Curriculum Committee Minutes
February 13, 2001
Present: Barry, Beck, Breitenbach, Clark, Kontogeorgopoulos, Livingston, Neff-Lippman, PascoPranger, Pinzino, Stevens, Tomhave, Warning (chair), Washburn
Warning called the meeting to order at 9:02 a.m.
Approval of Minutes
Breitenbach pointed out that in the fourth paragraph of the Discussion of the Curriculum
Statement, the sentence, “Breitenbach stated that reducing the core was meant to allow students
more flexibility to take electives, rather than opening up space for departments to add more units
to their major requirements,” should have been attributed to Barry. The minutes of 1/30/01 were
approved with that revision.
Discussion of English Department Curriculum Review
Barry began by supplying a history of the English Department’s postponement of its curriculum
review: the review was originally due in Oct. 1998; the Curriculum Committee granted the
Department’s request for a one-year postponement at that time; in Fall 1999, the Committee
granted the Department a second one-year postponement. The review has still not come in, and
the Department has neither requested a postponement nor notified the committee of its plans for
completion of the review. Barry surmised that the Department’s current uncertainty in hiring may
be contributing to the delay. Kontogeorgopoulos asked whether the Department has plans to
complete the review. Warning and Barry said they had no indication that the review would be
completed this year. Neff-Lippman supplied a history of the Department’s Writing, Rhetoric and
Culture program, including the unexpected departure of its two tenure-line faculty last spring, and
the failure of this spring’s effort to fill one of those positions. Warning observed that other
departments have gone through periods of instability and uncertainty and have nonetheless
completed curriculum reviews; he questioned what end there was likely to be to this instability
and this series of postponements. Barry suggested two possibilities for action by the Committee:
1) granting a third postponement (without an official request from the Department); 2) asking the
Department for an explanation of the delay. Kontogeorgopoulos observed that the two job
searches the Department was conducting this year were finished at this point, and that the
Department might now be able to turn its attention to the review and finish it this spring.
Washburn supplied still more history: the English Department has been habitually late in
completing curriculum reviews. She also observed that the Department made substantial
revisions to its literature major in the course of the last review, and that it would be good to have a
report on the effectiveness of these revisions. Kontogeorgopoulos suggested that any instability
the Department is currently experiencing could simply be reported in the review. Breitenbach
observed that the review would also be an opportunity for the Department to give serious though
to its relationship to the proposed new core curriculum. Barry suggested that the committee ask
the chair of the Department for an explanation of the delay. Breitenbach suggested that we ask
that he give that explanation in person before the Committee. Warning questioned whether that
would be a good use of the Committee’s time. Livingston observed that there have to be
ramifications to delays of this sort or departments would feel free to ignore their responsibilities to
the faculty as a whole. Washburn supplied a history of some ramifications used in the past.
ACTION: Breitenbach M/S/P that the Committee invite the chair of the English Department
to appear before the Committee in order to explain and discuss the Department’s delay in
completing its curriculum review.
Math Department Curriculum Review
Livingston reported that the subcommittee was “thrilled” with the Math Department’s curriculum
review. In the course of the review, the Department requested the following changes to its
curriculum:
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Retitle and renumber MATH341: Topics in Applied Mathematics to MATH302: Partial
Differential Equations. This change reflects the current and prospective course content.
Replace CSI255: Business Data Processing with CS250: E-commerce. This change reflects
changes in CS/Business curriculum emphases.
Reletter the calculus/physics combined sequence to reflect the dual subject matter of the
course.
Change the math contract to change the requirement for demonstrated activity outside the
classroom to a strong recommendation.
Change the computer science contract to change the requirement for demonstrated activity
outside the classroom to a strong recommendation and to remove the requirement for 2course sequences as inapplicable to the CS curriculum.
Tomhave asked how the actual contract would change. Livingston replied that the changes were
very minor; the basic structure would remain the same. Barry commended the Department for
the quality and promptness of its review in the face of three job searches this year and a failed
search last year. Beck asked for a clarification of the removal of the requirement for outside
activity from the majors. Barry explained that the requirement had proven too vague and too
difficult to keep track of; Livingston added that the department had also found this activity did not
serve the purposes for which it was conceived and that a replacement “capstone” experience was
under consideration. ACTION: Livingston M/S/P approval of the Math Department’s
curriculum review and the changes to its curriculum listed above.
Report of Comparative Values Subcommittee
ACTION: Barry M/S/P approval of HIST341: The Struggle for Modern Vietnam.
Report of Writing in the Major Subcommittee
ACTION: Barry M/S/P approval of the Physics Departments explanation of its compliance
with the Writing in the Major requirement. This explanation was business remaining from the
1999-2000 Fallow Year curriculum review.
Discussion of revised Core Course Proposal Form
Washburn distributed the latest draft of said form, which met with general approval.
At 8:47 Stevens M/S/P to adjourn.
Respectfully submitted,
Molly Pasco-Pranger