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Minutes of the Administrative Boards
of the General College and the College of Arts and Sciences
Tuesday, September 27, 2011

The meeting was called to order at 3:35 p.m. and chaired by Senior Associate Dean Bobbi Owen.

Members in attendance: Allen Anderson, Jaye Cable, Chris Derickson, Juan Carlos Gonzales-Espitia, Jordynn Jack, Deborah Jones, Erika Lindemann, Lee May, Bobbi Owen, Krista Perreira, Gary Pielak, Chris Putney, Steve Reznick, Nick Siedentop, Mike Waltman, Barbara Wildemuth, Heather Williams

Absent: Yaakov Ariel, Karen Gil, Li-Ling Hsiao (on leave), Louise McReynolds, Dan Sherman (on leave), Keith Sockman, Dulcie Straughan, Jane Thrailkill

Staff: Laurie Holst

Senior Associate Dean Owen conducted a brief orientation for new members prior to the meeting of the full Boards.

1.  Undergraduate Minor in Education
The proposal for an undergraduate minor in education was approved. The Administrative Boards had earlier endorsed the development of the minor at their April, 2011, meeting. The minor will be effective with the fall 2012 semester.

Two core courses and the capstone course are still being developed, and the Boards will be updated when they have been submitted to the Office of the University Registrar for inclusion in the ConnectCarolina course catalog. Deborah Eaker-Rich has also indicated that a course list and supporting letters for the requirement that students complete a course outside the School of Education will be sent to the Administrative Boards later this semester.

2.  Dual Bachelors/Masters Programs in French and Francophone Studies and in Franco-Arab Studies
The proposal for two dual bachelors/masters degree programs, one in French and Francophone studies and the other in Franco-Arab studies, was approved. Associate Dean Erika Lindemann will communicate the Boards’ approval to Stephanie Schmitt in the Graduate School. The proposal will next  undergo review  by the Graduate School’s Academic Policy Committee.

Discussion of the proposal raised a concern about how the BA requirements align with specific courses currently required for the undergraduate major in Romance language with an emphasis in French and Francophone Studies, as well as with the undergraduate major in Asian studies with a concentration in Arab cultures. The Boards approved the two programs with the understanding that undergraduate students will be held to all course requirements currently in place for the major. The Boards deemed this point important especially for students who may enroll in the dual degree program but may not complete the MA; in that case, students in either program would receive a BA degree with a major in Romance languages and an emphasis in French and Francophone studies. The Boards requested further information from the faculty developing the proposal about  whether students in the Franco-Arab studies program who fail to complete the MA should also graduate with a second major in Asian studies (Arab cultures concentration).

Members of the Boards also requested that a letter of support from the Department of Asian Studies be provided for the record.

3.  Guidelines for Undergraduate Independent Study and Directed Readings Courses
At the request of Dean Karen Gil, a task force has been organized to develop guidelines for undergraduate independent study courses and directed reading courses. The resulting guidelines should address the following topics:

  1. Expectations concerning student assignments and contact hours with the instructor
  2. Conditions under which an active (approved) course may be taught in a different format (such as directed readings, independent study)
  3. Conditions under which a course may be taught as a directed readings course before it is submitted for a permanent course number.

Dean Gil requests a report no later than the end of classes in Spring 2012.

4.  Curriculum and Course Updates
Associate Dean Erika Lindemann and Curriculum Coordinator Nick Siedentop updated the Boards on the Office of Undergraduate Curricula’s summer work, including follow-up reviews of courses identified during  the curriculum review, actions on departmental curriculum changes, work in collaboration  with the Office of the University Registrar to draft 78 undergraduate minors for Tar Heel Tracker, and building a new web site.

5.  Report from the Curriculum Committee meeting, September 12, 2011
All submissions were approved with the exception of BIOL 395.

The meeting adjourned at 4:31 pm.