Liberal Studies Committee
Annual Report
2010-2011
Last Name / First Name / Rank / College / DepartmentKlett / Mitchell / Associate / PS / Education
Willis / Alan / Associate / A&S / History
Allen / Jon / Assistant / A&S / Political Science
Joy / Michael / Assistant / A&S / Languages
Brunswick / Gary / Professor / BUS / Business
Paulson / Mark / Associate / A&S / Chemistry
Freier / Mollie / Associate / AIS / Library
Hamilton / Amy / Assistant / A&S / English
Menard / Katie / Assistant / PS / Nursing
Chair’s Report on the Status of the Committee:
Over the course of the academic year 2010-2011, the Liberal Studies Committee completed the Review of Division III, foundations of natural sciences and mathematics. The Liberal Studies Committee developed an assessment rubric based on the skills and abilities listed in the current NMU bulletin for the liberal studies program in general and division III in particular. Instructors for division III courses were contacted during the winter semester and asked to submit course artifacts for selected students in their courses. Faculty were encouraged to submit their own reflections on how their course met the goals of the division. An assessment team was selected to review all submitted material.
Following the Liberal Studies bylaws, “2.6: The LSC shall choose its officers at the final meeting of the Winter Semester. An election will be held for chair, vice chair, and secretary. The chair and vice chair shall have had at least one year’s experience on the committee. The term of office shall be for one year, and officers may be re-elected.”
There Liberal Studies committee held an election for the 2010-2011 academic year.
· M. Paulsen is nominated for chair, Approved unanimously.
· J. Allen is nominated for vice chair. Approved unanimously.
· K. Menard nominates for secretary. Approved unanimously.
Course Review: Course Proposals Sent to Senate
Approved Courses
Course / Name / Division / World Cultures / LabCH 109 / Introductory Organic and Biochemistry for the Health Sciences / Division III / No / Yes
NAS 207 A, B, C / Anishabe Language: Seasons / Division V / No / No
NAS 315 / History of Indian Boarding School Education / Division II / No / No
NAS 320 / American Indian: Identity and Media Images / Division II / No / No
NAS 280 / Storytelling by Native American Women / Division II / Yes / No
NAS 330 / Native Cultures/Dynamics of the Religious Experience t / Division II / Yes / No
HS/GR 311 / Central European Culture and Civilization / Division II / No / No
HS 311X / Central European Culture and Civilization / Division II / No / No
NAS 412 / MI and WI Tribes, Treaties and Current Issues / Division IV / Yes / NA
NAS 342 / Indigenous Environmental Movements / Division IV / Yes / NA
SO 362 / Gender and Society / Division IV / Yes / NA
Approved World Cultures Courses
NAS 412 / MI and WI Tribes, Treaties and Current Issues / Division IV / 2010NAS 342 / Indigenous Environmental Movements / Division IV / 2010
NAS 280 / Storytelling by Native American Women / Division II / Yes / 2010
NAS 330 / Native Cultures/Dynamics of the Religious Experience / Division II / Yes / 2010
Not Approved
NAS 224 / Native American Beadwork / Division VI / YesNAS 414 / First Nations Women / Division II / Yes
Outcomes Assessment
The second task for the LSC was reviewing several courses for LS divisions. The courses and outcomes are listed in the table below.
The continuation of liberal studies program reform was followed in academic year 2010-2011. To continue reform efforts, the LSC maintained suggestions from the previous academic year. As a result of Liberal Studies reform effort, it was decide to evaluate the World Cultures element of the Liberal Studies Program. See appendix A for course list
The next challenge to the LSC is continuation of reviewing and evaluating proposed and existing liberal studies and world cultures courses. See appendix B for evaluation rubric.
Unfinished Business:
The Liberal Studies Reform proposal was presented to the Senate on March 22nd, 2010 and deemed acceptable for an informational presentation. The proposal is still under deliberation and is currently being discussed in the Liberal Studies Committee meetings. Attached are the rationale and proposal for the Liberal Studies reform. Appendix C
The following are courses for discussion for the2010-2011 academic session.
NAS 224 / Native American Beadwork / Division VI / ApproveNAS 414 / First Nations Women / Division II / Approve
HS 105 / World History / Move from Division IV to Division II
Appendix A
World Culture Courses
EVALUATION
Course ID / Credits / Title / Faculty Name
AD 265 / 4.00 / Art & Architecture Of Japan / Mitsutoshi, Oba
AN 100 / 4.00 / Intro Socio-Culture Anthropology / Alex K. Ruuska
4.00 / Intro Socio-Culture Anthropology / Alex K. Ruuska
BC 415 / 4.00 / Intercultural Communication / Shuang Xie
EN 311Z / 4.00 / World Literature in English: African Lit. / Jamie Kuehnl
4.00 / World Literature in English / TBA
4.00 / World Literature in English: African Lit. / Bronwyn Mills
4.00 / WEB: World Literature in English: SE Asia / Jaspal K. Singh
4.00 / WEB: World Literature in English: Caribbean / Bronwyn Mills
4.00 / WEB: World Literature in English: SE Asia / Jaspal K. Singh
EN 314 / 4.00 / Traditional Oral Literatures: Native American / Jamie Kuehnl
EN 317 / 4.00 / Native American Drama, Nonfiction and Short Stories / Amy T. Hamilton
EN 411Z / 3.00 / Topics in World Literature: S Asian Queer / Jaspal K. Singh
GC 164 / 4.00 / Human Geography / Richard H. Eathorne
4.00 / Human Geography / Teresa Bertossi
4.00 / Web: Human Geography / William A. Imperatore
GC 300 / 4.00 / Regional Studies: World Culture - Latin America / Richard H. Eathorne
4.00 / Web: Regional Studies: World Culture - Latin America / Richard H. Eathorne
HL 322 / 4.00 / International Health Issues / Mary J. Tremethick
HN 362 / 4.00 / Cultural Food Patterns / Mohey A. Mowafy
HS 105 / 4.00 / World History / Alan S. Willis
HS 233 / 4.00 / Native American History / W. Bergmann
HS 254 / 4.00 / Web: Introduction to the History of Africa / Alan S. Willis
NAS 204 / 4.00 / The Native American Experience / Shirley A. Brozzo
4.00 / The Native American Experience / A.Cree Dunn
4.00 / The Native American Experience / Grace Chaillier
4.00 / The Native American Experience / Grace Chaillier
PL 270 / 4.00 / World Religions / Antony Aumann
4.00 / World Religions / Antony Aumann
SN 314 / 4.00 / Contemporary Latin American Culture / Mary A. Andronis
Appendix B
Expectations / Exceeds
Expectations
Articulate how culture (primarily of Asia, Africa and the non-Anglo-Saxon Americas) is created and expressed through areas such as the arts, literature, philosophy, religion, and science and technology.
Articulate how culture is expressed and influenced through areas such as ethical values, and social, economic and political systems.
Articulate, within the global or regional context, how factors such as racial, ethnic, gender and class differences affect how groups within a culture relate to each other or to other cultures.
Articulate the values, norms, or beliefs of the world culture(s) being studied.
* At least 2/3’s of the course content concentrates on the patterns of thought and action that account for the distinctive ethos of the world culture(s) being studied.
Appendix C: Liberal Studies Reform
Existing Scholarship (Willis Rationale)
Direct scholarship on the value of a “mid-point” seminar such as the Committee is considering is limited. Instead, the body of scholarship that points in this direction focuses primarily on the question of “integrated learning experiences.”
The best synthesis of current thinking on liberal education in the United States comes from the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). Their work College Learning for the New Global Century pinpoints integrative learning as a central component of higher education (p. 51) and calls for common intellectual experiences as a “effective practice” for institutions of higher education (p. 53). Specifically, the AAC&U cites the need to “break out” of the academic categories and “silos” of the 20th Century to move education into the 21st Century (p. 18).
Specifically, the AAC&U cites seminars based on a broad theme as a particular “Effective Educational Practice” (p. 53). The AAC&U notes also notes in College Learning that students need explicit “compasses” – at Northern, we might call this a “roadmap” to parallel other institutional initiatives – in order to effectively navigate complex curricula (p. 29). Studies have also demonstrated that curricula need to be intentionally designed (p. 25). These ideas are not unique to the AAC&U or to that document. Nevertheless, most scholarship on integrated learning does not discuss the point in the curriculum in which it should be most directly addressed.
The difficulties of transitions from lower division to upper division is most explicitly outlined in Juliana Texley’s article “Twenty-First-Century Skills for Tomorrow’s Leaders” which appeared in the Winter 2007 issue of Peer Review. Jerry G. Gaff and Michael L. Davis also provide substantial support for the idea of intentionally designed integrated learning in “Student Views on General Education.” An intentionally designed transitional experiences is also supported by the general findings published in “A Model for Comprehensive Reform in General Education: Portland State University” which appeared in the 1994 edition of The Journal of General Education.
Insights from AAC&U Workshop
Northern Michigan University sent a team of five members to the AAC&U workshop and conference on general education in Newport, Rhode Island. At that conference, the team had the opportunity to discuss the nature of the NMU General Education program with multiple experts.
The NMU program was resoundingly criticized for allowing students to accomplish 32 hours of a 40 hour program at the 100 level (EN 211 and the Upper Division requirement (which is often in the major but can be double-counted) comprising the remaining 8 hours). While it is true that students are not required to do 32 hours at the 100 level and may, indeed, do much more of the program at the 200 level or in upper division courses, there is no intentional effort by the University to encourage students to do so.
Liberal Studies Reform: Program of Study (Proposal)
A student may apply no more than 12 credit hours of work with the same prefix to the Liberal Studies Program. Students are strongly encouraged to take the Liberal Studies Seminar during their sophomore year. Lower Division Studies (7 courses total)
Writing and Communications (minimum of 9 credit hours)
Students shall complete a minimum of 9 credit hours of communications. One course must be EN 211; only one EN211 course may be counted toward the completion of the Liberal Studies Program.
Students must complete a minimum of 3 credit hours in either a language other than English (which is also not their native language) or public speaking.
Students who are exempted from EN 111 or EN 109 without credit shall take a minimum of 6 credit hours in either a language other than English (which is also not the native language) or public speaking.
Courses would be drawn from current Division I and the language courses in Division V; CAPS would be explicitly invited to submit public speaking courses for the program; English would be asked to change the prefix of the composition courses from EN to CC (college Composition).
Quantitative and Scientific Analysis (minimum of 6 credit hours)
Students shall complete a minimum 6 in quantitative and scientific analysis.
Courses would be draws from current Division III and the appropriate quantitatively oriented Division V courses
Social Sciences and Humanities (minimum of 6 credit hours)
Students shall complete a minimum of 3 credit hours of S (social science) designated courses and 3 credit hours of H (humanities) designated courses.
Courses would be drawn from the current Division II and Division IV and Division VI courses
Theme (2 courses total)
Students will select one of the following themes:
· Diversity in America· Globalization
· Science in Society / · The Social Animal
· Reflections of the Human Condition
Seminar: LB 290 (4 credit hours)
Students shall take one seminar which addresses the theme of their choice from an interdisciplinary perspective. The Seminar shall capitalize upon the abilities highlighted in the program, engage students directly in the investigation of problems related to their theme, and in the evaluation of presentation of the findings of their investigations. Students shall be encouraged to view the issues within their theme from multiple perspectives.
Upper Division Thematic Course (minimum of 3 credit hours)
Students shall take one upper-division course (300 or 400 level) which is designated as part of the theme they have chosen for study. Such course shall address the theme with clear effort to capitalize upon the relevant Liberal Studies abilities and to use those abilities to pursue a deeper understanding of the relevant Liberal Studies understanding goal. Upper division courses are expected to engage students in discipline appropriate investigations and written analysis.