CURRICULUM COMMITTEE
Salem State University
MINUTES
Meeting: 13/14:12
Date: 4 December 2013
MEMBERS PRESENT:
Sami Ansari; Elizabeth Blood; Elizabeth Coughlan; Elizabeth Duclos-Orsello; Kathleen Hess;
Joseph Kasprzyk; Sanjay Kudrimoti; Stephen Matchak; Christopher Mauriello; Rory McFadden;
Megan Miller; Zachary Newell; Anne Noonan; Mary Platt; Amy Sprenkle; Jeffrey Theis
GUESTS: Vickie Ross, Felix Amato and Mary Byrne (Social Work), Steven Dion (PGR
Liaison)
I.
Chair’s Report
Jeffrey Theis announced that a quorum had been reached and called the meeting to order at 3:06
PM
A. Meeting Schedule for Fall 2013:
December 11, 2013
December 18, 2013
All Gen Ed new business has been assigned to a Course Review Subcommittee; the committee
discussed the requirement for bibliographies for new courses but not for old courses requesting
changes.
Jeffrey asked for volunteers for a recorder for next week. Amy Sprenkle volunteered.
Jeffrey announced minutes have been approved electronically.
II.
Subcommittee Reports
No reports
III.
Special Business
A. Personal Growth and Responsibility Description Change
Steven Dion was in attendance as GE liaison for the Personal Growth and Responsibility (PGR)
subcommittee. A concerned faculty member who had been a member of the 2012/2013 PACCC
PGR subcommittee reached out to the PGR liaison with a concern that the description of the
PGR category that was approved through governance in May 2013 did not fully reflect the
intention of the PACCC PGR subcommittee. After some consideration they concluded that the
change CC made to the PGR description in May made it seem as though the "ethical" aspect of
the course is paramount. They are requesting that the description be changed so that the term
"ethical/unethical" is in the description but is not seen as the most important category. They
provided a possible revision.
There was much discussion about this special business; it was agreed that proposals regarding
changes to the wording of Gen Ed descriptions need to go through governance like all other
proposals. The CC is not authorized to approve any re-wording of categories or definitions that
have been approved through governance.
We encourage Steven to submit a memo through All University explaining what changes he
thinks are appropriate. AU will then decide if this is a CC issue. There was further concern
about the timing for this change request because it is occurring after some proposals have
already been submitted but before they have been vetted. It may not be the appropriate time to
take up this description change. It was also suggested that, before AU or CC entertain any
changes to Gen Ed descriptions or criteria, those requests should go to PAGGE for their
comments and suggestions.
The CC ADVISES Steven Dion to submit his request to AU as a memo and to share the
suggestions with the co-chairs of the PAGGE.
IV. Old Business
General Education
A. FIRST YEAR SEMINAR (R. McFadden, Group B, and FYS, 10/11/13)
FYE100-First Year Seminar (Economics)-New Course (10/3/13)
FYSW100-First Year Seminar (Social Work)-New Course- (10/4/13)
14:100
14:101
Rory McFadden made a motion to approve the Economics Department proposal 14:100; Megan
Miller seconded.
Anne Noonan was the representative from the Economics Department. Anne Noonan recused herself
from voting on this proposal.
There was much discussion regarding this proposal. There was concern over the apparent lack of
academic exploration in the proposal. The course seems to address goal 3 very well – introduction to
the SSU resources – but it does not address the other goals. There is no well-developed exploration
of an academic topic like rational choices. Not even the bibliography has relevant readings; they are
all related to acculturation to college. The course needs grounding in expertise; rational choice needs
to be the intellectual focus. There is some mention of rational choice theory (e.g., Page 3 assignment
8 and the final project) but there is no evidence that the students will be working through these
theories throughout the semester. It is not clear how students are really learning in systematic way to
make those choices, or if they really grappling with the way to make that choice. The department
needs to fill out the topics section more to show how academic aspects are better integrated. The
assignments need to include academic aspects. This proposal sounds a lot like the old 108 and 109
courses that are no longer offered on campus
Megan made a motion to table the Economics Department proposal 14:100, Zachary Newell
seconded. The vote to table was unanimous.
Rory McFadden made a motion to approve the Social Work Department proposal 14:101;
Stephen Matchak seconded
Felix Amato and Mary Byrne were the representatives from the Social Work Department.
The original proposal for this class had been too much of a gateway into Social Work, but the
department has revised it so is it less of a gateway and more of an exploration of how helping
professions are portrayed in film. The course plans to look critically at how society sees helpers and
people who need help, and investigate how these perceptions have changed over time through the
way they are portrayed in films.
There was a question to clarify how the topic is tied to scholarly research such as theories of helpers.
The department representatives explained that they added articles and books about the value of
helpers, work values, and career choice. There is also more focus on ways of improving human
condition and looking at burnout in the helping profession. They also changed an assignment from
"Why do I want to be a helper?" to "how do helpers benefit society or not?"
Members of the CC were still concerned that the class seems to focus too much on students' opinions
and not enough on the scholarly research related to the helping professions. They suggested that the
department could focus on the films as cultural representations or products of their time that could
be used to gain insight into the change of society's perceptions of helping professions over time.
Thinking about these films as texts that need to be interrogated; focusing on how Hollywood
represents helpers instead of what students think about helpers. Look at and frame issues in certain
ways like a text, not just a prompt. The department representatives agreed, and in fact had planned to
show films from different points in time to get at the changes that have occurred in the helping
profession; for example, historically there was a time when there was great stigma surrounding
mental illness – the department had planned to show this through the movie Ordinary People. More
current films will show the change in stigmatizations of mental illness. The final project will be
engaging. Students will create some short movie or a broadcast radio show that has something to do
with the human condition; their own way to have helper and helpee.
CC members felt that the written proposal is not worded in a way that effectively integrates movies
and a scholarly investigation into helping professions; however, the discussion made it clearer that
the department will integrate academic topics throughout the semester.
With much discussion and no changes, the vote to approve the Social Work Department proposal
14:101 was unanimous.
There being no other business, Megan Miller moved to adjourn the meeting; Sanjay Kudrimoti
seconded. The vote to adjourn was unanimous, and the committee adjourned at 3:48 PM.
Submitted by __________________________________
Kathleen Hess (recorder)