THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT ASHEVILLE FACULTY SENATE Senate Document Number 2592S Date of Senate Approval 4/16/92 Signature of Senate Chair __________________________ Date________ Action of Vice Chancellor: Approval _______________________________ Date________________ Denied _______________________________ Date________________ Reasons for denial and suggested modifications: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Statement of Faculty Senate Action: APC Document #24: Minor in International Studies Effective: Fall, 1992 for both catalog and Implementation Add: between the catalog copy for "Interdisciplinary Courses" and "Italian" *** catalog copy begins here *** Minor in International Studies The University of North Carolina at Asheville offers a minor allowing undergraduate students to pursue an interdisciplinary and comparative study of foreign cultures and countries. The purpose of the international studies minor is to provide the student with a greater knowledge and appreciation of the diverse cultural, economic, and political systems indigenous to foreign countries. It is designed to enhance and enrich a major in any department or program offered at UNCA by emphasizing a global perspective. Students majoring in any discipline may choose the minor in international studies with the consent of the Director of International Studies. Students pursuing the minor can select from a variety of courses and disciplines related to international studies, including modern foreign languages, humanities, and the social sciences. Individual programs of study require coordinated planning between each student's academic advisor and the Director. The program may be of particular value to those with career objectives in any number of fields including government, business, environmental studies, law, journalism, or teaching. It also serves those interested in inter-governmental agencies and non- governmental organizations such as the United Nations, and private religious and humanitarian service organizations. Students participating in UNCA-approved study-abroad programs may apply their overseas study credits to the minor or, where appropriate, to their major. The study-abroad program must be incorporated in the approved study plan prior to the student's participation. Choosing an Area of Concentration Students choosing to minor in international studies determine a concentration perspective through consultations with their department advisor and the Director of International Studies. The selected concentration provides a theme around which a program that best suits the student's intellectual and career objectives is developed. A study-abroad experience is recommended, but not required, for the minor. Requirements Students seeking a minor in international studies must take 21 semester hours which satisfy the requirements outlined below. Students satisfactorily completing the program will have an appropriate notation added to their transcript. A student will have satisfactorily completed the minor if a minimum cumulative 2.0 grade point average is maintained in the international studies courses listed in their program. Specific requirements for the international studies minor include the following: 1. Six of the required twenty-one hours must come from Foreign Language study beyond the 100-level. 2. Courses must be taken from at least four Departments. No more than six hours from the students major may be applied towards the completion of the requirements for an International Studies minor. 3. Courses included in a student's program must include significant international content relating to the modern era. The Director of International Studies, in consultation with the student's academic advisor, will determine suitable courses. *** end of catalog copy *** RATIONALE: In order to prepare its students to meet the challenges of a changing world, the University of North Carolina at Asheville must internationalize its curriculum, expand its international programs, and offer greater opportunities for students and faculty to study abroad. We need only to examine the implications of the pace and scope of recent changes in geopolitical relationships to understand why it is essential that UNCA internationalize more of its activities. We must develop ways to improve our human capital resources in order to cope with these changes. Graduates must be better prepared for the kind of world in which they will live and work. Improved understanding of global issues is necessary to produce citizens and leaders better able to cooperate with those from other nations. Communities in North Carolina must become comfortable with ethnic diversity domestically as well as globally. By being more literate with respect to foreign languages, geography, and cultural differences, our graduates will be more competent to deal with higher levels of interaction among nations Because of its location and other socio-economic factors, however, emphasis on international programs at UNCA have been somewhat limited and very few students have been exposed to any kind of international educational experiences. Still, in the last 15 years, our students have been awarded 18 Fulbright scholarships and received other scholarships for graduate study abroad. Both Chancellor Schuman and Vice-Chancellor Wilson have made internationalization of the University a major priority. In 1988, a Global Perspectives Task Force, composed of faculty, students, administration, and staff, was organized to establish a new set of priorities and a plan of action for internationalization of the University. A number of initiatives have been taken to strengthen the international programs and activities at UNCA. The Task Force has recommended, among other things, a major internationalization of the curriculum, the creation of faculty study groups and seminars, the expansion of study abroad program(s) in both European and Non-European settings, and the creation of an Office of International Studies to serve as a focal point for these and other efforts. Budget consideration permitting, efforts are being made to develop a formal Office of International Studies during the 1992-93 academic year. The Office of International Studies would serve to coordinate international activity and serve as a focus for the above mentioned public service and outreach activities. The Global Perspectives Task Force also recommended creating a minor program in International Studies to include a foreign language and some area study with many departments of the University offering relevant courses. Internationalization is a long-term project and the International Studies minor is a small inexpensive beginning step in attaining this important institutional objective. Impact Statement: The International Studies program will follow the lead of other interdisciplinary programs at UNCA, such as the Humanities, the Honors Program and the MLA Program. Faculty from many departments will be involved in the development and teaching of courses and International Studies minors will be drawn from a diverse group of majors. The impact on institutional resources is difficult to predict, but since the International Studies minor relies on discipline-based courses, costs should not be substantial. The International Studies minor may allow courses which had low enrollment previously to be taught on a more regular basis. APPENDIX A Requirement 3 demands courses with an international content. Such courses may vary from year to year as departments make catalog changes and course revisions Examples of courses that might be appropriate are listed below. This is not an exhaustive list. It is merely the courses suggested by departments that will be taken into consideration in designing an international studies minor in consultation with the student's major advisor. These courses will not be listed in the catalog. Rather, the Office of International studies will upon request, distribute copies of currently offered courses which meet the criteria. Economics 314 Economic Development 350 International Economics 415 Comparative Economic Systems Environmental Studies 443 Tropical Ecosystems 444 Tropical Ecosystems Field Experience Foreign Languages 351 French Civilization II 351 German Civilization II 335 Civilization of the Hispanic World History 350 Britain Since 1688 353 Modern Germany 355 European Women 365 Recent European History 366 Economic History of Europe 368 Soviet Russia Literature 349 Studies in Contemporary Literature 354 Masterpieces of Drama 446 Studies in Modern Literature Management 450 International Marketing Philosophy 313 Oriental Philosophy Political Science 180 War, Peace, and World Politics 281 Principles of International Relations 362 Contemporary African Politics 363 Politics of the Third World 364 Middle Eastern Political Systems 365 European Politics and Society 367 Soviet Political System 368 Latin American Politics 381 American Foreign Policy 382 History of World Politics 386 Soviet Foreign Policy Sociology 215 Intro. Cultural Anthropology 242 Comparative Cultures 302 Sociology of Religion 327 Anthropological Perspectives on Modern Europe 331 Political Sociology 350 Sociology of the Third World