Course Requests
Requests for all Trinity undergraduate courses are submitted to the Office of Curriculum and Course Development, and reviewed by the Faculty Committee on Courses, a standing committee of the Arts & Sciences Council. The Committee on Courses consists of representatives from the divisions of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences, as well as the associate dean and director of the Office of Curriculum and Course Development, who is an ex-officio member of the committee. Final approval of the course requests rests with the Committee on Courses.
Requests for new courses, course changes, course deletions, and coding for general education requirements are made by faculty, in consultation with the departmental directors of undergraduate studies and/or the departmental curriculum committees. Requests for all undergraduate courses require the approval of the director of undergraduate studies of the sponsoring department. Courses at the 200-level also require the approval of the director of graduate study. Departments must use the forms in the Online Course Request Program when submitting all course requests.
The online course request forms require faculty and departments to submit detailed information on the course, including title, course description, prerequisites, course format, etc. Through the course request form, requests may also be made for the particular areas of knowledge and modes of inquiry that apply towards the general education requirements of the college. Each course may carry up to two areas of knowledge and up to three modes of inquiry.
Faculty should consult the criteria and guidelines below before filling out course request forms.
Criteria for General Education Requirements
Specific criteria for ways in which courses may be coded to satisfy general education requirements are as follows:
Areas of Knowledge
Arts, Literature, and Performance (ALP):
The course focuses on analysis and interpretation of the creative products of the human intellect, and/or engages students in creative performance requiring intellectual understanding and interpretive skills. Among the courses coded ALP are many (but not all) courses in the arts (music, drama, dance, art and art history), in the various literatures of the world (whether taught in English or in a foreign language), and in literary theory
Civilizations (CZ):
The course focuses on the analysis and evaluation of ideas and events that shape civilizations past and present. The CZ designation includes many (but not all) courses in art history, history, philosophy, and religion as well as various individual courses offered in other departments.
Natural Sciences (NS):
The course focuses on the interpretation and utilization of scientific discovery in an increasingly technological world. Among the courses designated NS are many (but not all) courses in the biological, physical, and environmental sciences and some courses in other disciplines such as psychology
Quantitative Studies (QS):
The course either provides instruction in a quantitative skill to achieve proficiency in math, statistics, or computer science, or engages in the application of explicitly quantitative methodology to analyze problems. Courses designated QS include courses in mathematics, statistics, computer science as well as various individual courses offered in other departments.
Social Sciences (SS):
The course focuses on the causes of human behavior and the origins and functions of the social structures in which we operate. Among the courses designated SS are many (but not all) courses in cultural anthropology, economics, environmental sciences, linguistics, political science, psychology, public policy studies, and sociology as well as various individual courses offered in other departments.
Modes of Inquiry
Cross Cultural Inquiry (CCI):
The course investigates culture/ identity/difference as socially constructed, and provides either a significant comparative component, or an in-depth examination of the ideals, assumptions, and/or conflicts of a given culture. Specific criteria and guidelines can be found here.
Ethical Inquiry (EI):
The course must focus on one of the following: 1) ethical arguments and beliefs within cultures or religions, or within philosophical, dramatic, or literary texts or traditions, 2) ethical and political issues/controversies within particular historical, disciplinary, professional, or policy context, 3) combination of coursework and service experiences with reflection and writing on ethical issues. Specific criteria and guidelines can be found here.
Foreign Languages (FL):
The course must be taught entirely in the foreign language. Courses that have as prerequisites at least two years of study of the foreign language may also receive the FL designation, provided that one of the following apply: 1) all lectures are in the foreign language, 2) all readings are in the foreign language, or 3) all course work and assignments are in the foreign language.
Science, Technology and Society (STS):
The course must focus on one of the following: 1) impact of scientific/technological developments on society, 2) social/economic roots of scientific/technological field, or 3) science and/or technology but interface with society is addressed consistently. Specific criteria and guidelines can be found here.
Research (R):
The course must be a research intensive experience that satisfies both the following criteria: 1) the student is an active, rather than passive, participant in the discovery, critical evaluation and/or application of knowledge and understanding in the discipline or across disciplines; and 2) the student produces a major document or its equivalent. Specific criteria and guidelines can be found here.
Writing (W):
The course must fulfill the following criteria: 1) students write frequently throughout the term, and are given regular practice in and comments on their writing, 2) students discuss the work they are doing as writers at various points during the term, 3) students reflect on and improve their work as writers, and 4) students consider the roles and uses of writing in the discipline they are studying. Specific criteria and guidelines can be found here, and at http://uwp.aas.duke.edu/wid/guidelines.html.
Guidelines for Writing Course Descriptions
When you submit course request forms, please be sure that course descriptions are in Bulletin format, that is, pared down as much as possible, avoiding complete sentences, unnecessary verbs, articles, extraneous verbiage. (Limit to 700 characters.) Any prerequisites, consent required, or statements such as “open only to students who..” or “not open to students who…” should be included at end of course description, as should notations of whether or not the course requires fieldwork or service learning.
The course description should also reflect the particular modes of inquiry attached to the course. For example, if the course carries an EI (ethical inquiry) code, it should be evident from the course description that ethical inquiry will be a central focus of the course.
Examples:
RELIGION 109. Women in the Bilbical Tradition: Image and Role. CCI, CZ, EI Women in ancient Israel, early Christianity, and early Judaism in their contexts in the Near Eastern and Greco-Roman worlds, with attention to the relation between textual depictions and social reality and to the ethical issues raised by the continuing authority of biblical texts for matters of gender.
EDUC 82FCS. Civic Engagement, Service, and Social Ideals. SS. CCI. EI Civic engagement and service learning as pedagogical approaches in both K-12 and college settings. The ways civic engagement experiences may impact students' perspectives of race, class, gender. Education as a transformative experience. Includes a service learning experience focused on literacy issues in K-12 schools in which students write reflections on ethical issues. Open only to students in the Focus program.