YORK UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES
Meeting of Council
Minutes
Thursday, March 2, 2006
4:00 p.m.
N940 Ross Building (Senate Chamber)
Present: S. Afriat, M. Belcourt, J. Breen, J. Carlson, J. Codd (Research & Policy Analyst), J. Dwyer, L. Fabian, N.S. Fisher-Stitt (Associate Dean), F. Fletcher, S. Grace, C. Haig-Brown, C.D. Hay, D. Henriques, S. Horowitz, G. Jarvis (Associate Dean), E. Lee-Ruff (Vice-Chair), Y. Lesperance, B. Lightman, K. Little, H.I. Macdonald, H. Mehdizadah, S. Miranda, R.E. Pearlman (Interim Dean), N. Razack, B. Roe, D. Scadding, M.M. Schiff (Assistant Secretary of Council), N. Tenhaaf, W. van Wijngaarden, S. Viswanathan, H.Q. Wen, E. White, T. Winslow, M. Young (Executive Officer)
Regrets: L. Baker, R. Bowman, C. Carpenko, W. Cragg, B. Crow, J. Gambarotto-McKay, I. Greene, C. Grossutti, K. Hudak, A. Hudson, E. Igobwa, W. Jenkins, K. McRoberts, D. Mendelsohn, F.B. Pilkington, R. Schuller, J. Shore, B. Spotton Visano, N. Spunt, A. Weiss, W. Westfall, G. Wu, Y. Wu, J. Zemans, M. Zryd
1. Welcome and Chair's Remarks
Acting Chair Ed Lee-Ruff introduced himself and communicated the regrets of Chair Asia Weiss to Council.
2. Minutes of Previous Meeting (February 2, 2006)
Proposal for a York Body on International Development Studies
The minutes were approved, and the document concerning development studies was received for the record.
3. Business Arising from the Minutes
There was no business arising from the minutes.
4. Dean's Remarks
i) Funding
Interim Dean Ron Pearlman reported that there continued to be no new information from the provincial government about the implementation of funding targeted for growth. York continues to plan for such growth. The Dean has been meeting regularly with Vice-President (Academic) Sheila Embleton and others concerning enrolment.
ii) Appraisals
The Dean announced that the Graduate Programme in Theoretical & Applied Linguistics had been appraised as being of good quality and approved to continue. The Graduate Programme in Études françaises was approved as being of good quality with a report required. The "stand-alone" Graduate Diploma in Financial Engineering was approved to commence, and is offered in addition to the "degree-concurrent" Financial Engineering graduate diploma.
iii) Student Financial Survey
Dean Pearlman informed Council that the Faculty in consultation with the Office of the Vice-President (Academic) and the Graduate Students' Association has been working to design a student financial survey in order to improve services. He stated that the survey will be underway in the near future and urged those contacted to participate, noting that the Graduate Students' Association is also asking for student participation. The survey will be distributed randomly.
iv) Awards
The Dean was pleased to report to Council that this year's recipients of the Faculty of Graduate Studies' Faculty Teaching Awards had been selected, and that at the following meeting these awards will be presented to Professors Lesley Higgins (Graduate Programmes in English and Humanities) and Stephen Weiss (Graduate Programme in Business Administration). The Faculty of Graduate Studies' Teaching Award is bestowed annually on a member of the Faculty of Graduate Studies who has displayed substantial, significant and sustained excellence, commitment and enthusiasm to the multifaceted aspects of teaching at the graduate level at York.
The Dean was also pleased to report that councillor Professor C. Douglas Hay had been awarded the Walter Gordon Fellowship, which will allow him to spend a year pursuing his primary research which has dealt with the history of criminal procedure, punishment, and crime in England and Canada. This prestigious award is presented by York to its scholars in recognition of outstanding research, and is named in honour of the late former Chancellor of York, Hon. Walter L. Gordon. The award provides the opportunity to complete research which requires significant time away from teaching and other University duties. Council congratulated Professor Hay, who was in attendance, and who in addition to being an FGS Senator has been a member of the FGS Academic Planning & Policy Committee.
5. Presidential Search Criteria
For information and discussion
Interim Dean Ron Pearlman updated Council about the ongoing search for a new University president. The presidential search committee has asked that Faculty Councils be informed that recommendations about the search criteria may be made either at open fora, through Faculty Councils or directly to the search committee. The search committee is specifically asking for input about key issues that a new president will face, both internally and externally; about the qualifications of potential candidates, academically, professionally, in an administrative sense and based on "fit" with the university; and about expectations with respect to York's strategic planning.
Councillor Celia Haig-Brown noted that the recruitment of First Nation graduate students should be included in the commitments of potential candidates.
6. Faculty of Graduate Studies' Representatives on Senate
For information and discussion
Interim Dean Ron Pearlman reported that the Senate plans to introduce changes to rules governing the composition of Senate to accommodate members from the new Faculty of Health. Senate legislation requires the membership of Senate to remain at approximately its current complement. The new proposal from Senate Executive allows for new members from the Faculty of Health by reducing the number of representatives of other constituent members, including the Faculty of Graduate Studies. FGS Senators would be reduced from six to four. The Dean cited a lack of rationale to reduce FGS Senate membership. The proposal will be considered at the March meeting of Senate. Members of Council agreed that reductions in other constituent bodies' Senate membership should only take place if their faculty members were moving to the Faculty of Health. The proposal was also seen as odd in light of proposed growth for the Faculty of Graduate Studies.
7. Change in Name of Programme and Area
Approved at the February 15, 2006, meeting of FGS Academic Planning & Policy Committee's Academic Affairs Subcommittee, and at the February 22, 2006, meeting of FGS Academic Planning & Policy Committee
* * * F o r A p p r o v a l * * *
Graduate Programme in Film & Video
Change in Name of Programme from Film & Video to Film
Change in Name of Area from Critical, Historical & Theoretical Studies to Cinema & Media Studies
Associate Dean Gary Jarvis noted that a similar name change had been made at the undergraduate level. In reply to a change in the name to include "media" studies, the Director of the Graduate Programme in Communication & Culture, University Professor Fred Fletcher, noted that consultation had taken place and the media studies being undertaken in this programme are clearly different. It was moved, seconded and CARRIED, with one opposed,
"that the change in graduate programme name, from Graduate Programme in Film & Video to Graduate Programme in Film, and the change in area, from Critical, Historical & Theoretical Studies to Cinema & Media Studies, proposed by the Graduate Programme in Film & Video (Faculty of Graduate Studies) be APPROVED."
8. Changes in Degree Requirements
Approved at the February 15, 2006, meeting of FGS Academic Planning & Policy Committee's Academic Affairs Subcommittee, and at the February 22, 2006, meeting of FGS Academic Planning & Policy Committee
* * * F o r A p p r o v a l * * *
a) Graduate Programme in Human Resources Management
Changes in Degree Requirements
Change requirements from three required half courses, major research paper and three elective courses to six required half courses, major research paper OR six required half courses and two electives
Graduate Programme Director Monica Belcourt introduced this item to Council, noting that for many students this programme is seen as a professional, terminal degree. It was moved, seconded and CARRIED, with one opposed,
"that the change in degree requirements proposed by the Graduate Programme in Human Resources Management (Faculty of Graduate Studies) be APPROVED."
b) Graduate Programme in Social & Political Thought
Change in Degree Requirements (Ph.D.)
Change course and major research paper requirements from 4 courses and major research paper to choice of four courses or three courses and major research paper
Councillor Edward Winslow noted that these changes were recommended by O.C.G.S. in an appraisal of the programme, in order to reduce delays in times to completion of the Ph.D. degree. Students currently write a major research paper if they pursue this programme at the Master's level. Associate Dean Norma Sue Fisher-Stitt noted that the major research paper will remain a valuable option to some students but others will appreciate the anticipated reduction in time afforded by the coursework route. It was moved, seconded and CARRIED, with two opposed,
"that the change in degree requirements proposed by the Graduate Programme in Social & Political Thought (Faculty of Graduate Studies) be APPROVED."
9. Curricular Changes
Approved at the February 15, 2006, meeting of FGS Academic Planning & Policy Committee's Academic Affairs Subcommittee, and received for information at the February 22, 2006, meeting of FGS Academic Planning & Policy Committee
Members of Council were invited to view these documents in the FGS Council office. The items were received for information.
* * * F o r I n f o r m a t i o n * * *
a) Graduate Programme in Biology
New Course Proposal
Biology 5097 3.0: "Pollination Biology"
Course Deletion
Biology 5097 1.5: "Pollination Biology"
b) Graduate Programme in Communication & Culture
New Course Proposal
Communication & Culture 6125 3.0: "Theorizing the Sacred in Contemporary Thought and Film"
Communication & Culture 6126 3.0 "Modernists Literary Circles: A Cultural Approach
Communication & Culture 6322 3.0: "Global Cultural Flows and Permeable Borders: Ideoscapes, Mediascapes and Citizenship After 9/11
Crosslisting
Communication & Culture 6507 3.0: "Future Cinema"/Same as Film & Video 5245 3.0
Course Deletions
Communication & Culture 4000 0.0: "Introduction to Theories of Communication and Culture"
Communication & Culture 701: "Understanding Communications Technologies"
c) Graduate Programme in Education
New Course Proposals
Education 5260 3.0: "Research Practicum on Focus Groups and Surveys of Higher Education"
Education 5414 3.0: "Higher Education and Economic Life"
Education 5436 3.0: "Transitions, Access and the Education of New Canadians"
Education 5442 3.0: "Global Education in the Classroom: Research and Practice"
Education 5455 3.0: "Student Experiences and Educational Outcomes in Colleges and Universities"
d) Graduate Programme in English
New Course Proposals
English 6424 3.0: "Victorian Sexualities"
English 6518 3.0: "Camp: Theory and Practice"
English 6571 3.0: Sex, Race, and Caribbean Hybridities
English 6589 3.0: "Contemporary Canadian Poetry and Poetics"
English 6716 6.0: "Indigenous Literatures in Context: Canada and the Pacific"
e) Graduate Programme in Film & video
New, Integrated Course Proposal
Film & Video 5250 3.0: "First Nations in Film and Television"/Integrated with the undergraduate course Fine Arts Film 4710 3.0
f) Graduate Programme in History
New Course Proposals
History 5031 3.0: "Domestic Architecture in Greece and Rome: Social Contexts and Material Forms"
History 5032 3.0: "Early Greece: the Dark Age to the Persian Wars"
History 5320 3.0: "The Reign of Louis XIV: State and Society in France, 1643-1715"
History 5535 3.0: "European Cultural History: War and Peace in the Twentieth Century"
History 5360 3.0: "European Encounters: Europeans in the Wider World since 1500"
g) Graduate Programme in Humanities
New Course Proposal
Humanities 6122 6.0: "Print Culture in Asia"
h) Graduate Programme in Law
Part-Time LL.M. Specialising in Judicial Administration
Crosslisting
Political Science 5110 3.0: Judicial Administration in Canada/Same as Law 6710P 3.0 and Public Administration 5110 3.0/Integrated with the undergraduate course Arts Political Science 4600 3.0
i) Graduate Programme in Mathematics & Statistics
New Course Proposal
Mathematics & Statistics 6936 3.0: "Mathematical Epidemiology"/Prerequisites: Atkinson/Arts/Science Mathematics & Statistics 2270 3.0: "Differential equations or equivalent and some numerical skills" or equivalent and familiarity with Maple or Matlab or Mathematica
j) Graduate Programme in Philosophy
New, Integrated Course Proposals
Philosophy 5260 3.0: "Contemporary Political Philosophy"/Integrated with the undergraduate course Glendon Philosophy 4626 3.0
Philosophy 5270 3.0: " Reasons and Desires"/Integrated with the undergraduate course Glendon Philosophy 4212 3.0
k) Graduate Programme in Social Work
Change in Course Title
Social Work 5945 3.0: from "Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Perspectives in Social Work" to "Social Work Perspectives on Gender and Sexual Diversity"
l) Graduate Programme in Theatre Studies
New Course Proposal
Theatre Studies 6100 3.0: "Theatre Research and Methodology"/Required course
Theatre Studies 6200 3.0: "Issues in Canadian Theatre History"/Required course
Theatre Studies 6310 3.0: "Theatricality and Antitheatricality"
Theatre Studies 6320 3.0: "Performance Art: Politics and Aesthetics"
Crosslisting
Theatre Studies 6315 3.0: "Performing Arts"/Same as Communication & Culture 6112 3.0
10. Other Business
There was no other business.
11. Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 5:02 p.m.