COLLEGE OF ARTS & LETTERS

Department of Art

COURSE CHANGES

ART 007 Art Appreciation
Change to:
ART 007 Introduction to Art and Visual Culture. No change in description.
Justification: The current title is outdated and does not adequately describe the content of the course, which emphasizes critical thinking about a wide range of visual cultures (popular, global, indigenous, mass media, advertising, etc.) besides high Western art.

ART 109 20th Century Art
Change to:
ART 109 Modern Art. A survey of modern art in Europe and North America, as well as their colonies and areas of influence from the origins of the avant-garde in mid-nineteenth century Paris to the beginnings of postmodern art in the mid-twentieth century.
Justification: The current title does not describe the content of the course, which covers the period of modern art (modernism) from around 1850 to around 1960, not the 20th century. This course precedes the Contemporary Art course instituted last year, which begins around 1960 and comes up to the present. It has become conventional to teach courses in "Modern" and "Contemporary" art history.

Department of Communication Studies

COURSE CHANGES

JOUR 128 Copy Editing and Ethics. No change in description.
Justification: Changing classification from 04 (discussion) to 04 and 15 (laboratory). This course was developed as a course with discussion and lab, but was put in incorrectly on the course change proposal. This corrects that mistake.

JOUR 130B News Reporting II. No change in description.
Justification: Changing classification from 02 (lecture discussion) to 04 (discussion). This course was supposed to have been put in as an 04 classification to align it with JOUR 130A which must be taken concurrently. This corrects that mistake.

JOUR 133 Advanced Editing and Design. No change in description.
Justification: Changing classification from 04 (discussion) to 04 and 15 (laboratory). This course was supposed to have been changed to have a discussion and lab when the description and prerequisite were changed last year, but this was inadvertently left off the course change proposal. This corrects that mistake.

Department of English

NEW COURSE

ENGL 230D Meter and Rhythm. Course offers an in-depth study of prosody including the principles of meter (line measurement) and scansion (the marking of stressed and unstressed syllables to determine meter and rhythm), as well as examining the relationship of these principles to verse in English. Course also examines a variety of poetic schemes, tropes, and forms. Three hours, lecture and guided practice. 3 units.
Justification: While a rudimentary coverage of meter and rhythm (prosody) is included in some creative writing and literature courses, an in-depth investigation of prosody appears nowhere in the current CSUS curriculum. Due to the considerable breadth and difficulty of such materials, anything less than a semester-long study of prosodic principles does little more than, at best, familiarize students with the most basic vocabulary, and at worst, course confusion and mistrust of this vital aspect of poetic composition and appreciation. A mere introduction of prosody cannot provide students with the scansion and writing practice necessary in order to develop an "ear" for the rhythms of English meter; such development is achieved only through consistent practice in reading, scanning, and writing metered verse. This will be a paired course for graduate and undergraduate students.

Department of Foreign Languages

COURSE CHANGE

FREN 21 Freshman Seminar: Becoming an Educated Person
Change to:
Foreign Languages 21 Freshman Seminar: Becoming an Educated Person. Foreign Languages 21 is freshman seminar intended to provide students with an introduction to the nature and possible meanings of higher education, and the functions and resources of the University. The course is designed to help students develop academic success strategies and to improve learning skills. Students will interact with fellow students to build a community of academic and personal support. This section will introduce foreign languages as an academic discipline by requiring students to develop the habits of thinking and learning necessary in a complex, multicultural world.
Justification: Foreign Languages 21 will permit prospective foreign language students to participate in the Freshman Seminar Program and in an Area E General Education course. Students will be introduced to the university study of foreign languages within the context of a small class to assist them in succeeding during their first year. Students will learn the skills required to succeed in the university and the study of foreign languages. Prospective majors will have an introduction to the study of foreign languages as an academic discipline and as part of the process of developing into an educated person.

Department of Design

COURSE CHANGE

INTD 124C European Design. No change in description. Add: Credit/No Credit.
Justification: European Design is a travel study course. Requested change from letter grade to Credit/No Credit more accurately reflects the expectation that students meet minimum expected course outcomes and is a better indicator than the letter grade.

Department of Philosophy

COURSE CHANGE

PHIL 145B Indian Philosophy
Change to:
PHIL 145B Philosophies of India. A survey of the major schools of Indian philosophical development. The emphasis will be on the Hindu and Buddhist traditions, with consideration given to competing notions of the self, consciousness, the origin of human suffering, and the possibility of transcendence. Taught alternate semesters with PHIL 145A.
Prerequisite: Passing score on the WPE.
Justification: The reason for the name change is to clarify to students that the course in about India and not indigenous Americans. The reason for the description change is to make it clearer what topics are covered in the course. There is no change in the actual course content.

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCE

Department of Computer Science

COURSE DELETION

CSC 145 Advanced Systems Programming.
Justification: The department approved deleting this course on 3/25/04 due to continual low enrollment.

COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES & INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES

Department of Environmental Studies

COURSE CHANGE

ENVS 128 Environment and the Law. An introduction to environmental law, including: the evolution of environmental legislation, environmental issues in the court system, environmental regulation and administrative law, and environmental torts. The emphasis is on understanding legal process and the special challenges environmental problems present to the legal system. 3 units
Prerequisites: ENVS 110 or ENVS 111, or instructor permission.
Justification: To add ENVS 110 to the prerequisites: Students need specific exposure to environmental issues in order to validate legal approaches covered in this course. Change in course description: The new description more accurately reflects the content of the course and the development of the field since the original description was written nearly thirty years ago.

Department of Ethnic Studies

NEW COURSES

ETHN 121 Hmong American Experience. Explores the historical and cultural background of Hmong Americans. Major emphasis is on the many experiences of the Hmong Americans including the social, economic, and political conditions that prompted their migration from Laos to the United States. Explores the complex patterns of Hmong American acculturation in relation with other Asian and non-Asian immigrant groups. 3 units
Justification: This course has already been offered as an experimental course (ETHN 196I) as recently as Fall 2002. At the time over 60 students wanted to enroll in the course. There has been continued interest among students to offer this course. This course will enhance the curricular offerings of both the Ethnic Studies Department and the Asian American Studies program. The course will be acceptable as an elective for Ethnic Studies majors.

COURSE CHANGES

ETHN 130 Chicano Studies: Perspectives and Paradigms
Change to:
ETHN 130 Chicano/Mexican-American Experience. Transmits knowledge and understanding of how racism confronts and divides American society. Attention will be given to the effects of racism on the experiences of Chicanos/Mexican Americans in American society.
Justification: We propose the change in the title of ETHN 130 to reflect the upper division courses in the other programs in Ethnic Studies: ETHN 110 Intro to Asian American Experience; ETHN 119 The Filipino American Experience; and ETHN 140 Native American Experience

ETHN 150 Native American Mythology and Oral Tradition
Change to:
ETHN 150 Native American Oral Tradition and Storytelling. A study of how Native American oral tradition and storytelling affect the experience of tribal expression. Examines the foundation of this tradition through an analysis and comparison of traditional and contemporary forms.
Justification: The new title and description serves to update the course to reflect current terms and scholarship. There is no substantive change to the course content.

Department of Government

NEW CHANGES

GOVT 119B Greek Political Thought. Study of the political thought of Greece from Homer to Demosthenes, including Plato, Thucydides, Sophocles, and other Greek thinkers. Topics include the birth of democracy, the sciences and philosophy, Athens’ rise to prominence, its defense of freedom against Persia, and its own development of an empire. Examination of Greek thoughts about justice, authority, freedom, equality, and culture. Students will learn about the events that shaped ideas and ideas that shaped events, as well as our understanding of the modern world. 3 units
Justification: The problems, virtues, and conflicts endemic to the practices of democracy were all given their first influential treatment in the culture that gave birth to that word—as well as such other concepts as ‘politics’ and ‘philosophy’. Students currently are given the opportunity to have a cursory introduction to some Greek political thought in the work of Plato and Aristotle during the broad introductory survey Political Thought I (GOVT 110) But there is no class currently allowing students to follow up the introductory survey courses in history of political thought (GOVT 110 and 111) with advanced studies in the various time periods. This would allow students to acquire a fuller acquaintance with the classical literature of Greek political theory, its historical context, and the diversity of voices to be found in the literature of Greece, including an examination of the political histories and the political institutions. Students will gain a better understanding of the thought of a specific time period, and develop a better comprehension of the questions raised by such authors as Plato and Thucydides in the context of the conversations of their time periods. It will allow students to see the connection between ideas and political events of the time and to participate in classes composed of other interested students where more challenging readings and a higher standard of writing would be appropriate. This course will provide such a place for students to engage in these reflections in smaller, more advanced seminars where they could engage in conversations with each other.

GOVT 158 Mass Media and American Politics. Focuses on the role the mass media plays in the political life of our democracy. Five primary topics are covered: the proper media role in a democracy; the relationship between the media, public opinion and agenda setting; the effects of media coverage on campaigns, elections, and voting; how elected officials influence and “spin” coverage; and the impact of media on policy-making. Students will develop critical analysis skills and emerge as more savvy media consumers and citizens. 3 units
Prerequisite: GOVT 001
Justification: The mass media is sometimes referred to as “the fourth estate” in politics. The breadth and depth of the influence of the mass media on political communication, voter information, campaign content and form, and even policy is significant. Serious students of politics must explore the interaction between the mass media, citizens, and elected officials in order to truly understand the political realm. This course will fill a gap in current course offerings by focusing exclusively on the media and the impact of the media on our democratic system.

GOVT 159B American Politics Seminar: Problems in Democratic Institutions. Examines the concept of representation and how it functions in the United States Congress and in state legislatures. In the first section different meanings of representation are discussed. In the second section interactions between legislators and their constituents are explored. Finally, the tradeoffs to different designs of representative institutions are studied. 3 units.
Justification: The course is part of an effort by the Department of Government to make more seminars available to our majors and increase our offerings in American government. The course will explore issues in more depth than other American politics courses and assign more scholarly reading.

GOVT 169A Science, Technology, and Politics. Social and political dimensions of science and technology. Examines how science and technology both shape politics and are shaped by politics. Considers the role of scientific advisors in government and society; dilemmas of expert authority and bias; relations between experts and non-experts; science and technology in popular culture; science and technology policy; implications of emerging technologies such as genetic engineering and the Internet for civil rights, moral values, and democracy. 3 units
Justification: It has been widely noted that we live today in a “knowledge society” where science and technology both create and help resolve a wide variety of public and private dilemmas. Science and technology play important roles in political decision making, economic development, cultural change, and personal choices of all kinds. Science and technology are also increasingly subject to the influence of public policy, social movements, and cultural values. Conflicts over the politics of science and technology highlight both theoretical and practical tensions between experts and lay citizens, thus posing important challenges for democratic politics. The Department of Government does not currently have a course devoted to these topics.

COURSE CHANGES

GOVT 128 Environment and the Law. An introduction to environmental law, including: the evolution of environmental legislation, environmental issues in the court system, environmental regulation and administrative law, and environmental torts. The emphasis is on understanding legal process and the special challenges environmental problems present to the legal system. 3 units
Prerequisites: ENVS 110 or ENVS 111, or instructor permission.
Justification: To add ENVS 110 to the prerequisites: Students need specific exposure to environmental issues in order to validate legal approaches covered in this course. Change in course description: The new description more accurately reflects the content of the course and the development of the field since the original description was written nearly thirty years ago.

GOVT 230 International Relations
Change to:
GOVT 230 Theories of International Relations. No change in description.
Justification: The current title ("International Relations") is not consistent with the revised title of IA 210. Since GOVT 230 is cross listed with IA 210, they both need to have the same title.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

COURSE CHANGE

IA 210 IR: Theory, Scope + Methods
Change to:
IA 210 Theories of International Relations. No change in description.
Justification: The current title ("International Relations: Theory, Scope + Methods") does not adequately reflect the main thrust and content of the course which is the survey of major theories of international relations. Moreover, there already exists a methods core course (IA 214) and therefore the theory course should not be saddled with an additional burden of covering methods.

Department of Public Policy and Administration

NEW COURSE

PPA 270 Introduction to Collaborative Policy Making. Examines the theory and practice of collaborative policy-making using case studies of major collaborative processes. Topics include interpretative policy analysis, deliberative democracy theory, public participation, collaborative policy networks, the use of dialogue in public policy, resolution of policy controversies, and consensus building. Prerequisite: PPA 200 and PPA 210, or approval of instructor. 3 units
Prerequisites: PPA 200 and PPA 210, or approval of instructor
Justification: One goal of the Department of PPA is to enhance our graduate course offerings in the area of policy methods and management. More specifically, in our 2000 self study we identified course work in the general area of conflict resolution as a high priority. This course contributes to achieving our larger goal, and ensures that we are on the cutting edge of a rapidly expanding field. It should be noted that we have twice successfully offered this class in experimental form as PA 296h. Student reaction to PPA 296h has been very positive and course evaluations have been excellent. Also, “Introduction to Collaborative Policy Making” has been developed in cooperation with the Center for Collaborative Policy at CSUS.