THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT ASHEVILLE FACULTY SENATE Senate Document Number 1691S Date of Senate Approval 1/17/91 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Statement of Faculty Senate Action: APC Document #14: Catalog Changes in Mass Communication CHANGES REQUESTED: 1. SUBSTANCE OF THE CHANGE: Increase in credit hours for Newswriting. Catalog page 134: DELETE: Newswriting (2) REPLACE WITH: Newswriting (3) REASON: This course involves 7 contact hours per week on the term schedule (3.5 per week on a semester basis). Students should get credit more commensurate with the contact load of the course. We intend to continue offering the course on a Term I basis, with lab. 2. SUBSTANCE OF THE CHANGE: Correct course description. Catalog page 134: Newswriting. DELETE: "Course includes a non-credit lab." REASON: In light of #1 above, students now get credit for the lab. 3. SUBSTANCE OF THE CHANGE: Change in course number and credit hours. Catalog page 134: DELETE: 203 Opinion Writing (2) INSERT: 325 Opinion Writing (3) REASON: We will replace Opinion Writing as required for the major with a scriptwriting course (see below), but want to keep this course as an elective. The course content will be expanded with additional writing assignments to 3 contact hours and will be taught on a semester basis. 4. SUBSTANCE OF THE CHANGE: New Required Course. Catalog page 134: ADD: 203 Script Writing (3) Introduction to writing for the electronic media, including elementary script writing, story-boarding and pre-production planning. Prerequisite: MCOM 201. REASON: The introduction of a required electronic writing course, with deadline lab, will balance the print emphasis of the required newswriting course with an equally intense and rigorous writing experience related to electronic media. The Course will be taught in Term II, immediately following the Newswriting course (MCOM 201) from term I. 5. SUBSTANCE OF THE CHANGE: modify program requirement. Catalog page 133: Mass Communication Major Requirements, I. CHANGE: 36 hours TO 35 hours. DELETE: 486 REASON: 1. the increase in the credit hours for 201 and 203 minus the decrease in credit hours for eliminating 486 as a requirement yields a net reduction of the major by one credit hour. 2. The six hour block of 486/494 taught by a single person in a semester represents a continuing burden on our resources and our flexibility. Our experience has led us to the conclusion that undergraduate research is not for all students. Some do not possess the interest in research and others do not possess the ability to conduct high quality, original research projects. Our forcing them to do so only serves to graduate unhappy people. Furthermore, the immense burden of directing research projects for students who are uninterested or unprepared requires an unreasonable time commitment on the part of faculty. The senior seminar is retained in this proposal, and will be used as a rigorous capstone experience that will benefit all enrolled. 486 will continue as a regularly offered elective for those who do wish to have an undergraduate research experience. 6. SUBSTANCE OF THE CHANGE: Change in demonstration of competence. Catalog page 133, Mass Communication Major Requirements, IV. DELETE: All students must produce a senior thesis INSERT: All students must complete Senior Seminar (494) REASON: We are changing the focus of senior seminar from an undergraduate research experience to a rigorous capstone course relevant to all graduating seniors. 7. SUBSTANCE OF THE CHANGE: Eliminate unnecessary prerequisite. Catalog page 135, MCOM 490 and 492. DELETE: Prerequisite: completion of MCOM 390 REASON: We have found this prerequisite unenforceable, given the number of transfer students at UNCA, and have had to run additional sections of courses just to accommodate them. We could be offering electives instead of extra, low-enrollment duplicate requirements. The status quo places an unnecessary strain on departmental resources. 8. SUBSTANCE OF THE CHANGE: Change in prerequisites for Senior Seminar. Catalog page 135, MCOM 494 Prerequisites. CHANGE TO READ: completion of two of the following: 390, 490, 492. REASON: Students should have at least two of the three required conceptual courses before entering Senior Seminar. 9. SUBSTANCE OF THE CHANGE: Elimination of senior thesis. Catalog page 135, MCOM 494 course description. DELETE: in which students undertake the writing of a senior thesis REASON: Students will write in senior seminar. However, the nature of the writing will change to something more relevant to a capstone experience. We want the final seminar to provide for group consideration of central issues in the field. 10. SUBSTANCE OF THE CHANGE: Add three new electives to the curriculum. Catalog page 134 ADD: 362 Women and Minorities in Media (3) This course will examine the employment practices of the mass media within an organizational framework. It will also consider media portrayals of women and minorities, and women's and minority issues, in terms of mass media effects. REASON: The absence of this course represents a serious omission in our range of offerings. In addition to serving our majors, this elective will fit in UNCA's Women's Studies offerings. ADD: 364 19th Century Newspaper Women (3) A study of the way in which the many women who worked for American newspapers in the 19th century understood their roles as defined by the 19th century ideology of the Cult of True Womanhood. REASON: This course has been offered on two occasions as a special topic and has attracted a diverse enrollment. The syllabus for the course has been published twice as representative of innovative teaching in mass communication and women's studies. In addition to serving our majors, this elective will fit in UNCA's Women's Studies offerings. ADD: 331 Broadcast Journalism (3) Writing and reporting for radio/television news; basic studies in the history of broadcast journalism; the relationship between images and words. REASON: The department removed this course from the catalog in 1986. This was an error. Student demand for the material is high and the content is not duplicated in other MCOM courses. 11. SUBSTANCE OF THE CHANGE: Change in course name. Catalog page 134: MCOM 301 DELETE: Desktop Publishing Workshop ADD: Newspaper Workshop REASON: New title better describes what happens in the course. 12. SUBSTANCE OF THE CHANGE: Allow repetition of the newspaper workshop. Catalog page 134: MCOM 301 ADD: This course may be repeated for up to 3 hours credit. Repetition counts toward credits for graduation, but does not fulfill major requirements. REASON: We used to allow repetition of the workshop, but left it out by mistake in the last revision. Repetition allows for greater development of skills. 13. SUBSTANCE OF THE CHANGE: Change in course name. Catalog page 134: MCOM 303 DELETE: Electronic Media Workshop ADD: Video Workshop REASON: New title better describes what happens in the course. 14. SUBSTANCE OF THE CHANGE: Allow repetition of the video workshop. Catalog page 134: MCOM 303 ADD: This course may be repeated for up to 3 hours credit. Repetition counts toward credits for graduation, but does not fulfill major requirements. REASON: We used to allow repetition of the workshop, but left it out by mistake in the last revision. Repetition allows for greater development of skills. 15. SUBSTANCE OF THE CHANGE: updating the requirements for a minor. Catalog page 133: Mass Communication Minor. DELETE: Entire entry. ADD: 19 hours distributed as follows: MCOM 190, 201 or 203, 301 or 303, 6 hours elected from even-numbered 300 and 400 level courses, and 6 hours from odd-numbered 300 and 400 level courses. (MCOM 451 cannot be used to satisfy this requirement.)