Undergraduate Academic Council
Meeting Date:
Tuesday, March 20, 2007, 12:00 Noon-1:01 PM.
Present:
J. Philippe Abraham, Jeanette Altarriba, Ivan Edelson, Sue Faerman, Susanna Fessler, Reuben
Ingber, Carolyn MacDonald, Carolyn Malloch, John Monfasani, Karin Reinhold, Dan Smith,
Gregory Stevens, Brian Tregerman, Daniel Truchan. Guests: Anne Hildreth, Sue Phillips
Minutes:
Minutes from the March 13, 2007 meeting were reviewed and corrections acknowledged. Those
minutes, with required updates, were approved.
Chair’s Report:
The Chair mentioned that the proposal to establish a combined degree of a BA in History and the
Master of Arts in Public Affairs and Policy has been approved by GAC. Jon Bartow is putting
the proposal into bill form for the next Senate meeting.
Changes in the Gen Ed Program:
Discussion continued from last week’s meeting for the suggested changes in the Gen Ed
program.
As mentioned previously, most freshmen and transfers have already met social science
requirements. Reducing the requirement by one course provides students greater flexibility.
Course availability was discussed. There are no lack of seats for the more difficult science
classes such as general biology, general chemistry, and general physics. Planet earth and other
“soft” science courses are usually less attainable. If you are a science major, some social science
classes are not applicable towards your major. A council member mentioned taking two social
science courses which were not applicable for one’s future life but believed that completing two
foreign language courses would help him in the future. It was emphasized that the general
education program is not meant to perfect a student’s competency but is a means of exposing
students a new world of varied subjects. No purpose is served by requiring two courses.
The Council voted to approve the reduction of social science gen ed requirements by one course
requiring only three credits. Four council members abstained.
The last major overhaul and update for the General Education Program’s was not completed to
satisfy a SUNY mandate but was accomplished to provide a UAlbany version. The University
wanted a version of what we believed should be included in a gen ed program. U.S. Diversity
and Pluralism as well as Global and Cross-Cultural Studies were added to bring students into 21st
century education. What do we want in the gen ed curriculum within the larger picture of the
gen ed program? Certain pieces will not add much breadth, probably due to SUNY mandates.
Some SUNY campuses provide a structure that encourages students to get breadth by prohibiting
courses students take in their majors to be used to satisfy General Education Requirements. One
member mentioned an example where a non-math major completes a math and stats course.
Even though it is not a required course, it could be a good experience for the student. Another
member mentioned that taking a science course would enable a student to carry on a
conversation in a more competent way if the subject was ever broached.
UAC Minutes, 3/20/07
Page 2 of 2
There are few common classes in Regions Beyond Europe and Global and Cross-Cultural
Studies. They are parceled out into Global and Cross-Cultural Studies. R Pos 102 (Comparative
and International Politics) was given as an example that would fit under the proposed new
category “Global and Pluralism”. The main problem with classes students believe meet Regions
Beyond Europe requirements is when they do not focus on one region. If a student takes a U.S.
Diversity & Pluralism class along with, as an example, a Chinese Studies class, the student will
not complete the Global and Cross-Cultural Studies requirement. It was noted that a strict
reading of the current Regions Beyond Europe learning objectives might be misleading. Two
years ago the General Education Committee began interpreting the learning objectives
differently and relaxed the previous reading that required courses to have an historical emphasis.
It was suggested that the Regions Beyond Europe category be modified to encompass world
history courses. By doing so, it would create more courses in this stressed category. The
committee looked at global and cross-cultural studies courses and believes they do not belong in
Regions Beyond Europe. When SUNY mandates were implemented, Other World Civilizations
was locally labeled Regions Beyond Europe. As stated in last week’s handout, “…..The SUNY
learning objectives for "Other Worlds" is "knowledge of EITHER a BROAD outline of world
history, OR the distinctive features of the history, institutions, economy, society, culture, etc., of
ONE non-Western civilization."
Political geographic boundaries became the determination factor for student claim arguments to
be included in categories and ensure it was academically defensible. Regions Beyond Europe
encompasses the 21st century with many cross cultural influence. Global and Cross-Cultural
Studies includes courses of European influence. Regions Beyond Europe and Global and CrossCultural Studies have different purposes. Regions Beyond Europe covers one region beyond
Europe or European North America. Global and Cross-Cultural Studies regards the societal
impact when two cultures come in contact with each other.
The Global and Cross-Cultural Studies requirement could actually be abolished but could never
be combined with Regions Beyond Europe since Regions Beyond Europe is a SUNY mandate.
If Global and Cross-Cultural Studies and U.S. Diversity & Pluralism are combined, a student
might never take a course that is comparative in nature. A suggestion was made to modify the
learning objectives in a way that facilitated double-counting of courses that were both
comparative and focused on regions outside Europe.
Discussions will continue next week for the suggested changes in the General Education
Program.
Next Meeting:
The next Undergraduate Academic Council meeting will be held Tuesday, 3/27/07, 12:00 Noon,
LC-31J.
Minutes Taken:
Notes taken by Joanne Baronner, Undergraduate Education.