(Original Signed Proposal Must Still Be Turned In for approval)
Requesters: SUGGESTED CATALOG NUMBER: Choose whether to list the course as an IC course or in a program or department.
TITLE: (24 characters)
CATALOG DESCRIPTION: Describe the course exactly as it will appear in the next catalog including credit. Please limit your description to 60 words and attach a tentative syllabus for the course. CURRICULUM AREA: Choose whether students who do not use this course as an IC can use it to meet other FISHN requirements.
COURSE RATIONALE:
A. The faculty for this Interdisciplinary Colloquium (check one of the following)
are from different divisions (circle appropriate division Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences) are from different departments (indicate in the space below) will employ different methodologies. (describe in the space below)
B. Describe how the course objectives and the skills and knowledge students are expected to gain in the course correspond to the goals of IC described in the following paragraph. (A fuller description of IC can be found in the document at the attached link.)
The term interdisciplinary can be employed with a variety of definitions. An acceptable one for our purposes is “a process of addressing a topic that is too broad or complex to be dealt with adequately by a single discipline or profession.” The purpose of this requirement is to ensure that students will take part in a sustained exploration of such a topic and will develop the ability:
C. Describe how the perspectives of the faculty involved differ (e.g. quantitative vs. qualitative, theoretical vs. applied, different cultural perspectives, etc.). Briefly outline how the faculty perspectives converge and diverge in addressing the course goals described above.
D. Method of Instruction: What pedagogical mechanisms will be used to integrate the interdisciplinary aspects in this course (e.g. lecture, problem-based learning, case studies, discussion facilitation)?
E. IC checklist. Before submitting an IC course request please be sure that your syllabus indicates the following: 25% of the grade is writing based. at least two papers of three or more pages are required there is an opportunity to rewrite one or more essays there is least one individual paper conference for structured feedback the course includes a discussion session some structured feedback on discussion skills is provided Critical reading skills are a component of the course (optional) critical ability to read and analyze different aesthetic media such as works of art, music, fiction, poetry, films, and television.
How will you evaluate the students in the course?
Is this a writing course? Yes - Please specify your writing requirements. No A writing-based (CW) course requires at least 25% of the grade be determined by one or more writing assignments that receive structured feedback on the writing by the instructor. Weekly Contact Hours:
Session Cycle: Both Semesters Either Semester Fall Only Spring Only Occasionally
Yearly Cycle: Every Year Every Other Year Course Equipment Requirements:
Final Examination: Yes No
Special Course Fee: Amount $
Field Trips: (description & duration)
Special Scheduling Considerations: As an IC course this course will be capped at 18 students per instructor.
Course Policies: (withdrawal, attendance, and other special concerns)
Listing of staff qualified to teach the course:
Interdisciplinary Colloquia (IC)
These team-taught interdisciplinary courses are the inheritors of the CA I/ GE200 tradition. They are, therefore, to remain strongly linked to the College’s Mission statement by seeking student outcomes of using “language clearly,” reading “with insight,” and thinking “analytically.” They will help students to “lead fulfilling and useful lives,” and “develop fundamental values- spiritual, moral, aesthetic.” Some IC courses will also contribute to student understanding “of peoples from distinct cultures and nations.” Finally, by emphasizing reading, discussion, and writing in an interdisciplinary setting, IC helps create an “environment necessary to foster individual growth.”
In order to attain the outcomes described above, all IC courses, regardless of their content, will include serious consideration of the relationships between theory and practice in different areas and of how the insights provided by an interdisciplinary approach can have a positive effect on individuals’ personal and public lives. Students and faculty will complete the course with a sense of why a liberal education must include an interdisciplinary component. This will require addressing the fundamental questions of a liberal education in a serious, sustained manner. These questions and the discussion of values they entail will play a significant role in both the course development process and in the course proposal.
Two or more faculty representing two or more academic fields or methods of investigation will develop and teach courses on topics of their own choosing. The only requirement is that they explain and demonstrate in their course proposal how the course will accomplish the aims described above and also teach the skills described below. The IC/CA Committee (a subcommittee of the Curriculum Committee) will oversee the development and teaching of IC courses. The purpose of their activities will be to identify faculty who might wish to develop courses, facilitate communication between faculty, read early proposals, assist interested faculty in developing the proposal into a successful course and provide for oversight and continued interaction between existing IC courses. Faculty engaged in developing or teaching IC courses will have access to funds, resources, and advice.
As mentioned above, there is also a set of common skill goals for the IC courses, including both required, high priority skills and a second set of valuable skills that given courses can choose to emphasize. This course is committed to developing these skills in students because they are not only necessary to be an effective college student but also essential in professional and public life after college.
Common Skills: Required Primary Goals Writing – The course must be designed to strengthen the ability to think and write analytically. Each IC course must (a) base at least 25% of the grade on writing, (b) have at least two papers of three or more pages, (c) offer an opportunity to rewrite one or more essays, and (d) have at least one individual paper conference for structured feedback on an essay.
Discussion Skills – Each IC course must include discussion as part of the course grade. Some structured feedback on discussion skills should be offered to students during the course. To promote this skill development, IC courses will be required to include discussion sessions.
Critical Reading Skills - All IC courses must include the reading and analysis of both primary sources (texts and other artifacts) and secondary sources, specifically scholarly expository writing in the form of monographs and/or essays. These activities must be designed to develop students’ ability to reflect on both the concepts and the sources in writing.
Optional Secondary Goal Critical Analysis of Other Media - An important option for IC courses is developing students’ critical ability to read and analyze different aesthetic media such as works of art, music, fiction, poetry, films, and television. Faculty are encouraged to include such materials in their IC courses.
The IC courses will have enrollments of 15-18 per section. Ideally, no one will teach more than one section of the same course.