ARTS AND SCIENCES SENATE CURRICULUM COMMITTEE

 

NEW COURSE PROPOSAL

(Revised 04/03)

 

Submitted by Department_______________________________________ Date:_________________________________

 

Chairperson's Approval:______________________________________________________________________________

 

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INSTRUCTIONS:  Please attach a copy of a planned syllabus and a list of assigned readings to this form.  The syllabus should indicate the topics of the course on a week-by-week basis.  Submit the proposal with eleven copies to the Secretary of the Curriculum Committee.  USE ADDITIONAL SHEETS IF NECESSARY.

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1.        Designator:_______            Number:_______             D.E.C. Category (see question 16)_____

Full Title:_______________________________________________________________________ 

30-character title:  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _  _

Note: Course titles are restricted to 20 characters when printed in the Class Schedule and on students' transcripts.  This should be considered when titling courses.

 

2.    Course Description  (Enter exactly as it is to appear in the Undergraduate Bulletin. If the course is repeatable or not for credit in addition to any others, this should be noted.):

 

     

 

3.         Please read Guidelines for Course Prerequisites at the end of this form.

 

            Pre- or Corequisite(s), if any:

 

            Advisory Prerequisite(s), if any:

 

4.    Credits: _________ & Grading Type (circle one): A-F;         A-C/U;            S/U

 

5.     Initial term offered: ______________.  Initial instructor:_______________________________.

            If designated instructor is unavailable, are there others who can teach the course?

 

6.    When will the course usually be offered?  (Check as appropriate.)

 

            Fall _____  Spring _____              Summer I _____              Summer II _____.

 

7.    Frequency of offering, e.g. every semester, annually, alternate years, etc.: __________________________________

 

8.    Estimated enrollment: __________

 

 

9.     How will contact hours be scheduled?  Specify number of hours for each relevant meeting type.

 

            Lecture_____  Recitation_____  Lab_____  Studio_____   Seminar_____  Other_____

 

    Note:  One contact hour per week (55 minutes) is required for each hour of credit awarded.

       1   lecture hour = 1 contact hour                                     1   recitation hour = 1 contact hour

       1   seminar hour = 1 contact hour                                   1   3-hour film/lab = 1 contact hour

       1   2-hour studio period = 1 contact hour                          1   2-hour film/lab = 1 contact hour if

       significant outside preparation is required

 

10.        Film and Video Use.

Will films, videos, or clips be regularly used in the course?  Yes_____  No_____

If yes, indicate how much time in the course will be used for screening and explain how the films, videos, or clips will be integrated into the course.  Note: SUNY guidelines stipulate that two hours of film/video viewing equal one contact hour only if significant outside preparation, typical of "film" courses, is required.  Otherwise, three hours of film/video viewing equal one contact hour.  Guidelines are available from the office of the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

   

11.            Computer Use.

Will students be required to use computers?  Yes_____  No_____

If yes, indicate the nature of the work and facilities required (use of a SINC site or special computer laboratory, use of a PC at home or on campus). Indicate the approximate amount of time students will be required to engage in work on the computer.  Significant computer work required outside of class time should be noted in the course description.

   

 

12.        Are there adequate facilities (classroom, laboratory, and computer) currently available to support the course?  Yes_____  No_____

 

13.        (For Informational Purposes Only)--If availability of library resources (books, journals, newspapers, reference tools, manuscript and special collections material, and computer database access) are insufficient to support the proposed course, list new library resources needed.

 

 

 

14.        How will student performance be evaluated? Indicate number, type, and length of papers, examinations, lab reports, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

15.        TA Use.

            a.  Will graduate teaching assistants be used in the course?          Yes____  No____.

 

            b.  Will undergraduate teaching assistants be used in the course?  Yes____  No____.

 

            If the answer to either a or b above is yes, please explain how each will be used:

 

 

 

16.        Is the course being submitted for inclusion in the Diversified Education Curriculum?  Yes_____  No_____.  If yes, which category?_____  Please explain how the course fulfills the objectives of the D.E.C. category. Note: If a course satisfies a D.E.C./SUNY general education requirement, the syllabus must include a state of the learning objectives of the category. Refer to the Degree Requirements chapter of the Undergraduate Bulletin for statement of the SUNY gen. ed. learning outcomes and D.E.C. category objectives.

 

 

 

 

17.        Course Level.

            a.  For what level and type of students is this course primarily intended, i.e., freshmen, sophomores, upper-division students, majors, non-majors, or pre-professional students?

 

 

            b.  If the course is primarily for upper-division students, explain why it is an upper-division course, e.g., its format, difficulty of assignments, and required level of preparation. (See the Guidelines for Course Levels at the end of this form.)

 

 

 

18.        How does the course relate to the department’s undergraduate and/or graduate programs?  Does it replace any existing course?  How does it complement other courses in the department's curriculum or integrate material from them?

 

 

 

 

 

19.      Does the course necessitate a change in the department's major or minor requirements?  If so, please specify.

 

 

 

 

 

20.               Please consider the new course's relation to undergraduate (or graduate offerings) in other programs throughout the University.  Consider, for example, whether the course duplicates or overlaps with existing courses?  Would the course appropriately be crosslisted with another department?  Might it serve as a prerequisite for courses in other departments?  Might it compete for resources now used for other purposes?  Does the course affect major or minor requirements in any other department? 

Note: If other departments are affected (e.g., the course will change a prerequisite or a major requirement or considers material typically considered the domain of another department), the committee requires that the department consult with the affected departments about the proposed course and its ramifications and that the affected departments agree to the offering of the course.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

see next page for Guidelines for Course Prerequisites and Course Levels


Guidelines for Course Prerequisites

 

The University distinguishes between prerequisites that are mandatory and those that are advisory. 

 

Mandatory prerequisites (noted simply as "Prerequisites" in University publications) stipulate a level of preparation for a course such that, without this preparation, the student is unlikely to complete the course satisfactorily. The prerequisite is usually expressed in terms of a specific skill level or one or more courses.  The instructor/department has the option to de-register any student who has not completed the mandatory prerequisites or equivalent preparation.

 

Advisory prerequisites (noted as "Advisory Prerequisites" in University publications) are intended to warn students about the level of maturity, skills, or knowledge normally to be expected of students in the course.  Students who do not meet these levels may manage to perform adequately in the course but will not obtain the same benefits from the course as those who are better prepared. They may even risk failure unless they work harder to compensate for their poor preparation. Instructors may wish to discourage poorly prepared students from taking the course; however, they may not seek to de-register students who have not completed advisory prerequisites.

 

Permission of the instructor or department is understood (not stated) to be an alternative to both mandatory and advisory prerequisites, i.e., the instructor may, through consultation with the student, determine that the student has the necessary preparation for the course without having completed the specific prerequisites.

 

Permission of Instructor or Department should only be stated as a prerequisite if the department wishes to require every student interested in the course to consult the instructor/department.  In requesting a stated "permission of instructor/department" prerequisite, the department should indicate why screening is necessary, how students will be screened, and how students will be registered.  Note: Students will not be able to register using the automated phone system.

 

Enforcement of prerequisites under the current University mainframe (Legacy) system may be undertaken in two ways:

1)       The department/instructor may review the records of students registered for a course at any time before the start of the semester.  (In the case of students with transfer credit, this would also involve review of transfer records, available from the Undergraduate Transfer Office.) 

2)       The department/instructor may require, on the first day of classes, that students in a course produce proof of having satisfied the prerequisites. 

In either case, the department may then de-register any students lacking the required prerequisites.

 

Under the anticipated PeopleSoft system, it is expected that enforcement of prerequisites will occur at the time of registration; that is, students lacking the mandatory prerequisites will be prevented from registering for a course.  Students lacking the published prerequisites will only be able to register after obtaining the instructor’s permission.

 

 

Guidelines for Course Levels

 

100-level courses:  Introductory courses appropriate for and generally taken by freshmen or students with no background in the discipline.  Often without prerequisites, they may require some basic entry skill, such as mathematics or writing competence. 

 

200-level courses:  Courses of intermediate depth in the discipline, sometimes assuming some prepratory work on the part of the student, appropriate for and generally taken by sophomores or advanced freshmen.  Prerequisites may be required, especially when limited specific knowledge or general academic preparation is necessary.  200-level courses often provide basic methodology in a discipline or surveys of disciplinary material that are more restricted in scope than is generally found at the 100-level.

 

300-level courses:  Courses intended for upper-division students providing advanced treatment of a special subject and requiring a level of maturity and academic preparation inappropriate for lower-division students.  300-level courses usually presuppose students’ prior work in the discipline and usually satisfy major requirements.  Upper-division courses (300- and 400-level) have the following characteristics:

 

a.        Prerequisites, consisting of specific courses or skills levels or more general requirements such as one or more courses in a designated field or D.E.C. category, that require levels of maturity, skills, or preparation necessary to benefit satisfactorily from the course. 

 

b.        Assignments that are more qualitatively advanced than those typically expected of lower-division students.  Among these are extensive, sophisticated readings; extensive critical or creative writing; substantial research; a theoretical approach to particular questions; and the theoretical or field-based application of knowledge already gained.  Students may be required to prepare seminar reports or independent projects where responsibility falls on them for developing important higher intellectual or creative skills.

 

400-level courses: Courses having the same general characteristics as 300-level courses, most often intended for upper-division students in the major, such as seminars, directed readings and research, and teaching practica.  Some may be limited to seniors.

 

Note:  There are no distinctions among higher and lower numbers at a given level.  Departments are encouraged to use numbers in accordance with the structure of its curriculum.