Senate Document Number 0301F

Date of Senate Approval 11/08/01

APC Document 2:   Change to Environmental Studies Concentration:  
                               Earth Science with Teacher Licensure

Delete: On p. 106 of the current Catalog, under the section titled Earth Science with Teacher Licensure, paragraph:

II. Required Courses in Earth Science core--27-28 hours: ENVR 105, 320, 385, and PHYS 131; Two courses from ENVR 338, 381, 382; one course from ENVR 354, 383, 384.

Add: In the place of the deleted paragraph:

II. Required Courses in Earth Science core--28-29 hours: ENVR 105, 320, 385, and ASTR 105; Two courses from ENVR 338, 381, 382; one course from ENVR 354, 383, 384.

Delete: On p. 107, under the section titled Earth Science with Teacher Licensure, the whole paragraph beginning:

Students who wish to be licensed in Comprehensive Secondary Science….

Add: In the place of the deleted paragraph:

Students who wish to be licensed in Comprehensive Secondary Science (as distinct from Earth Science) must also complete BIOL 105, PHYS 131, and PHYS 231. Students seeking Middle School Science Licensure must complete the requirements for Earth Science with Teacher Licensure as well as BIOL 105 and PHYS 131. Also a second area of concentration, preferably in mathematics, is required for the middle school license. See the appropriate advisor in the Education Department for additional information about teacher licensure.

Impact Statement:
a. This change was initiated through discussions with Dr. Bill Miller of the Environmental Studies Department. The chairs of Environmental Studies, Physics, and Education concur with this course change.

b. This change will not significantly impact future staffing needs of any of the affected departments. ASTR 105 is often taken by science licensure students because of its broad applicability to science teaching. In addition, since both courses are staffed by the Physics Department, the change will not affect the allocation of resources in that department. The number of students expected to enter the affected licensure programs is low.

Rationale:
The inclusion of PHYS 131 in the original proposal was based on our interpretation of NC Department of Public Instruction (DPI) requirements for Earth Science Teachers. However, DPI has indicated that the astronomy course is necessary, and they have given us provisional approval for the substitution of astronomy for physics. The substitution is conceptually appropriate for the Earth Science concentration because knowledge of stellar systems provides a broad context for the study of the environmental systems of earth.