 215N
PHSX U 216N
PHSX U 217N
PSYCH 250N
SCI U 225N
SCN 100N
SCN 105N
SCN 175N
WILD 105
Earth & Life Sciences
Intro Gen Chem
Environmental Science
Soils
Oceanography
Climate Change: Past & Future
Intro to Physical Geogr
Conservation Ecology
Basic Human Nutrition
Einstein’s relativity
College Physics I
College Physics Lab I
College Physics II
College Physics lab II
Fund Physics with Calculus I
Physics Lab I with Calculus
Fund Physics with Calculus II
Fund Biol Psychology
Gen Sci: Physical Chem Science
Issues in Biology
Montana Ecosystems
Integrated Physical Science
Wildlife & People
Murray
Smith
Watson
Cleveland
Hinman, Sears
Harper, Moore et al.
Kamp
Larsen
Doyle
McCrady
Bulmahn
Bulmahn
Bulmahn
Bulmahn
Reisenfeld
Fowler
Ware
Hall
Friend
Peters
Peters
Preston
Naugle
Samples of Language requirements:
Colorado University – Boulder
1. Foreign Language. All students are required to demonstrate, while in high school, third-level proficiency
in a single modern or classical foreign language. Students who have not met this requirement at the time of
matriculation will have a MAPS deficiency. They may make up the deficiency only by passing an
appropriate third-semester college course or by passing a CU-Boulder-approved proficiency examination.
Students who take approved CU-Boulder course work to fulfill this requirement must take the course for a
letter grade and receive a passing grade of D- or higher.
Students who are under the core curriculum, but not subject to MAPS, must complete the foreign language
requirement to meet degree requirements.
Questions about placement should be referred to the appropriate foreign language department.
The goal of the language requirement is to encourage students to confront the structure, formal and semantic,
of another language, significant and difficult works in that language, and one or more aspects of the culture
lived in that language. This enables students to understand their own language and culture better, analyze
texts more clearly and effectively, and appreciate more vividly the dangers and limitations of using a
translated document. The language requirement is a general education requirement and so concentrates on
reading. In some languages other abilities may be emphasized as well. Understanding what it means to read a
significant text in its original language is essential for general education according to the standards of this
university.
Rutgers University
Am I required to complete the Foreign Language requirement?
Students are expected to have completed two years of high school study of a foreign language prior to
entering college. Students who have not fulfilled this expectation will be required to complete a one-year,
elementary, sequential course, six credits, in a foreign language. Note: Students who are admitted to and
intend to graduate from University College are temporarily excused from completing the college level
sequence.
UCLA/Foreign Language Requirement
Students may meet the foreign language requirement by (1) scoring 3, 4, or 5 on the College Board
Advanced Placement (AP) foreign language examination in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, or
Spanish, or scoring 4 or 5 on the AP foreign language examination in Latin, (2) presenting a UCLA foreign
language proficiency examination score indicating competency through level three, or (3) completing one
college-level foreign language course equivalent to level three or above at UCLA with a grade of Passed or C
or better. The foreign language requirement must be completed within the first six terms of enrollment.
International students may petition to use an advanced course in their native language for this requirement.
Students whose entire secondary education has been completed in a language other than English may petition
to be exempt from the foreign language requirement.