Faculty Meeting Minutes
December 7, 1999
President Pierce called the meeting to order at 4:04 p.m. One hundred and three voting members
of the faculty were present.
Minutes of the November 11, 1999 faculty meeting were approved as distributed.
In response to President Pierce's call for announcements, Bill Haltom announced that Kathy
Petrinovich, former secretary in the Politics and Government Department, had died this morning.
He said he would keep us informed of plans for a memorial service.
President Pierce reported that we have “made the first cut” in our application for a Luce
Foundation interdisciplinary chair in “Democracy, Science and Culture.” We are one of about ten
schools among many applicants that has been invited to submit a full application for a February
deadline. The competition is stiff in that Luce typically awards only two or three such chairs each
year. The President and Terry Cooney believe that this is the first time Puget Sound has made
this cut. She also announced that she is serving on a subcommittee of the Annapolis Group to
encourage Congress to provide more money for the sciences at liberal arts colleges. She invited
faculty with ideas on this to contact her.
Dean Cooney reported that the Project Kaleidoscope proposal for work on environmental studies
curriculum spearheaded by Karin Sable had recently been accepted. He also reported that the
Board of Trustees has responded formally to the faculty’s proposed Faculty Code changes, and
that an informational meeting would be held at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 14, 1999, in
McIntyre 003 to discuss this.
Faculty Senate Chair Bill Haltom distributed hard copies of a document entitled “Overview of
Decisions to Date,” enumerating tentative decisions already made in Phases One, Two, and
Three of the faculty’s review of the core curriculum. A copy is attached to these minutes.
We returned to discussion of the core curriculum. Suzanne Barnett M/S/F “To change the title
of the ‘Seminar in Writing and Rhetoric’ to ‘Seminar in Writing, Rhetoric, and Ideas.’”
Barnett had on November 22, 1999 distributed an electronic copy of her motion and
accompanying rationale, and hard copies were distributed at today’s meeting. A copy is attached
to these minutes. John Rindo opposed the motion, arguing that “rhetoric is already one of the
great ideas in liberal education.” Matt Warning suggested that the motion implied there were not
already ideas in writing and rhetoric. Haltom said the motion was “like eating a worm in an apple:
it won’t hurt you but it doesn’t do you much good, either.” Someone M/S/P to close debate. The
motion to close debate passed on a voice vote. Barnett’s motion then failed on a voice
vote.
David Droge M/S/vote reported later “that each student graduating from the University of
Puget Sound with a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree must complete at least
one course in each of the following categories:
A. Encountering Other Peoples
1. A course that includes within its curriculum an effort to develop an understanding of
another group of people, whether this group be regarded as a nation, nation-state, society,
religious group, culture, or any other type of organized human collective--outside of the
United States.
University of Puget Sound Faculty Meeting Minutes
November 11, 1999, Page 2
2. Courses that fit under this rubric should include the study and exploration of some
aspect of, or combination of, those other peoples' political, economic, or social system
and/or their cultural traits, attributes, and values.
3. Courses fulfilling the encountering other peoples requirement also could be used to
satisfy requirements in the Core curriculum, a student's major or minor program of study,
a University elective, or any combination of these other categories.
AND
B. U. S. Pluralism
One course which focuses on contemporary and/or historical issues of race, ethnicity,
gender, social class, and/or religion in the United States. Courses fulfilling the U.S.
pluralism requirement also could be used to satisfy requirements in the Core curriculum, a
student's major or minor program of study, a University elective, or any combination of
these other categories.
Droge explained that Part B of the motion was his own proposal, and that Part A of the motion
was David Balaam’s proposal. Droge originally distributed electronically his proposal to faculty on
November 19, 1999, along with a detailed rationale and a list of existing courses that might fulfill
the proposed U.S. Pluralism requirement. Since then he and Balaam agreed to present their
proposals jointly in the motion just made, with the understanding that the faculty might wish to
amend the motion to require either one course or the other but not both. The Droge/Balaam
motion was distributed to faculty electronically on December 6, 1999, along with a report from the
Registrar’s Office of the number of 1998-1999 baccalaureate degree recipients who had taken
each course on Droge’s list. Hard copies of the motion were distributed at today’s meeting.
Copies of the December 6 and November 19 emails are attached to these minutes.
Droge spoke in favor of the proposed U.S. Pluralism requirement, articulating the rationale
contained in the November 19 message to faculty, attached. He cited the enrollment data that
show that 74% of last year’s graduates had taken one or more of the courses on the list in his
November 19 message. Carolyn Weisz supported the motion, arguing that such a course would
be much better for seniors to take than ceramics, a course that many of her senior advisees had
expressed to her an interest in taking.
Ted Taranovski M/S/vote reported later “to amend the motion by adding ‘and/or (C)
Awareness of the Past, a course which focuses on history or culture of a Western or a nonWestern society before 1500 A.D. Such a course could be offered in art, classics, religion,
English, philosophy, history, Honors and Humanities programs, or Asian Studies.’” Chris
Ives expressed concern about relegating the three areas identified in the motion to the fringes of
the core as an overlay. He suggested that aside from the two freshman seminars, all the
proposed core currently consists of is “a clumping of distribution requirements.” He spoke against
“exiling” important academic areas “to these awkward clumpings.” Mott Greene spoke against
“this and any other motion that raises the core above eight units,” arguing that “we can’t staff the
core we’ve got.” He said that everyone needs to give up something in order to get a core of
reasonable size. He summarized his opposition to the current motion by saying that “friends don’t
let friends say nine.”
Rindo M/S/P to close debate. The motion to close debate passed on a voice vote. Before
voting on the Taranovski amendment Alix Cooper proposed as a friendly amendment
replacing the year 1800 with the year 1500, a proposal that Taranovski accepted. The
Taranovski amendment then failed on a hand vote.
University of Puget Sound Faculty Meeting Minutes
November 11, 1999, Page 3
Doug Cannon asked Droge and Balaam (1) how an overlay would work, (2) how an overlay will
read in the catalog, (3) how overlay courses would be selected, and (4) how students would be
notified of the overlay requirement.
Florence Sandler spoke in favor of the motion, arguing that it provides students “an opportunity.”
She said that because the overlay requirement could be fulfilled by a course in the core, the
major, the minor, or an elective, “many students will meet it many times over as a matter of
course.” She said the requirement is important for the 25% of students who might not normally
take such a course. She worried about “letting go of the international studies requirement,”
arguing that “college students need to learn about cultures other than their own.” In response to
Greene’s argument for an eight-unit core, Sandler argued that the overlay proposal is “a strategy
for giving students this opportunity within an eight-unit core.”
Haltom M/S/P “to amend the motion by separating the two overlay proposals.” He said this
allows us to consider each on its own merits. Juli McGruder M/S/P to close debate. The
motion to close debate passed on a voice vote. The Haltom motion to amend then passed
on a hand vote.
We turned first to a discussion of Part B of the original motion, the proposed U.S. Pluralism
requirement. Bill Breitenbach argued that approving such a requirement would in fact constitute a
ninth unit for the 25% of students who would not ordinarily fulfill it within the eight-unit core. As a
result, he argued, certain core courses—those that fulfill two requirements—would become more
important to students and would create “traffic jams,” requiring many sections to meet demand.
For this reason Breitenbach said he opposes overlays. He added that the process for deciding
which courses fulfill overlay requirements would involve the same procedures that govern core
courses, including the creation of guidelines and Curriculum Committee “policing” that some find
to be unwieldy.
Keith Ward also spoke against the notion of overlays, arguing that we would be developing “a very
complicated curricular structure with tremendous demands on advisors.” He said that the
omnibus motion “puts the core in a new light,” but that “the overlay proposals suggest that we are
having trouble letting go of the old core.” He said “we’re losing the core of the core.” Barry
Goldstein added that we seem to be realizing that a smaller core leaves gaps and we are trying to
put things back in. He said the new core is a major change and that “we should give eight units a
shot.”
Weisz opposed this line of reasoning and suggested a different interpretation than Breitenbach’s
“traffic jam” analogy, which was that “when you can’t predict what students will take, you have
chaos.” She said that having overlays would make more work for committees in terms of creating
guidelines, but that that was to be expected. She added that we might investigate using
guidelines that have been developed at other universities. Droge added that courses would be
approved the way we do it now, through the regular curricular approval process. He said he has
stayed away from the “overlay” language in connection with the U.S. Pluralism proposal because it
overlays not just the core but all 32 units. He said that many courses not yet on the books would
also fulfill the requirement.
Harry Velez-Quinones said he agreed with those arguing for an eight-unit core, and that “we
should trust our students” to choose appropriate courses. He said that there is no need for all
UPS graduates to be alike, and that we should not add extra layers “to our streamlined core.” He
argued that the way to introduce diversity into the curriculum is to have a diverse faculty.
University of Puget Sound Faculty Meeting Minutes
November 11, 1999, Page 4
Warning M/S/P to close debate. The motion to close debate passed on a voice vote.
Written ballots were called for. The motion to approve a U.S. Pluralism overlay
requirement then failed, with 28 in favor and 71 opposed. Left on the table was the Balaam
proposal for an “Encountering Other Peoples” overlay requirement.
We adjourned at 5:18 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
John M. Finney
Secretary of the Faculty
University of Puget Sound Faculty Meeting Minutes
November 11, 1999, Page 5
Overview of Decisions to Date
(Distributed by Bill Haltom at the December 7, 1999 Faculty Meeting)
PHASE ONE
7
The target number of units of general education was set at seven, with the understanding that this
number can be adjusted upward or downward at subsequent meetings.
PHASE TWO
2
Two first-year seminars that may not count toward any major, one unit each: "Seminar in Writing
and Rhetoric" and "Seminar in Scholarly & Creative Inquiry."
PHASE THREE
5
Approaches to Knowing (5 units): methodological and disciplinary orientations characteristic of
each of five sorts of knowledge; these may be counted toward a major or minor.
Humanistic Approaches: disciplinary orientations of classics, literature, history,
philosophy, religion, and related programs such as Asian Studies.
Fine Arts Approaches: approaches characteristic of existing fine arts cores.
Social Scientific Approaches: disciplinary orientations of economics, politics,
psychology, sociology, relevant courses in communication, and related programs
such as Political Economy or Environmental Studies.
Natural Scientific Approaches: disciplinary orientations of biology, chemistry, geology, and
physics.
Mathematical Approaches: disciplinary orientations of mathematics and computer
science.
1
Connections (1 unit): Upper-level, interdisciplinary courses that create connections between
disciplines with respect to methodology and content. The courses will involve the collaboration of
faculty from more than one department or the efforts of individual faculty with interdisciplinary
expertise; may count toward a major.
PHASE FOUR
?
Foreign Language Graduation Requirement (0-2 units, depending); may count toward a major.
University of Puget Sound Faculty Meeting Minutes
November 11, 1999, Page 6
FRESHMAN SEMINAR
“WRITING, RHETORIC, AND IDEAS”
(Distributed by Suzanne Barnett at the December 7, 1999 Faculty Meeting)
MOTION:
To change the title of the "Seminar in Writing and Rhetoric" to "Seminar in Writing,
Rhetoric, and Ideas."
Passage of this motion would alter the title of one of the two freshman seminars in the corecurriculum omnibus motion to come before the faculty.
Rationale:
1. The proposal for this freshman seminar clearly states the requirement of a "reading
component" and the expectation that "the seminar will include substantial reading that
introduces important ideas, issues, topics, and themes about which students will write and
make oral presentations." (Proposal as attached to the minutes of the Faculty Meeting of 11
November 1998, when we added the Writing and Rhetoric freshman seminar to the omnibus
motion).
2. The limitation of the title to "writing and rhetoric" alone could lead to a mistaken impression
that this seminar is about "form" only, not thought, and that the other freshman seminar-"Seminar in Scholarly & Creative Inquiry"--is about ideas.
3. The inclusion of the word "ideas" in the Writing and Rhetoric seminar would inspire faculty
members who might propose courses in this rubric.
Suzanne Barnett
University of Puget Sound Faculty Meeting Minutes
November 11, 1999, Page 7
David Droge U.S. Pluralism Proposal
(Distributed to faculty by email on November 19, 1999)
Dear colleagues:
At the appropriate time during our deliberations regarding Decision Four I intend to offer the
following proposal for inclusion in the omnibus motion on the core curriculum.
U.S. pluralism graduation requirement
All students will take at least one course which focuses on contemporary and/or historical issues
of race, ethnicity, gender, social class, and/or religion in the United States. Courses fulfilling the
U.S. also could be used to satisfy requirements in the Core curriculum, a student's major or minor
program of study, a University elective, or any combination of these other categories
I offer this proposal because I am concerned that it will not be considered before we move to a
final decision on a new Core.
Athough I do serve on the Faculty Diversity Committee, I make this proposal as a member of the
general faculty rather than as a representative of that committee. I advance this proposal now in
hopes of generating thoughtful deliberation at our next meeting by affording colleagues time to
reflect on it.
My reasons are:
1) our decision to establish a foreign language requirement in our last meeting opens the door for
consideration of graduation requirements which are not necessarily tied to specific Core rubrics.
This one would not be a "hidden" Core, as it could be satisfied by any course offered which
addresses U.S. pluralism.
2) this requirement articulates a strong interest among faculty members in exploring these topics
as a part of our curricular offerings. At the end of this statement I have listed a series of courses
currently offered (over 60) which might be taken to satisfy this requirement.THIS IS NOT AN
OFFICIAL LIS!. It reflects only my reading of the current University Bulletin. I included courses
whose title or description seems to fit the description provided above. It does not include special
topics courses which might in a given semester meet this requirement or mutlipe-section courses
(e.g. Engloish 101) in which some sections might focus on U.S. pluralism. I expect that courses
for inlcusion in this category would be proposed by individual faculty members or departments,
and that the approval procedure would be consistent with current practices (faculty approval
through the Curriculum Committee).
We have as a faculty instituted course offerings and specific programs (e.g. Women Studies,
African-American Studies) which emphasize the study of "non-dominant cultures, contemporary
cultural diverstiy, and justice issues" (from Schneider & Schoenberg, Contemporary
Understandings of Liberal Education, AAC& U, 1998, as included in a memorandum distributed by
Associate Dean Kristine Bartanen at the faculty meeting of Sept. 22. 1998---I think). This
requirement would affirm our commitment to diversity as part of our central curricular mission.
3) This requirement is consistent with the curricular goal of "informed appreciation of self and
others as part of a broader humanity in the world environment"; hence it is consistent with the
mission of the academic program.
University of Puget Sound Faculty Meeting Minutes
November 11, 1999, Page 8
4) A survey of 1166 students reported at the Feb. 10, 1999 faulty meeting indicated that 59%
favored a multicultural core. A Student Senate resoution and a spetition of 676 students
presented to the faculty during the 1996-97 academic year also favored such a requirement.
Hence this proposal reflects both faculty and student support.
5) Although it is difficult to sort through the complex factors that affect our efforts to recruit
stuedents from underrrepresented groups to the Puget Sound campus, a requirement which
affirmed the value faculty place on the contribution of "non-dominant cultures" couldn't hurt.
Here is an admittedly incomplete list of courses currently offered which might satisfy this
requirement. THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL LIST!
CTA 105--Freshman Seminar: The Rhetoric of Dissent : From Abolition to civil Rights and
Beyond
CTA 223:Film Criticism
CTA 440: Gender and Communication
CTA 443: Early American Public Address
CTA 444: Public Address: Contemporary Public Discourse
CTA 375: Contemporary Theatre and Performance
CSOC 103: Social Problems
CSOC 204: Social Stratification
CSOC 205: Human Evolution
CSOC 206: Deviance and Social Control
CSOC 212: Women, Men ,and Society
CSOC 213: Urban Sociology: Cities, Regions, and Peoples
CSOC 215: Race and Ethnic Relations
CSOC 295: Sociological Theory
CSOC 305: Language, Culture, Society, and Power
CSC 309: Race, State, and Nation-building: South Africa and the United States
CSOC 317: American Indian Mental Health
CSOC 325: Social Movements
CTA 344: Slavery and Freedom
CSOC 370: Disability, Identity, and Power
ECON 152: Economics of Social Issues
ECON 218: American Economic History
ECON 241: Urban Economics
ECON 335: Modern Labor Economics
ENGL 224: Survey of American Literature I
ENGL 225: Survey of American Literature II
ENGL 230: Literature of the Human Experience
ENGL 235: Literature by Women
ENGL 239: Loss and Renewal: American Voices, American Identity
ENGL 375: Topics in African-American Literature: The Harlem Renaissance
ENGL 390 (HIST 378): Literature and History in the Civil Rights Era
ENGL 405: Writing and Gender
ENGL 447: Studies in Nineteenth -Century American Literature
ENGL 449: Studies in Twentieth-Century American Literature
ENGL 481: Asian-American Literature
ENGL 482: Twentieth-Century African-American Literature
ENGL 485: Literature and Gender
FL 383: Latino Literature: Borders, Bridges, and Fences
HIST 152: Survey of United States History to 1877
HIST 153: The United States Since 1877: A Perspective on American Concerns
University of Puget Sound Faculty Meeting Minutes
November 11, 1999, Page 9
HIST 355: African-American Women in American History
HIST 359: The United States in the 1960's
HIST 367: The Civil War
HIST 369: History of the West and Pacific Northwest
HIST 374: Women and Change in the U. S. Before 1880
HIST 375: Women and Social Change in the U.S. Since 1880
HUM 113: The Geneology of "Race": A Writing Intensive Seminar
HUM 306: Cultural Identity in Japan and the United States
MUS 221: Jazz History
OT 306: Health Care Systems
PHIL 252: Philosophy in Literature
PHIL 390: Feminism and Philosophy
P & G 311: The Politics of Identity: Race and Gender in American Politics
PSYC 281: Social Psychology
PSYC 370C: Gender Development
PSYC 450: Work and the Family
REL 207: A Passion for Justice: Contemporary Liberation Theologies and Ethics
REL 302: Ethics of Responsibility and Difference
REL 368: Religion, Feminism, and Ethics
REL 370: Images of Evil in Twentieth-Century Fiction
REL 455: Women and Mysticism
SCXT 320: Science and Racial Prejudice
SCXT 321: Psychiatry and Race
WST494: Feminist Research Seminar
THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL LIST!
David Droge, Associate Professor
Communication and Theatre Arts
University of Puget Sound
1500 N Warner St.
Tacoma, WA 98416
(253)879-3333 (office)
(253)879-3500 (fax)
also:
"Disciplinary Pathways to Service- Learning," is now available on-line at
http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/academic/compact
Click on "Publications."
To see a recent paper on Franz Boas' Refutation of White Supremacist Science go to
http://www.ups.edu/cta/boaz.htm
University of Puget Sound Faculty Meeting Minutes
November 11, 1999, Page 10
Droge/Balaam International Studies
and U.S. Pluralism “Overlay” Proposal
(Distributed to faculty by email on December 6, 1999)
Colleagues: We have decided to introduce our two separate proposals for "overlay" requirements
in international studies and U. S. pluralism as a single motion. We will each speak to our
respective overlay topics. As a matter of principle we believe each proposal has independent
merit. As a matter of accommodation we have indicated a possiblity for alternative wording which
would combine these two requirements into one. Such a combination could proceed via the
amendment procedure.
David Balaam and David Droge
"Overlay" Proposal
Each student graduating from the University of Puget Sound with a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of
Science degree must complete at least one course in each (either) of the following categories:
A. Encountering Other Peoples
1. A course that includes within its curriculum an effort to develop an understanding of another
group of people, whether this group be regarded as a nation, nation-state, society, religious group,
culture, or any other type of organized human collective--outside of the United States.
2. Courses that fit under this rubric should include the study and exploration of some aspect of, or
combination of, those other peoples' political, economic, or social system and/or their cultural
traits, attributes, and values.
3. Courses fulfilling the encountering other peoples requirement also could be used to satisfy
requirements in the Core curriculum, a student's major or minor program of study, a University
elective, or any combination of these other categories.
Rationale for this requirement:
A meaningful curriculum of a liberal arts university should include a course that offers students the
opportunity to encounter people in societies outside of their own.
As such this rubric could include a variety of courses in different disciplines and programs:
economics, politics, comparative sociology, history, Latin American Studies, foreign language,
international political economy, religion, Asian studies, music, art, English, business and public
administration, communication and theatre arts, and philosophy, among others.
AND(OR)
B. U. S. Pluralism
One course which focuses on contemporary and/or historical issues of race, ethnicity, gender,
social class, and/or religion in the United States. Courses fulfilling the U.S. pluralism requirement
also could be used to satisfy requirements in the Core curriculum, a student's major or minor
program of study, a University elective, or any combination of these other categories.
Rationale distributed 11/19/99. I have attached the result of an analysis prepared by the Registrar
regarding the proportion of graduating seniors in the class of '99 who have taken one or more of
the courses on the original list.
University of Puget Sound Faculty Meeting Minutes
November 11, 1999, Page 11
David Droge, Associate Professor
Communication and Theatre Arts
University of Puget Sound
1500 N Warner St.
Tacoma, WA 98416
(253)879-3333 (office)
(253)879-3500 (fax)
University of Puget Sound Office of the Registrar
November 29, 1999
There were a total of 713 graduates during the Fall 1998, Spring 1999 and Summer 1999
semesters. Of these graduates, 528 completed one or more of the sample courses.
Course Completed
CTA 223
CTA 344
CTA 375
CTA 440
CTA 444
CSOC 103
CSOC 205
CSOC 206
CSOC 212
CSOC 213
CSOC 215
CSOC 295
CSOC 305
CSOC 309
CSOC 317
CSOC 370 (Gender)
ECON 152
ECON 218
ECON 241
ECON 335
ENGL 224
ENGL 225
ENGL 230
ENGL 235
ENGL 239
ENGL 375
ENGL 390
ENGL 405
ENGL 447
ENGL 449
ENGL 481
ENGL 482
ENGL 485
HIST 152
HIST 153
Number of Graduates
17
5
12
33
8
140
21
10
46
13
53
47
4
2
9
3
2
2
6
5
32
69
9
70
27
49
7
11
11
1
9
3
1
83
117
University of Puget Sound Faculty Meeting Minutes
November 11, 1999, Page 12
HIST 355
HIST 359
HIST 367
HIST 369
HIST 374
HIST 375
HIST 378
HUM 113
HUM 306
MUS 221
OT
306
PHIL 252
PHIL 390
PG
311
PSYC 281
REL 207
REL 302
REL 368
REL 370
REL 455
SCXT 320
WMST494
Total courses completed
5
7
10
1
4
6
10
2
16
34
39
13
28
7
58
4
28
2
33
6
66
6
1322