College of Arts and Sciences

Educational Policy Meeting

 

Minutes of the 392nd Meeting

March 20th, 2003

____________________________________________________

 

MEMBERS.

PRESENT:� Ann Marie Barry, Joe Burns, Michael Connolly, Clare Dunsford, Solomon Friedberg, Carlos Jaramillo, Alan Kafka, Thomas McGuinness, Michael Martin, Gilda Morelli, Bob Murphy, Clare O'Connor, Mary Daniel O'Keeffe, O.P., Jennie Purnell, Joseph Quinn, Grace Simmons, Eileen Sweeney.�

ABSENT: Andrea Defusco-Sullivan, Michael Malec, Gabe Verdaguer, Barbara Viechnicki, Derek Williams.���

INVITED GUEST: Carol Hurd Green.

 

 

CALL TO ORDER:� Dean Quinn called the meeting to order at 4:00 P.M. noting that the bulk of the meeting would be devoted to reports from the Academic Affairs subcommittee.

 

MINUTES: �Minutes for February 13th, 2003 were approved subject to corrections offered by Clare Dunsford and Solomon Friedberg.

 

SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS.

 

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS:

 

INTERDEPARTMENTAL MINOR IN PSYCHOANALYTIC STUDIES.

 

Solomon Friedberg reported that the proposal for a Psychoanalytic Studies minor, which the subcommittee had sent back to Professor Vanessa Rumble, had been resubmitted with additional information responding to the subcommittee�s concerns. He reported that the subcommittee recommended accepting this proposal and called for discussion.

 

�        Bob Murphy noted that the two options for the required introductory course, PL 429 and UN 879 / PY 879 seemed unequal. Solomon Friedberg noted these were from the two different tracks of the proposed minor.

 

�        Dean Quinn asked if freshman would even be able to get in to these courses. Clare Dunsford noted that, since students do not usually start minors as freshmen and sophomores, they should be able to get in and the problem of an 800 level course could be addressed as an advising issue. Carol Hurd Green noted that students were encouraged to begin minors in the second semester of their sophomore year.

 

�        Michael Connolly stated that interdepartmental minors were supposed to include courses from three areas while this program�s two tracks emphasized philosophy and English. Solomon Friedberg responded that the two tracks gave the minor intellectual coherence.

 

�        Dean Quinn, noting that these were not new courses, asked if they would be offered frequently enough to ensure students sufficient opportunity to fulfill the requirements in time. Solomon Friedberg answered that the subcommittee had originally asked the same question and had in the resubmitted proposal received assurances from the concerned departments. Carol Hurd Green added that since the numbers of students in the minor would be small access would not be a major problem.

 

�        Dean Quinn asked if the departments were coordinating their offerings to ensure regular availability of courses. Michael Connolly stated that, while coordination was difficult even at the department level, the creation of a functioning advisory committee was a good sign. Carol Hurd Green stated that coordination was the job of the director of a minor, noted the strong commitment from the departments to support this program, and noted that the advisory committee was a requirement for a minor.

 

�        Tom McGuinness asked if the UN 879 / PY 879 was an appropriate course for an undergraduate minor given both its level and the specific focus of that course on psychoanalytic practice. Joe Burns noted this course was directed at practicing clinicians. Dean Quinn asked if the format of a course designed for doctoral students was appropriate for undergraduates in a minor. Solomon Friedberg noted that PL 429 focused on psychoanalytics within the humanities while Meissner�s UN 879 / PY 879 course provided an introduction to psychoanalytic practice.� Dean Quinn responded that in practice the PL 429 could be the introductory course with the UN 879 / PY 879 allowed by permission when appropriate for the student.

 

�        Tom McGuinness stated the minor seemed too dependent on individual faculty members and on the college�s commitment to maintaining faculty with these interests. Carol Hurd Green responded that all minors faced these problems but this minor had strong support from four different departments. Bob Murphy, noting that faculty leaves and departmental personnel changes were a fact of life, agreed that the support for this minor was impressive. Carol Hurd Green added that the institutional commitment was to the idea of having interdepartmental minors.

 

�        Dean Quinn stated his support for the proposal and noted the EPC generally seemed to be in support. Bob Murphy asked that the two concerns be addressed by the subcommittee or the deans. Clare Dunsford stated that the issue of UN 879 / PY 879 course and the issue coordinating of the offerings seemed to be tinkering and moved the program be approved. Solomon Friedberg seconded the motion.

 

The EPC voted unanimous approval of the proposed interdepartmental minor in Psychoanalytic Studies.

 

REVIEW OF DEPARTMENTAL MINORS.

 

Solomon Friedberg reported that the subcommittee�s review was now completed.

  • All the questionnaires had been returned;
  • these had been reviewed by small subcommittees;
  • and, after comparison of five minors with similar programs at other universities, this procedure had been dropped as being not really useful.

 

Friedberg stated that while in general the minors in the College appeared intellectually sound, coherent, and did not place an undue burden on departmental resources, several specific problems had been found:

 

1.      Because of systems limitations and inconsistent record keeping and reporting by the university registrar, there were inconsistencies from one minor to the next:

�        enrollment figures were unavailable for some minors;

�        not all minors appeared on the students ST91 screens;

�        procedures for declarations of minors were inconsistent;

�        and completion of requirements often could not be checked.

 

Friedberg then stated the subcommittee recommended that declaration and degree audit procedures similar to those for the majors be instituted for all departmental minors.

 

2.      Two departments were found to be in violation of college regulations for use of core courses in minors and for the requirement of upper division courses in minors.

 

Friedberg then stated the subcommittee recommended that Dean Quinn address this issue with the noted departments.

 

3.      There exists no consistent policy concerning the use of AP credits in fulfilling requirements for a minor and noted that History was the extreme example allowing two of the six course requirement to be fulfilled with AP credits.

 

Friedberg then stated the subcommittee recommended that the following statute be adopted: Departmental minors must require at least six courses, taken during a student�s undergraduate career at Boston College. Advance Placement credit may not be used to decrease this number.

 

4.      The prohibition of courses required for a minor being taken P/F is not indicated in catalogue or the web pages discussing the minor.

 

5.      Computer Sciences minor requirements as listed on its web site differs from those in the catalogue.

 

Friedberg then stated this pointed up the need to get centralized and uniform descriptive information concerning the minors.

 

6.      Some departmental minors� titles sound interdisciplinary: e.g. Hispanic Studies.

 

7.      Film Studies

�        is treated as an interdisciplinary minor by the Dean�s office;

�        is described as a departmental minor in Fine Arts web site;

�        but meets the requirements for neither.

 

8.      The Romance Language minors anomalously require an upper division seminar in the senior year.

 

Friedberg noted that because under current procedures departmental minors apparently do not require EPC approval, the requirements may be altered at any time by the departments without resubmission. He then called for discussion.

 

  • Eileen Sweeney asked how the policy governing P/F in compared to that for the majors. Clare Dunsford replied that the catalogue states P/F is not allowed for credit towards core, majors, or minors. Michael Connolly, noting that P/F is allowed by the descriptions of the minors, recommended that the policy covering majors be extended to cover the minors.
  • Dean Quinn suggested this matter could be handed over to the Associate Deans who work with these issues of catalogue inconsistencies all the time. A general discussion ensued concerning:
    • prohibiting P/F, limiting the number of P/F allowed, or deferring to the judgment of the departments;
    • whether AP credit should be prohibited in the minors or whether that was a separate issue;
    • whether rules governing P/F and AP for the majors should be applied to the minors, whether ex post facto student appeals should be allowed, and whether the availability of appeals should then be announced to students;
    • how this impacted transfer students.
  • A subsequent general discussion ensued
    • concerning why and when History had adopted the use of AP credits to reduce the number of courses required for the major;
    • and whether there should be a rule requiring a specified number of upper division courses for a minor.

 

Dean Quinn, noting that the question of upper and lower division courses could be tabled for now, called for a motion on the subcommittee�s recommendation with the stipulation

�

    • that no P/F be allowed to meet requirements for the minors
    • and that no AP credits be used to reduce the number of required courses below six.

 

  • The subcommittee�s recommendation concerning point three above was amended to read: Departmental minors must require at least six courses, taken during a student�s undergraduate career.
  • Ann Marie Barry moved that the subcommittees report be adopted with the amendment prohibiting P/F courses and with the amended statement requiring six courses.

 

The EPC voted unanimously to adopt the subcommittee�s report and recommendations as amended.�

 

 

HONORS: �Report on AP credit policy deferred to subsequent meeting.

 

APPEALS:�

 

Alan Kafka reported that the subcommittee was currently working on three cases:

 

  1. A petition to have courses taken for enrichment used in calculating the GPA.
  2. An individual complaint claiming unfair treatment and grading practices.
  3. A complaint by four students in one course claiming unfair treatment and grading practices.

 

Kafka concluded stating the subcommittee expected to finish work on these before the May meeting.

 

ADJOURNMENT: Dean Quinn thanked all the members of the EPC and especially the Academic Affairs subcommittee and adjourned the meeting at 5:32 PM.

 

Respectfully,

 

 

 

Michael C. Martin

Secretary to the EPC