Senate Document Number 2501S

Date of Senate Approval 02/08/01

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Statement of Faculty Senate Action:

APC Document 12:   Add an Introductory Course and a Capstone Course to the International Studies Minor

Effective Date: Fall 2001

a. Add "modern" to the foreign language requirements.

Delete: In Catalog 2000-2001, on page 135, under Specific Requirements, the whole of number 1: six of the required hours must come from foreign language study beyond the 100 level.

Add: Six of the required hours must come from modern foreign language study beyond the 100 level.

Impact: None.

Rationale: The Director and the International Programs Advisory Committee felt this change is necessary for clarification; to preclude some student's using Latin or Greek (or another ancient language) to fulfill the foreign language requirement (see concurrences).

Add: on page 135 before the Special Topics entry:

INST 400, Senior Seminar in International Studies (3)
Students design and carry out individual research projects with an interdisciplinary international theme, utilizing foreign language written sources and/or interviews, and present their research orally and in writing. Prerequisites: ANTH 215 or HIST 152 or POLS 180. See program director.

Add: In place of the deleted section, the following:

Courses must be taken from at least four disciplines, as approved by the program director, and include an introductory course and a capstone course. The introductory course requirement for the international studies minor may be met by ANTH 215 or HIST 152 or POLS 180. The senior capstone requirement for the international studies minor can be met by either INST 400 or a 400-level special topics course approved by the program director. Nine of the required hours must be taken at the 300 level or higher.

Impact: The new requirement for an introductory course is not expected to have a substantial impact on enrollment in these classes, given that 2 of the 3 classes that meet these requirements meet general education requirements and thus are offered frequently and in sufficient numbers to accommodate interest level.

Rationale: The first change simply reflects the fact that some disciplines, including sociology and anthropology, are represented within the same department but should be distinguished in measures of the breadth of disciplinary exposure.

The second change reflects the feeling among the Director and the International Programs Advisory Committee that International Studies minors need an introductory international course before advancing to the upper-division courses that comprise the bulk of the international studies minor.

Three options are offered for fulfilling the introductory course, all existing courses (see concurrences). All three courses are interdisciplinary. ANTH 215 and POLS 180 meet the general education social science requirement and seek to offer an interdisciplinary approach to international studies. HIST 152 is taught "emphasizing political, diplomatic, economic and social development." All three courses emphasize the interaction of different societies.

The third change represents the director's and committee's feeling that international studies minors need a senior research experience that allows them to develop their international and interdisciplinary interests and skills in a capstone course.

Two options are offered for fulfilling the capstone course. The first is a new course, INTS 400, Senior Seminar in International Studies, a research and readings seminar. The second option is an independent 400-level research and readings course, approved by the International Studies Director and supervised by a faculty member who has taught in the international studies program.

In either case, students will be required to design and carry out an individual research project with an interdisciplinary international theme in order to earn credit for the demonstration of senior competency in the International Studies minor. Students will be encouraged, where appropriate, to use foreign language written sources and/or interviews in their research.

The final change reflects the Director of International Program's discomfort with the fact that some students have fulfilled the requirements for the International Studies minor based primarily on 100 and 200 level courses. This change is designed to prevent that option.