Baccalaureate Core Committee

Voting members present: Kathy Becker-Blease, Kelsey Emard, Daniel Faltesek, McKenzie Huber, Jack Istok, Matt Kennedy, Lori McGraw, Rene Reitsma, David Roundy Rorie Solberg, Kaplan Yalcin
Voting members absent: Heather Arbuckle
Ex-Officio members present: DPD Director– Bradley Boovy; Academic Programs and Assessment – Heath Henry; WIC Director– Sarah Perrault Tinker; Ecampus– Karen Watte
Guests present: Linda Richards

Dual-Listed Course Review

• HST 201 – Western Culture/Difference, Power & Discrimination (DPD)
  • Motion to recertify in Western Culture and decertify in DPD; seconded. The motion passes with 12 in favor, none against. One abstention.
• HST 202 – Western Culture/Difference, Power & Discrimination
  • Unified syllabus that manages to equally meet both categories.
  • Motion to recertify in both categories; seconded. The motion passes with 11 in favor, one against. One abstention.
• HST 203 – Western Culture/Difference, Power & Discrimination
  • Syllabi are inconsistent – some are very well done, some need work.
  • Motion to decertify in both categories; seconded. The motion passes with 9 in favor, two against. Two abstentions.
• ES 334 – Literature & the Arts/Difference, Power & Discrimination
  • None of the syllabi specify students can only get credit in one category.
  • Assessment details are incredibly vague.
  • Seems to fit the spirit of both categories but the materials themselves are somewhat lacking. Might be better off in Literature & the Arts, though there is not quite enough information on DPD topics to be certain.
    • The instructor has the option to resubmit.
  • Two major writing assignments (60% of the grade) – the students can pick one or other of the category topics, but there’s nothing that says they can’t pick the same category for both assignments.
  • Motion to decertify in both categories with notes to the submitter that assessment of both categories be expanded upon; seconded. The motion passes with 12 in favor, none against. One abstention.
• HSTS 417 – Science, Technology & Society (STS)/WIC
  • A proposal has come through to remove the WIC from program requirements.
    • The Integrative Biology curriculum committee has decided to more tightly focus the WIC requirements for our pre-health students. The HSTS 417 course used by a number of our pre-health students over the years is now rarely used (4 students last year) based on other offerings that have been developed. It is also not as useful to students who do not end up being medical practitioners. This proposal moves HSTS 417 to our Medicine, Health and Society section of the option where it remains an excellent choice for our students.
      • History majors still can count the course toward the degree, but a different WIC is required.
    • An update from Academic Programs & Assessment: There is a proposal for a new major in CIM that will use HSTS 417 for WIC. It is still in the proposal phase.
      • The committee decided not to consider the effect of any proposals in CIM that were not approved for the catalog.”
  • Does adding a WIC designation restrict other students from taking the course for their STS category?
  • STS assessments are addressed a little more vaguely than they are for WIC.
  • Comment from guest: The course was designed for WIC and plays an important role connecting humanities to sciences.
  • Does not meet Learning Outcome 2 in the form or syllabus. Assessment discussion is missing from many syllabi for the STS category.
    • Motion to decertify in WIC, recertify in STS with notes to the submitter to expand the assessment of STS; seconded. The motion passes with 10 in favor, one against. Two abstentions.
• SOIL 395 – Science, Technology & Society/WIC
  • This course will be discussed during the next meeting.
• TA 332 – Literature & the Arts/WIC
  • This course will be discussed during the next meeting.

Category Review – Contemporary Global Issues

• No Discussion Needed
  • WGSS 360
    • Approved with no discussion needed
  • PS 345
    • Approved with no discussion needed
• Discussion Needed
  • SOC 480
    • This course will be discussed during the next meeting.