University of North Carolina at Charlotte PHIL 03-30-09
Revised Undergraduate
Course and Curriculum Proposal From: Department of Philosophy
Revision of Undergraduate Curriculum in Philosophy
A. Proposal Summary and Catalog Copy.
1. Summary. The Department of Philosophy proposes to:
Bold=Proposed Course Titles/Numbers/Descriptions
Underline=Current Course Titles/Numbers/Descriptions
· Remove twelve courses from the curriculum:
PHIL 2165 (Introduction to Political Philosophy; there are no 2000-level courses
of this type)
PHIL 2175 (Professional Ethics; see new specific professional ethics courses proposed below)
PHIL 3050 (Topics)
PHIL 3201 (Meaning of Death)
PHIL 3207 (Narrative Philosophy)
PHIL 3214 (Contemporary Philosophy; all courses have contemporary parts)
PHIL 3219 (History of Ethical Theory; see new PHIL 3210)
PHIL 3221 (Ethics; see new PHIL 3210)
PHIL 3265 (Theory of Knowledge; see new PHIL 3430)
PHIL 3275 (Metaphysics; see new PHIL 3430)
PHIL 3792 (Honors Thesis II; drop is subject to approval from Honors Council)
PHIL 4050 (Topics)
· Modify course titles and/or descriptions for: All current courses except (i) the twelve courses just listed to be removed from the curriculum, and (ii) PHIL 2101, PHIL 2102, and PHIL 2105
· Modify only course numbers for the following courses:
Medieval Philosophy, from PHIL 3212 to PHIL 3110
Internship in Applied Ethics, from PHIL 3452 to PHIL 3380
Practicum in Philosophy, from PHIL 3851 to PHIL 3600
Research Methods and Publication, from PHIL 3853 to PHIL 3605
Independent Study, from PHIL 3859 to PHIL 3610
· Add eleven new courses to the curriculum:
PHIL 3030, 20th Century Philosophy
PHIL 3120, 19th Century Philosophy
PHIL 3190, Topics in History/Genealogy
PHIL 3210, Ethical Theory
PHIL 3310, IT Ethics
PHIL 3320, Engineering Ethics
PHIL 3390, Topics in Ethics/Aesthetics
PHIL 3410, Knowledge and Reality
PHIL 3590, Topics in Knowledge/Language
PHIL 3830, Philosophy and Race
PHIL 3990, Topics in Identity/Society
· Increase credit hours required for a major from 30 to 33
· No longer offer the Traditional or Applied Concentrations for Majors
· No longer require the following course for a major:
PHIL 3214, Contemporary Philosophy
· Group all our regular courses into the following six topical areas:
Introduction to Philosophy (3 credits)
Logic (3 credits)
History/Genealogy (9 credits)
Ethics/Aesthetics (Ethical Theory) (6 credits)
Knowledge/Language (Knowledge and Reality) (6 credits)
Identity/Society (Social-Political Philosophy) (6 credits)
And require the following 7 courses from these six areas:
PHIL 2101 or PHIL 2102, Introduction to Philosophy
PHIL 2105, Logic
PHIL 3010, Ancient Philosophy
PHIL 3020, Modern Philosophy
PHIL 3210, Ethical Theory
PHIL 3410, Knowledge and Reality
PHIL 3810, Social and Political Philosophy
· Additional credit hours for major to be distributed as described in revised Catalog Copy (Section G2)
· Increase credit hours required for a Minor from 15 to 18
· Require the following 2 courses for a minor:
PHIL 2101 or PHIL 2102 (W), Introduction to Philosophy; and
PHIL 1105, Critical Thinking OR PHIL 2105, Logic OR PHIL3510,Advanced Logic
· Additional credit hours for minor to be distributed as described in revised Catalog Copy (Section G2)
2. Proposed Catalog Copy. Because this proposal affects almost every course in our curriculum, we have attached below (Section G2) revised Catalogue Copy and course descriptions for the entire, resulting curriculum.
B. Justification.
1. Identify the need addressed by the proposal and explain how the proposed action meets the need.
The Philosophy Department currently has a two-track major, Traditional and Applied. The original rationale for the applied track was twofold: (A) Many of our students are first attracted to philosophy because of their interests in applied areas, such as ethics (business, IT, health-care, engineering, and the like) or social-political philosophy (e.g. feminism, social justice, or other current issues). (B) Most of our faculty have research interests in applied philosophy (though almost always in combination with traditional areas of research). Over time, we have found it harder and harder to explain to our students the difference between the traditional and applied tracks for several reasons. First of all, the tracks overlap since all majors currently have to take the history sequence (plus logic and Introduction to Philosophy) because we want our students to be well trained in the history of philosophy: Ancient (Plato and Aristotle), Modern (Descartes and Kant), and Contemporary Philosophy. Second, as we introduced new or topics courses, it always seemed that each one could fall under either track. Third, and most important, we have always taught the traditional courses with a contemporary applied emphasis, and always included traditional theory in the applied courses (e.g., ethical theory for all our applied ethics courses).
So we have decided that it would be best for our students to change the two-track major and, instead, to integrate the tracks into a single major (with comparable adjustments for the minor). We believe that we can continue to attract students with the applied topics, yet better ensure that they graduate with a sound background in philosophy. This change is especially important for students considering graduate work in philosophy (which more of our students are doing), but it is crucial for all our students.
We will continue to require Introduction to Philosophy (PHIL 2101 or 2102 [W]) and Logic (PHIL 2105). Our remaining courses will be divided into four main areas listed below, each having a double title to reflect the earlier two-track major and to capture the range of subject matter within each area. Each area will have at least one required course (listed in parentheses below), and will include a list of elective courses (described later in this proposal).
History/Genealogy (Ancient Philosophy, Modern Philosophy) (9 credits)
Ethics/Aesthetics (Ethical Theory) (6 credits)
Knowledge/Language (Knowledge and Reality) (6 credits)
Identity/Society (Social-Political Philosophy) (6 credits)
As a result of these changes, majors will have to complete 33 credits rather than the current 30 (plus the language requirement). The Honors Council has approved (Section G4) a reduction by 3 the credits required for honor students in philosophy so that they will not have to take any additional courses.
2. Discuss prerequisites/corequisites for course(s) including class-standing.
We do not have any prerequisites/corequisites for any of the new courses we are proposing, nor for any that are being changed only in title or description. However, as before, we will continue to advise our students to take lower-level courses before taking upper-level courses. Our senior seminar and any other course designed exclusively for majors or minors will be limited to those students.
3. Demonstrate that course numbering is consistent with the level of academic advancement of students for whom it is intended.
All the new courses we are proposing are at the 3000 level and are thus intended for advanced students, though (per #2 above) we do not require prerequisites/corequisites.
4. In general, how will this proposal improve the scope, quality and/or efficiency of programs and/or instruction?
Our proposal will make the rationale and structure of our major/minor courses clearer to philosophy students and to all other students taking philosophy courses. They will see better how the various courses relate to one another, how they are related to other disciplines, and how they have an applied dimension.
C. Impact.
1. What group(s) of students will be served by this proposal? (Undergraduate and/or graduate; majors and/or non-majors, others? Explain). Describe how you determine which students will be served.
Undergraduate majors and minors will be mostly directly impacted by this proposal, but we believe that all students taking philosophy courses will have a better sense of the relevance of philosophy to their studies. In short, an additional effect of this proposal is that it will clarify and enhance the interdisciplinary nature of our courses.
2. What effect will this proposal have on existing courses and curricula?
a. When and how often will added course(s) be taught?
We are renumbering all our courses so that they fit the four areas of study, and within each area the courses with lower numbers (e.g., 3210 and 3220 within the 3200-3399 range) will be offered more often than the courses with higher numbers within that same range.
b. How will the content and/or frequency of offering of other courses be affected?
The required courses will of course be offered more regularly than others, so keeping to a predictable schedule for these courses will affect the frequency of the electives, especially so long as our staffing is tight. The content of the non-required courses has been recalibrated (if they are existing) or designed (if they are new) to complement the required courses, just as the required courses have been recalibrated or designed to prepare students for the courses that follow.
c. What is the anticipated enrollment in course(s) added (for credit and auditors)?
We are raising our enrollment caps to the following levels:
Introduction to Philosophy: 40 (though the W version is limited to 25)
Logic: 45 (online will be set at 60 or higher, if possible)
3000-level courses: 35
d. How will enrollment in other courses be affected? How did you determine this?
The demand for our courses is sufficient across the board to raise the enrollment caps without radically altering the necessary discussion component of all our classes.
e. If course(s) has been offered previously under special topics numbers, give details of experience including number of times taught and enrollment figures.
The following new courses have been taught as topics courses: Philosophy and Race, Engineering Ethics, and IT Ethics. Each attracted relatively small enrollments (15-20), but we expect the enrollment to increase the more regularly the courses are taught and the more we promote them to other units.
f. Identify other areas of catalog copy that would be affected, e.g., curriculum outlines, requirements for the degree, etc.
We have included the entire catalog copy (Section G2) because it is being totally re-written.
D. Resources Required to Support Proposal.
When added resources are not required, indicate “none”. For items which require “none” explain how this determination was made.
1. Personnel
a. No additional new faculty, part-time teaching, student assistant and/or increased load on present faculty is required, since all new courses can be taught by at least one current faculty member.
b. Qualified faculty members interested in teaching the new course(s):
PHIL 3030, 20th Century Philosophy: Gay, Bianchi, Boisvert, Hull, James, Kelly
PHIL 3120, 19th Century Philosophy: Gay, Hull, James, Kelly
PHIL 3190, Topics in History/Genealogy: Many faculty
PHIL 3210, Ethical Theory: Boisvert, Hull, Rasmussen, Tong
PHIL 3310, IT Ethics: Haris, Hull
PHIL 3320, Engineering Ethics: Haris, Hull
PHIL 3390, Topics in Ethics/Aesthetics: Many faculty
PHIL 3410, Knowledge and Reality: Boisvert, Croy
PHIL 3430, Mind, Cognition, Behavior: Boisvert, Croy
PHIL 3590, Topics in Knowledge/Language: Many faculty
PHIL 3630, Philosophy and Race: James, Souffrant
PHIL 3990, Topics in Identity/Society: Many faculty
2. Physical Facility. No additional resources, since all new courses will be taught in regular classrooms.
3. Equipment and Supplies. No additional resources, since all new courses require equipment and supplies similar to those required by our current courses.
4. Computer. No additional resources, since none of these courses requires additional computer work by students.
5. Audio-Visual. No additional resources, since none of these courses requires additional audio-visual work by students.
6. Other Resources. No additional resources, since all new courses require resources similar to those required by our current courses.
7. Indicate source(s) of funding for new/additional resources required to support this proposal. No additional funding for resources is required.
E. Consultation with the Library and Other Departments or Units
1. Library Consultation
A penultimate draft of this entire proposal was sent on April 1, 2009 to Judith Van Noate, Humanties Reference Librarian, for consultation. Her report is attached below (Section G3). Please note that some of the course numbers referred to by Ms Van Noate have since been modified in this final proposal.
2. Consultation with other departments or units
The following CLAS units have attached (i) a Short Form proposal (Section G4) to modify their course requirements and/or course descriptions to ensure consistency with the proposed revisions to the Philosophy curriculum, as well as (ii) the required Short Signature Sheet:
Africana Studies
American Studies
Communication Studies
Gerontology
Women and Gender Studies
The following units and Colleges have attached (Section G4) letters of support for this proposal:
Africana Studies
Cognitive Science
Computer Science
Lee College of Engineering
Women and Gender Studies
The following units and Colleges have confirmed via email (Section G4) that they are aware of the proposed revisions to the Philosophy curriculum:
Art History
Belk College of Business
International Studies
Languages and Culture
Political Science
Public Health Sciences
The University Honors Committee has approved (Section G4) revisions to the requirements for Honors in Philosophy, as described in the revised catalog copy (Section G2).
The Philosophy Department is not aware of any other unit or College affected by the proposed revisions to the Philosophy curriculum.
F. Initiation and Consideration of the Proposal
1. Originating Unit
During the Fall 2008 semester, the Philosophy Department Curriculum Committee completed an exhaustive review of our current curriculum, which included a review of current faculty teaching expertise, course offerings from the previous four years, and faculty understanding of the Traditional/Applied Philosophy Concentration distinction. In light of these findings, Department faculty as a whole designed this new, proposed curriculum during a series of Department meetings held during the Spring 2009 semester. At a February 23, 2009 meeting, Department faculty unanimously approved the six proposed course categories and credit hour distribution requirements. Department faculty unanimously approved all other modifications at a March 30, 2009 meeting.
2. Other Considering Units
No other actionable consideration is required on behalf of other units.
G. Attachments
1. Course outline(s) for seven of the proposed new courses. (No outline has been included for proposed Topics courses (PHIL 3190, 3390, 3590, 3990), though course descriptions for these have been provided in Section G1 (pp. 8-23).)