Minutes of the General Education Committee
for December 12, 2001

The Committee met at 12:00 in D135 MOLN. Members present were Akindes, Allen, Becker, Duetsch, Khan, Mullen, Norton, L. Piele, White, and Wilson. Also present were P. James and G. Schutte.

Professor Schutte outlined a proposal that is being developed for a new 3-credit general education requirement that he termed "cultural awareness." The proposal is being developed jointly by members of the Ethnic Studies and International Studies Steering Committees. Sponsors of the proposal view it as a much-needed complement to the current diversity requirement which is focused on domestic (i.e., U.S.) issues, and propose that it be structured in much the same way - as a list of approved courses that may or may not fulfill other general education requirements.

Two principal concerns emerged in the course of discussion. First, as Professor Schutte described it, the proposal seemed to call primarily for comparative (i.e., cross-cultural) coursework, and perhaps not for coursework that emphasizes international issues. To strengthen the case for their proposal, Committee members urged the proponents to broaden the rationale in a way that would incorporate these somewhat different emphases. To this end, a clearer statement is needed of the criteria that courses must meet to fulfill the requirement. Second, no group was designated to oversee/monitor courses that would meet this requirement. The Committee urged the planners to specify the members of an oversight group. The planners were asked to present a more complete proposal early in the Spring semester.

Assistant Dean Wilson drew attention to the process that is being followed to approve diversity (DV) courses, and urged the Ethnic Studies Steering Committee to approve all sections of a course or none - not certain sections. Other members of the Committee supported this, saying that such an approach would give departments reason to monitor what takes place in all sections of courses that they seek approval for.

Finally, the Committee approved the request of the English department that ENGL 267 - Literature of Diversity - be added to the general education distribution list in category HA.

The meeting was adjourned at 12:55.