Brandeis University
New Course Approval Form
Subject and Catalog #:
Title:
Department/Program:
Proposed by:
Date:
Please contact Andrew Marx to assign a catalog number at the beginning of the approval process
Course Description (as it will appear in the online catalog):
Limited to 40 words
Course Information: Please attach a narrative addressing the factors that prompted you to design the course,
the curricular need it is designed to fill, its position within the curriculum, the primary and the secondary
audiences it is expected to serve, and the pedagogical methods you intend to employ. A syllabus/reading list
must also be attached. See page 3-4 for Syllabus Checklist.
Approval Process: This form and accompanying documents must be submitted to the appropriate
committees and approved by the Dean before being added to the University Bulletin and the Schedule of
Classes. Approved courses (along with all documentation) are forwarded to the Office of the University
Registrar by the Dean’s Office.
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Step 1: Approval at the department/program level. The department or program chair must sign.

Step 2: Approval at the School Council level is required for all undergraduate courses (courses
numbered 199 and lower). The Chair of the School Council must sign. A course may be approved by
more than one School Council. The respective Dean of the graduate schools must sign for IBS, Heller,
and GSAS courses (numbered 200 and above). For EL practicums, the Director of Experiential
Learning and Teaching must sign.
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Step 3: The Dean of Arts and Sciences must sign for all undergraduate and GSAS courses.
The Registrar’s Office will notify departments/programs if additional information is required to process the
course approval. The Registrar’s Office reserves to the right to edit the course description for clarification,
length and consistency with standard verbiage.
Required Signatures:
1: Department or Program Chair:
2: School Council Chair(s) or Grad School Dean
or Director of Experiential Learning and Teaching:
School Council (check all that apply):
Creative Arts
Humanities
Science
Social Science
3: Signature of the Dean:
General deadlines for new course approvals to be finalized in order for courses to be included in the Schedule
of Classes for the appropriate registration period:
To be included in:
Obtain approval on or before:
April early registration for fall term
Summer registration
November early registration for spring term
February 1
May 1
October 1
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR THE COURSE CATALOG AND SCHEDULE OF CLASSES
The standard semester course is four (4) credits. If the course you are submitting is not 4 credits, please
include a justification in the course materials.
Type of Course:
large lecture
small lecture
seminar
studio
lab
practicum
Course Restrictions and Other Stipulations:
Prerequisites:
Corequisites:
Laboratory/Studio/Materials fee: $
Limited access (you may choose one or both methods):
Enrollment limited to
Signature of instructor required
Proposed Frequency: (do not leave blank; if uncertain, indicate most likely possibility):
Every semester
Every year
Every second year
Every third year starting
Every fourth year starting
Special one-time offering; not to be offered again
Previous History:
Has this course been offered before?
Yes
No
Has a course similar to this course been offered before?
Yes
No
If the answer to either question is yes, indicate the course identification number and title of the previously
offered course and the most recent academic year in which it was offered. (Please attach a copy of the course
description as it appeared in the University Bulletin.)
Course Schedule Data: (subject to the approval of the University Registrar):
Proposed to be first offered:
Instructor (check one):
Requested Block:
Ms.
Spring 20
Mr.
Fall 20
Summer 20
Department/Program
Requested Hours:
Room Resources Request:
Degree Audit:
Specify which requirements this class fulfills toward the major/minor or graduate degree for coding on the
Degree Audit.
University Requirements:
The instructor is responsible for submitting all courses to be approved by the committees governing the
particular requirements which the course fulfills. The committees notify the Registrar’s Office directly when a
course has been approved. Check all University Requirements for which you intend to seek approval:
Foreign Language
Physical Education
Non-Western and Comparative Studies
Quantitative Reasoning
Oral Communication
Writing Intensive
Cross-Listing/Elective Approval:
Subject area(s) to cross-list or add as an elective for this course:
Degree audit information for a cross-listing or elective is required. Please contact the department or
program to obtain this information.
The Registrar’s Office will notify departments/programs if additional information is required to add the course
to the Course Catalog, the Schedule of Classes, or the Degree Audit.
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Curriculum Details:
1) Please list appropriate key words related to the proposed course that would assist others in finding the
course through class search:
2) Please articulate the learning goals for this course:
3) Please identify other courses offered at the University that overlap content, subject matter or title with
the proposed course.
To search for courses offered this academic year, please use the class search Keywords search
feature in the public schedule of classes
http://www.brandeis.edu/registrar/schedule/search?strm=1143&view=UGRD. You may select the Fall
and Spring term and include either Undergraduate or Graduate courses or All.
The University Bulletin also lists classes by subject area
http://www.brandeis.edu/registrar/bulletin/provisional/courses/subjects/index.html and may assist you
in identifying courses with content overlap.
Recommended Guidelines: Syllabus Checklist
1. Contact Details and Office Hours: instructor’s office telephone number, e-mail address, website, office
address and office hours.
2. Course Description and Objectives: short description of the course and the context in which it is taught.
Address teaching methodology and general expectations of students, including the expectation that students
will expend three hours of out of class effort (e.g., reading, writing papers, completing problem sets, studying
for exams, etc.) for each hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction. Consider adding this statement to your
syllabus: Success in this four- credit course is based on the expectation that students will spend a minimum of
9 hours of study time per week in preparation for class (readings, papers, discussion sections, preparation for
exams, etc.).
3. Learning Goals: describe the knowledge, skills, and/or outlooks which you would like the students to learn
or be able to demonstrate as a result of this course. Consider using action verbs.
4. Prerequisites: explanation of the level at which the course is pitched, list of courses that are formal
prerequisites (must correspond to official list; consult department office or Brandeis University Bulletin if in
doubt): This section might also mention topics or skills with which students should be familiar.
5. Course Plan: this is the heart of the syllabus—a detailed list of topics for the semester, perhaps
accompanied by a statement that these topics may be amended with student input during the term. Consider
including an entry for each class session with projected topics and readings. The Academic Calendar is online
on the Registrar’s website; please remember “Brandeis Mondays,” etc. Some instructors also choose to
include in this section brief objectives for sessions and/or questions for study and discussion.
6. Evaluation: explanation of grading, including percentages allocated to elements such as class participation,
exams, homework, papers, projects. Normally, these percentages should not change once the course starts.
All students in a course must be evaluated the same way (this may include giving all students the same option,
e.g., paper vs. exam). It is useful to also announce your policy for missed exams or deadlines (e.g., do you
require documentation of the excuse?). If you are going to penalize students who do not attend a certain
number of classes, this should be stated explicitly here.
7. Disabilities: every syllabus must contain the following paragraph: “If you are a student with a documented
disability on record at Brandeis University and wish to have a reasonable accommodation made for you in this
class, please see me immediately.”
8. Academic Integrity: The Director of Academic Integrity advises that every syllabus include a paragraph on
academic integrity, such as the following: You are expected to be honest in all of your academic work. Please
consult Brandeis University Rights and Responsibilities for all policies and procedures related to academic
integrity. Students may be required to submit work to TurnItIn.com software to verify originality. Allegations of
alleged academic dishonesty will be forwarded to the Director of Academic Integrity. Sanctions for academic
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dishonesty can include e failing grades and/or suspension from the university. Citation and research
assistance can be found at LTS - Library guides.
9. Privacy: If you are using online tools that would expose student coursework to parties outside the class,
then you must include a statement like the following and provide appropriate safeguards: "This class requires
the use of tools that may disclose your coursework and identity to parties outside the class. To protect your
privacy you may choose to use a pseudonym/alias rather than your name in submitting such work. You must
share the pseudonym/alias with me and any teaching assistants as needed. Alternatively, with prior
consultation, you may submit such work directly to me."
10. Communications: details of class mailing lists, class websites and other links, if appropriate. Explain how
syllabus changes, including accommodations for “snow days,” will be communicated and how students should
keep themselves informed.
11. Course Materials: materials recommended for purchase, including textbooks, case packets and online
materials.
12. Critical Dates: the plan should include dates for exams, homework assignments, papers, projects and
presentations. It is important to identify the date of the final exam, if any, which should be in the time slot the
University assigns for that block. Any mandatory exercises outside of scheduled times must also be listed.
The Undergraduate Curriculum Committee recommends that in-class graded exercises not be scheduled
during the last week of classes. Whenever possible, final exams should be held during the official examination
period, and other exams, take-home exams or quizzes should be completed before the last week of classes
begins. In planning dates, faculty should be sensitive to the religious obligations of their students.
Experiential Learning (EL) Practicum Options
Brandeis offers a variety of Experiential Learning (EL) practicum courses in all disciplines that focus on both
the theoretical and experiential realms of course topics. These courses enable students to develop skills,
knowledge, and values from practical experiences and ongoing reflection. Practicum courses include projects
that can involve research, lab work, community-based learning activities, theater, or art. These projects must
be relevant to the course material in the base course. Any practicum can be taught as Community-Engaged
Learning (CEL), in which activities are carried out in reciprocal partnership with community organizations,
generating civic learning and improved understanding of the social issues at hand.
Faculty interested in teaching EL practicums can choose between the following options:
1) Two-credit EL 94a Pilot Practicum
A pilot must transition into a formally approved practicum course after being offered up to 3 times
within in 3 academic years. See below for registration process.
2) Two-credit EL Practicum, formally approved by Department Chair and the Dean of Arts and Sciences,
with a permanent course number
3) Six-credit EL Practicum Course
The EL practicum should include:
1) Hands-on experiences relevant to the base course content that engage students intellectually,
creatively, socially, physically, and/or emotionally. Practicum activities should present opportunities to
observe, experience, or engage with the theories learned in class.
2) Structured reflection assignments and processes that enable students to think critically about their
experiences and make nuanced connections between theory and practice.
3) Unknown outcomes allowing students to learn from natural consequences, mistakes, and successes.
4) Opportunities for students to take initiative, make decisions, and be accountable for the results.
Official EL practicum course approval:
 Practicum courses must be open to the entire class. Formally approved courses must have a minimum
of 3 students enrolled.
 Any EL 94a practicum may run up to 3 times within 3 academic years without being formally approved.
This allows faculty members to run pilot programs and experiment with practicum ideas and
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organization. After this, the EL 94a cannot be offered again unless it is formally approved. At any point
the faculty member can decide to pursue the course approval.
After the EL 94a pilot is offered a maximum of 3 times within 3 academic years, the EL practicum must
go through official course approval processes. This is the same process as regular course approval,
except that the school council chair signature is not required and the faculty member must consult with
the Office of Experiential Learning and Teaching.
Once the practicum course is formally approved, it will be given an official course number, e.g. EL 15EL 88. Approved courses must have a minimum of 3 students enrolled.
Once the practicum is approved, if there is a change in the instructor or co/pre-requisite base courses,
then the new instructor or faculty member must consult with the Office of Experiential Learning and
Teaching.
Students may not enroll in an EL practicum course as a standalone course. Practicum courses can be taken
either concurrently with the base course or within one year after completing the base course. Should a student
drop/withdraw from the base class, enrollment in the associated practicum course will be automatically
dropped.
There is no limit to the total number of practicums that many count toward the 128 credits required for
graduation. Individual academic departments and programs may decide whether or not to count practicum
courses toward major or minor requirements.
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