General Education Committee
9/7/99 Minutes
Present: Gene Bartoo, Mike Biderman, Betsy Darken (chair and secretary),
Nick Honerkamp, Gail Meyer, Marea Rankin, Ken Smith, Roger Thompson, Bruce
Wallace, Barbara Walton
Visitors: see below
The committee convened at 3 p.m.
The following proposals were considered. Voting occurred at the end of the
meeting.
1. Geology 116: Current Geologic Perspectives of Earth (Natural Science,
no lab)
Proposer: Jonathan Mies
A number of committee members complimented Professor Mies on his
work. The chair commented that the summer stipend which the General
Education Implementation Committees had bestowed on Professor Mies was
money extremely well spent.
Course certified (G. Bartoo, K. Smith): 10-0-0 Status: 2
2. Theatre & Speech 209: Business and Professional Speech
Communication (Oral Communication)
Proposers: Robert Duffy and David Lambkin
Professors Duffy and Lambkin fielded questions regarding the
differences between this course and the basic oral communication course.
They responded that this is is a more focused course, including such
matters as appropriate attire (not shorts and tank top??), role playing
both ends of an interview, and the use of pithy speeches. Pithiness,
Professor Lambkin pointed out, is important in the business world, where
time is money. [It is not completely clear to your secretary that this
latter concept is grasped in the academic world....]
Taking advantage of the presence of these two guests, the chair
quizzed the head and the brand new (and one and only) oral communications
professor regarding the staffing situation for oral communication. All
sections filled up this fall and many more could have been filled up,
Professor Duffy remarked. There is no word from the administration
regarding the possibility of a Coordinator of Oral Communication, a
position strongly recommended by the General Education Committee. This
coming year more positions will be requested. In the meantime a large
backlog of students who need to take oral communications courses is
building up. Professor Duffy asked the Committee for its help to alleviate
this unfortunate situation.
Course certified (G. Bartoo, M. Biderman): 10-0-0 Status: 1
3. Religion 221, 222: Biblical Literature
4. Philosophy 221: Introduction to Ethics
5. Religion 213: History of Judaism
(all Humanities)
Proposer (and pinch hitter): Donald Klinefelter
The committee and Professor Klinefelter engaged in a lively
discussion about contextual influences on Biblical literature, in
juxtaposition to the influence of the Bible on human affairs. The
committee became reassured that such influences are discussed in the
course. Professor Klinefelter also told the committee about the rampant
cynicism about basic values among many of his students. For instance,
their attitude toward cheating is shockingly cavalier. Perhaps by the end
of the course a few souls have been saved....
Various committee members commented on the importance of all of
these courses in the curriculum. These included remarks about the
unfortunate misinterpretation of the Constitution to mean that religion and
religious documents are to be excluded from the curricula of public
institutions of education.
Committee members also provided advice on including more
specificity in course requirements. E.g., the statement that "poor class
attendance will affect the final grade" is too ambiguous and may prompt
grade appeals.
Courses certified (G. Bartoo, K. Smith): 10-0-0 Status: 1
6. Phil 425: Ethics and the Profession (Humanities)
Proposer: Donald Klinefelter
Professor Klinefelter did not get off the hook so easily on this
one. Several members expressed concern that this course is focused too
narrowly for general education, others were doubtful that it spends enough
time on great works of philosophy, and still others wondered why it is a
400 level course. (All, however, were quick to say that this is a
wonderful course.) Professor Klinefelter commented that it is a 400 level
course so that graduate students who do appropriate additional work can
take it for graduate credit, although it is also a course appropriate for
sophomores. Professor Klinefelter went on to argue that the first two
weeks of the course are concerned with the teachings of major moral
theorists, including God (author of the Bible, see above), Aristotle and
J.S. Mill. He acknowledged that the course did not focus on these
materials in the same depth as the 200 level ethics course, but that it is
an extremely valuable course in that students spent the rest of the
semester studying and discussing how ethics are -- or are not -- applied in
professional situations such as health care. [Secretarial query: is
ethics singular or plural?] While the applications are specific, the
principles involved are universal For instance, students must ponder the
dilemma of potential whistle-blowers, who are almost doomed to negative
repercussions for their actions. A committee member mused that it would be
better to have a philosophy course which would combine the best of both
Phil 425 and 221.
Course certified (M. Biderman, G. Meyer): 7-3-0 Status: 1
7. Math 214: Principles of Elementary Mathematics (Mathematics)
Proposer: Betsy Darken
Professor Bartoo commented that the new mathematics requirements
for elementary education majors, including this course and another college
level course, are a major improvement over the old requirements.
Course certified (N. Honerkamp, B. Walton): 8-0-0* Status: 2
* Professor Darken recused herself.
8. General Science 112: Science and Society (Non-lab Natural Science)
Proposer: Ling Jun Wang
Professor Wang was asked many questions about this new 3-hour
course. Overall, committee members were favorably inclined toward the
creation of a course of this nature but expressed a number of concerns.
These included the following: (a) it is not clear that this is a natural
rather than a social science course; (b) one unfortunate interpretation of
some parts of the proposal is that "science will solve all of our
problems"; (c) the value of spending a lot of time on space science and
NASA is not clear, both in regard to general education guidelines and the
course goals; such a focus may make the course too narrow; (d) Guideline
#1, "Cultivate an understanding of scientific methods of thought and a
broad view of scientific achievements", is not addressed adequately; nor
are responses to a number of other guidelines; (e) there are a significant
number of typographical errors, etc.; (f) the stated prerequisites to this
course do not conform with the mathematics placement system nor with UTC
admissions requirements.
Motion to approve (M. Biderman, N. Honerkamp) with the proviso that
the prerequisites be changed to " Mathematics Placement Level 20 or Math
106": defeated, 4-6-0
Motion to return for revisions: 9-0-0 status: 4
9. Physics 231, 281: Electricity and Magnetism
10. Physics 104, 184: Electromagnetism and Optics
Proposer: none
Since committee members had a number of questions about these
courses and there was no representative to answer questions, these
proposals were postponed. It was also getting to be a tad late....
The meeting adjourned at 5:20 p.m.
Betsy Darken
Mathematics Department, UT-Chattanooga
615 McCallie Ave, Chattanooga, TN 37403
Phone:615-755-4580;Fax: 615-755-4586; Email: [log in to unmask]
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