Minutes from the Joint Meeting of the General Education Committee
& the Ethnic Studies Steering Committee
for April 11, 2001

The Committees met at 12:05 in 233 CART. GEC members present were F. Akindes, L. Duetsch (Chair), P. James, F. Kavenik, P. Lyter, J. Noriega, S. Norton, T. Snell, D. Stevenson, E. Wilson, G. Wood, and E. Zepp. R. Becker was excused. ESSC members present were F. Akindes, C. Christie, F. Khan, and G. Schutte (Director).

Professor Schutte explained that the ESSC wishes to develop a proposal that the Diversity Requirement be increased from 3 credits to 6 by requiring that students take 3 credits of coursework involvingn cross-cultural comparisons with communities outside the United States. He pointed out that the current 3 credit Diversity requirement established by the Board of Regents is limited to coursework dealing with racial and ethnic realities faced by groups within the United States. He said that the ESSC believes that UW-P graduates should possess a modicum of sensitivity to cross-cultural issues that are international in scope.

As a practical matter, however, Professor Schutte said the ESSC was well aware that there could be resistance to any proposal that would increase the total number of general education credits required for graduation. Consequently he wished to explore ways in which this added requirement could be structured to avoid increasing the overall burden on students.

As discussion began, it quickly became apparent that everyone present supported the notion that our graduates should have a broader exposure to cross-cultural issues. It was noted that other institutions in the UW System already have this sort of graduation requirement. Our current distribution requirement does include a group of courses that involve multi-cultural analysis but students are not required to choose one of those courses. Moreover, courses in other sections of the distribution list that deal with multi-cultural (or cross-cultural) issues may not be chosen either.

As discussion continued, agreement was reached that the best approach might be similar to the oversight of our current Diversity requirement, i.e., the Ethnic Studies Steering Committee continually monitors (and approves) a list of courses that meet the requirement. A new list of courses that meet a Cross-cultural requirement could be monitored (and approved) primarily by the Ethnic Studies and International Studies Steering Committees, operating within guidelines established by the
General Education Committee and with input from the Committee on Teaching and Learning. As with our current Diversity requirement, courses that would satisfy a Cross-cultural requirement might be found in various sections of the distribution list or, in some cases, not simultaneously meet a distribution requirement.

There was some discussion of whether a Cross-cultural requirement should be restricted to non-European comparisons with the United States and differences of opinion about this clearly remained as the meeting ended.

Professor James and Professor Schutte agreed to work with the International Studies and Ethnic Studies Steering Committees,
respectively, to develop a specific proposal and rationale for a Cross-cultural requirement (including criteria for the selection of
courses that would meet it) so that the matter can be taken to the Faculty Senate in the Fall.

The meeting adjourned at 1:00.