THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT ASHEVILLE

FACULTY SENATE

Senate Document Number 2705S

Date of Senate Approval 03/03/05

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Statement of Faculty Senate Action:

APC Document 21: Changing major restriction use for POLS 150;

Change in Prerequisite for POLS 499

Effective Date: Fall 2005

1. Delete: On pg. 192, at the end of section I. under Major in Political Science and at the end of

Section I under POLS with Teacher Licensure:

(POLS 150 may not be included in these hours).

Impact: Political Science majors taking POLS 150 are currently limited to fulfillment of a Social Science

General Education requirement. This change will allow students to receive major credit for this class that

offers a global as well as domestic focus on political systems.

Rationale: POLS 150, Politics for a Changing World, does much to prepare students for success in the

Political Science department as well as familiarize non-majors with the responsibilities of citizens in the

contemporary world. We expect to see students entering the major better prepared to take our two

introductory courses, American Political Behavior and Principles of International Relations.

2. Add: On pg. 193, in the course description for POLS 150, before "Fall and Spring":

In order for Political Science students to receive credit toward major requirements,

this course must be taken before they reach junior standing.

Impact: While major students will be allowed to receive credit for this course, it will have to be taken

early in their matriculation through the departmental offerings.

Rationale: POLS 150 is best taken as an introduction to the major or as a survey course for non-majors.

Its designation as a 100-level course does not offer the content coverage or level of analysis present in

the department’s upper division courses; therefore, it should be unavailable to political science majors

well into their 300-level classes. This department objective can be met by denying enrollment to majors

with more than 60 credit hours.

3. Delete: On pg. 198, in course description for POLS 499:

Prerequisite: POLS 390.

Add: On pg. 198, in place of deleted entry:

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.

Impact: Seniors engaged in undergraduate research projects will now work directly with their research

advisor rather than requiring the POLS 390 instructor to approve all topics.

Rationale: Undergraduate research should reflect the interest of the student and expertise of their

faculty advisor who may or may not be the political science professor who teaches Political Analysis. The

POLS 390 prerequisite may add unnecessary time and redundancy in ways which might undermine the

completion of a successful project.