EDUCATIONAL POLICY COMMITTEE
Minutes
October 25, 2007

Attending: J. Cox, H. Dettmer (Chair), M. Gilbert, K. Hall (committee staff), R. Honey, R. Ketterer, J. Kimberley (student member),
M. Niño-Murcia, M. Reagan, A. Segre

Excused Absence: S. Birrell, J. Menninger

Guests:   Professors Diane Jeske (Coordinator, PEOPLE Program) and Richard Fumerton, Department of Philosophy
Professor John Nelson, Department of Political Science and Director of the University Honors Program
              

1. The minutes from October 18 were approved.
2. The Educational Policy Committee approved the recommendation by the General Education Curriculum Committee to grant 39:107 Accelerated Second Year Chinese: First Semester and 39:114 Accelerated Second Year Chinese: Second Semester Foreign Language Area status in the General Education Program effective immediately.  The two courses are for Chinese heritage learners or for students who have studied Chinese abroad, allowing them to complete the GE sequence with 6 additional credit hours rather than 10.
3. The committee gave helpful suggestions about a curricular issue which the Associate Dean will pursue.
4. Professors Diane Jeske and Richard Fumerton summarized the proposal to convert the certificate program, Philosophies and Ethics of Politics, Law, and Economics (PEOPLE), into a new major, Law, Ethics, and Society. The major would require seven foundational courses from four areas; students would also complete four upper-level courses selected from two out of five fields. Four of the fields are philosophy, sociology, economics, and law. The fifth is a self-designated field, allowing students to select additional courses relevant to the new major from other departments. An advisor’s approval of the self-designed field would be mandatory, with advisors drawn from the participating departments or programs. The major will be administered by a steering committee of faculty members also from the units sponsoring the fields. EPC endorsed the conversion of the certificate into a major, noting the major’s rigor and its interdisciplinary nature which will introduce students to a number of important disciplines. The committee noted the importance of creating an assessment plan and of preparing four-year graduation checkpoints before the major is implemented. One committee member suggested that Geography be considered as an additional area for a field since the department has an interest in social justice. EPC also raised some minor concerns on the advising and administrative load of the major and asked that structural modifications be explored when and if necessary. The proposal was unanimously recommended for approval and will move to the Faculty Assembly after minor revisions and clarifications.
5. Professor John Nelson, Director of the University of Iowa Honors Program, outlined recent initiatives for the EPC. Up to 72 s.h., the Honors Program automatically includes students with UI GPAs of 3.33 or higher.  It admits new students by formula, and still others by petition. The entering class includes 735 honors students this fall and has increased each year of late.  Pursuing talented-and-gifted education for college students, the Program features challenging courses, intellectual communities, and experiential learning. With approval from the Provost, the Honors Program is arranging more courses, research opportunities, and co-curricular programs than before. It is introducing Honors Constellations to connect courses and Honors Commendations to recognize many kinds of honors work. Greater participation in honors education depends on early contact and strong advising, and the Program plans further initiatives in these directions.

Respectfully submitted,

Mark Reagan
EPC Secretary