GENS Course Proposals

Course Proposal Deadlines and Approval Meetings

Proposals for new General Studies courses are evaluated by the General Studies Committee on a rolling basis, with a final deadline of Oct. 29 (F21) and April 1 (S22). Please submit all materials to the Dean of General Studies (robert.gregg@stockton.edu ), the G-Group Convener (john.ohara@stockton.edu), and your School representative on the General Studies Committee (see below).

Once a course moves through the Committee, it will be scheduled for faculty presentation and Q and A at the end-of-term G Course Approval/Feedback Meeting.

Any questions, please contact John O'Hara, Chair, General Studies Committee and G-Group Convener.

Fall 2024 Approval Meeting Dates:

Proposal submission deadline: Friday, Nov. 1, 2024

Course Feedback - Fall Meeting 
Friday, Dec. 6, 2024 3:30 PM -- Zoom

How to Propose a General Studies Course

NOTE: Extended guidelines for proposing to teach an existing or multi-section G course, and guidelines for adjunct faculty proposals, can be found in the accordion menus below.

  1. Step 1: Review General Studies Mission and Learning Goals

    Visit the William T. Daly School of General Studies Home Page for school information and the General Studies mission statement.

    Familiarize yourself further with these videos of Mayflower faculty member and Professor Emeritus William Daly speaking on General Studies and 鈥The 淫性视频 Idea.鈥

    See the three different types of Learning Objectives you will later be asked to align on the New Course Proposal Form:

    General Studies Overview and Learning Objectives

    厂迟辞肠办迟辞苍鈥檚 Essential Learning Outcomes (ELOs)

    IDEA Learning Objectives

    Do not hesitate to seek mentorship and advice from the G-Group Convener and your School reps on the General Studies Committee at any stage of your course development.

  2. Step 2: Plan Your Course

    Determine your targeted G-Course category and area-specific learning goals (click for descriptions):

    GAH 鈥 General Arts & Humanities

    GEN 鈥 General Interdisciplinary Skills & Topics

    GIS 鈥 General Integration & Synthesis

    GNM 鈥 General Natural Sciences & Mathematics

    GSS 鈥 General Social & Behavioral Sciences

    Preparation

    There are two ways to get involved with General Studies teaching. 

    1. Propose a new course. 

    2. Propose to teach an existing course, either:

    a.) A course offered in multiple sections (such as Argument and Persuasion or Algebraic Problem Solving). Please communicate with Dean of General Studies and G-Group Convener if this is desired.

    b.) A course not currently offered but already 鈥渙n the books鈥 (proposed and approved in the past). This requires permission from the faculty member who originally proposed the course. 

    For a. or b. above, please see Guidelines for Proposing an Existing G Course.

    Preliminary Steps

    • Generate an idea based on your academic interests, your confidence that the idea is worthy of a semester long course, and your confidence in your own ability to offer the course. Feel free to share ideas with G-Group Convener or School reps on the General Studies committee.
    • Decide which of the five General Studies course categories is most appropriate.
    • Determine the appropriate level for your course (1000-, 2000-, 3000-, 4000-.). All 1000-level G-courses are First Year Seminars or FRST courses. Please contact the First Year Seminar Coordinator or FRST Chair, respectively.
    • Examine the University Bulletin to determine whether the course is new or falls into one of the other two categories noted above.
    • Propose your course two semesters (one year) before you plan on teaching it.
    • If you are an adjunct faculty member, please see the Guidelines for Adjuncts menu below. 

    Guidelines for Adjuncts

    • Adjunct faculty should follow all outlined steps when proposing to teach a new or existing General Studies course for the first time, making sure to also include a cv with course proposal materials.
    • Adjunct faculty proposing any General Studies course  require a full-time faculty member to complete the Sponsor form. Please submit this form with your other new course proposal materials.
    • New courses in Interdisciplinary Minors: If your new course is to be included in an interdisciplinary minor program, please ensure the Minor Coordinator is copied on all communications.
    • Any adjunct faculty member who would like to teach a General Studies course may contact the Dean of the School of General Studies to discuss curricular needs, and should provide a cv/resume. Adjunct faculty should have a Master鈥檚 degree in a field related to the disciplines they plan to teach.

    Sponsor forms must be approved by the sponsor's home School prior to submission of the course for review. Sponsors should be available to the adjunct as a mentor. All completed forms should be sent to the Dean of the School of General Studies, the G-Group Convener, and the School representative on the General Studies committee prior to each semester鈥檚 announced deadlines. To schedule an approved course, adjunct faculty members should contact the Assistant Dean in the faculty sponsor鈥檚 School. 

    Staff adjuncts (those who work full or part-time at 淫性视频 in non-teaching positions) should follow the procedures described above for all adjuncts, including submitting their CV/resume to the Dean of the School of General Studies, completing New Course Proposal and Sponsor Forms, and scheduling through the Assistant Dean in the faculty sponsor鈥檚 School.

    Adjuncts seeking to teach one or more sections of an existing multi-section course do not need to propose a new course; however, they should communicate with the relevant Program director and the Dean of General Studies, and submit their cv/resume.

  3. Step 3: Apply for General Studies Course Approval

    Course Proposal Form

     

    Fill out the Course Proposal Form (see instructions below) and create a provisional syllabus, syllabus schedule, assignments, grade values and weights, and additional relevant material. Indicate intentions, if any, to seek subscripts or attributes, or inclusion within an interdisciplinary minor.

    Submit all materials to the Dean of General Studies, G-Group Convener and your School Representative on the General Studies Committee (listed below) before the announced deadline. If you intend your course as a First Year Seminar G course, please also include the FYS Convener.  

    Chair: John O'Hara (GENS)

    Vice Chair: Geoffrey Gust (GENS)

    School Reps:

    Christina Morus (ARHU) (2023鈥2025)

    Ellen Kraft (BUSN) (2023鈥2025)

    Jung Lee (EDUC) (2023鈥2025)

    Geoffrey Gust (GENS) First Year Seminar Convener

    Barbara Amendolia (HLTH) (2023鈥2025)

    Joyce DeStasio (Library) (2023鈥2025)

    Sarah Gray (NAMS) (2023鈥2025)

    Christine Ferri (SOBL) (2023-2025)

    Detailed Instructions for Completing the Course Proposal Form

    Course Description:

    Please describe the new course in 250-300 words explaining the overall focus of the course and the academic rationale behind it.

    Course Proposal Narrative:

    The following criteria should be discussed thoroughly in narrative form.

    • Explain how the course offers learning opportunities not provided in other General Studies or Program courses; demonstrate the importance of the new course in relation to others already offered; elaborate on how the course will benefit students, i.e. by preparing them for effective citizenship, personal growth, intellectual development, workplace success, etc.
    • Discuss the interdisciplinary nature of the new course; and, identify the two or more disciplines that the course encompasses as well as the ways in which students will learn to use the theoretical/practical/reflective tools of those disciplines to answer questions, create written/digital/material products, and/or gain a new perspective about a current/historical issue. 
    • Explain the ways in which the course meets goals of the relevant General Studies category, and at least two of the General Studies Learning Objectives aligned with ELOs and IDEA outcomes. Refer to any learning objectives and assessment measures outside this scope, such as experiential learning outcomes, significant learning experiences, or high-impact practices.
    • Attach to your Proposal Form: A draft of your course syllabus consistent with the requirements for a course proposal as outlined above and other materials indicating a thoughtful presentation of course readings, assignments, activities, grading weights and values, policies, teaching goals, student learning objectives, etc.
    • Course titles must be 30 characters or fewer. Be mindful of the fact that titles will remain on a student鈥檚 transcripts forever: a title too closely related to a brief fashion or temporal topic may appear puzzling or incomprehensible years later.

  4. Step 4: Prepare for General Studies Approval/Feedback Meeting

    The General Studies Committee will notify faculty if their proposal has been accepted for general faculty review at the end-of-term General Studies Course Approval/Feedback Meeting. (Appeals to the committee鈥檚 decision may be made to the G-Group Convener, Dean, and President of the Faculty Senate.)

    All faculty proposing new G-courses make a brief presentation with Q and A at the end-of-term meeting, with a final approval vote by attending faculty.

    Courses approved at the end-of-term open meeting will be forwarded to the Assistant Dean, GENS, for course # assignment and integration into DegreeWorks.

    Schedule your course with your home school when you submit your faculty schedule to your Dean鈥檚 office, no sooner than the subsequent semester after approval (i.e., courses approved in fall may be taught the following fall; courses approved in spring may be taught the following spring).

    Course Approval Process

    1. Course proposals will be intially reviewed by the Dean of the School of General Studies, the G-Group Convener, and the relevant School representative on the General Studies Committee, to determine whether the course meets General Studies objectives, fits the goals of the General Studies category and level identified, has an appropriate title, aims to produce interdisciplinary learning opportunities for students, and demonstrates other features of sufficient course development. Course proposals that do not adequately meet such standards will be returned for further development, and faculty members usually will be encouraged to seek targeted mentorship.

    2. Initially successful proposals will be passed along to the General Studies Committee for further review. The General Studies Committee will determine whether or not the proposal will be placed on the agenda for the end-of-term approval and feedback meeting. 

    3. The Dean, G-Group Convener, School representatives or other full-time faculty may also make helpful comments/suggestions to the instructor about ways to strengthen the proposal prior to putting the proposal on the agenda for the final approval and feedback meeting.

    4. Faculty may appeal any decision made by the General Studies Committee to the Faculty Senate by filing an appeal with the Dean of General Studies, the Chair of the General Studies Committee and the Faculty Senate President. 

    5. If a course is approved, the G-Group Convener will forward materials to the Assistant Dean of General Studies, who will assign a course number and integrate the course into DegreeWorks, the university catalogue, etc. The process involves several steps and takes time, so instructors should not plan to teach approved courses for two semesters. 

    6. Approved courses should be scheduled by the faculty member teaching it through their home schools鈥 Assistant Dean.

    Policies and Procedures

    The institution will publicize the deadlines for proposals and dates/times/locations for the end-of-term approval and feedback meeting well in advance.

    Courses approved in the fall of one academic year will be processed for teaching the following fall; similarly, courses approved in the spring of one academic year will be processed for teaching the following spring. 鈥淔ast-tracking鈥 courses to shorten this timeline will only be granted in extraordinary circumstances due to pressing needs, with approval from the Dean of the School of General Studies in consultation with the General Studies Committee.

    All approved courses taught by full-time faculty are to be reviewed every five years (i.e., five years from the first academic year the course is taught), and courses taught by adjunct faculty members are reviewed every two years. Changes to this process are pending as of Fall 2021. More details will be forthcoming.

    Those proposing courses should be aware that the General Studies Committee may recommend significant revisions to course proposals, rethinking of course design, or reworking of assignments/other aspects of the course. When this is the case, the committee may decide not to approve the course for inclusion on the end-of-term approval and feedback meeting agenda, and request that the instructor first present a revised course proposal to the General Studies Committee.

  5. Step 5: Determine and Apply Separately for Subscripts and Attributes After G-course Approval

    See below for the coordinators of each subscript and attribute (W1/W2, Q1/Q2, R1/R2, H, I, V, A). 

    If you think your course might be a credit-bearing course within an interdisciplinary minor, please contact the coordinator of the minor.

    If you think your course is suitable to any other program such as Service Learning or Honors, contact those coordinators directly.

    See the GENS Academic Programs webpage for a list of programs and coordinators.

    R1 and R2 Courses

    Beginning in fall 2021, all matriculated students must complete two courses in Race and Racism Education (RARE), at least one of which must be an R1. Students are required to earn a C or better for courses designated as R1: Race and Racism Intensive courses, and a D or better in courses designated as R2: Race and Racism Education-Across-the-Curriculum.

    The designation R1 or R2 indicates the role and function of the study of race and racism education in the course, not the degree of course difficulty.

    R1 鈥 Race and/or Racism Intensive courses, which can be either Program or General Studies courses, focus on race and racism education as the core subject of the course, meaning that the majority of the course materials and assignments are spent discussing these issues in a variety of contexts.

    R2 鈥 Race and/or Racism Education-Across-the-Curriculum courses focus on disciplinary or interdisciplinary content. They use the study of race and racism education as a way of learning about another subject (i.e., history, chemistry, social work, or marketing). Explicit connections should be made between ideas about race and racism education and disciplinary content, and at least 25% of course time should be devoted to the study of race and/or racism education and engage students in activities that support learning of these complex fields.

    This can include assigning focused activities in class and/or as homework assignments, offering direct instruction on these topics, assigning reading about race or racism education, or providing feedback on student drafts for assignments. These courses can be offered in any of the G-acronyms or program acronyms.

    To apply for R1 or R2 designation for a G-course, please contact Darrell Cleveland, or see the online R1/R2 application. A new link opens each term.

    For Q1 Course Designation

    In a Q1 course, mathematical thinking is the primary focus of study. Q1 courses should share an emphasis on the underlying structures of mathematics, communicating the importance of identifying patterns and regularities (e.g., one might demonstrate how the same mathematical principle can be used to solve problems in biology and in finance). Q1 courses, while focusing on mathematics, should emphasize the importance of mathematical modeling of realistic situations by providing ample opportunities for investigating diverse applications of the concepts discussed. Finally, such courses should draw rich connections among different areas of mathematics (e.g., one might point to the connections between algebra and geometry when discussing the topic of graphing equations).

    In a Q1 course, the majority of class time is spent on mathematical concepts and procedures. Students work on mathematics during virtually every class session. The quality of mathematics is used as the major criterion for evaluating student performance in the course. Examples of Q1 courses are: MATH 2215 -- Calculus I, GNM 1125 -- Algebraic Problem Solving, CSIS 1206 -- Statistics I, and PHIL 1204 -- Introduction to Symbolic Logic.

     

    For Q2 Course Designations:

    In a Q2 course, the focus is on disciplinary or interdisciplinary content outside of mathematics. Mathematics is used as a tool for understanding this content. Q2 courses should feature applications that utilize real-world data and situations. Data collection and analysis may be a component of such work. Explicit connections should be made between mathematical ideas and disciplinary content. In a Q2 course, applying a mathematical perspective to certain concepts in content areas can result in a more robust understanding of these disciplinary concepts (e.g., using graphs and equations in an Economics course may bring increased understanding of demand functions). Conversely, experience with disciplinary situations that embody mathematical concepts can result in increased understanding of these mathematical ideas (e.g., solving for the landing coordinates of a projectile may bring new meaning to the zero of a function).

    In a Q2 course, at least 20% of class time involves mathematical ideas. Students are expected to demonstrate their ability to apply mathematical ideas to the course content. Those having difficulty with the mathematics utilized in class may gain assistance through the tutorial services provided by the Math Center. Both mastery of disciplinary content and mathematical proficiency are used to evaluate student performance. Examples of Q2 courses include: CSIS 2210 -- Systems Analysis and Design, GNM 2182 -- Atom, Man, Universe, and CHEM 2110 -- Chemistry I.

    For Q courses, see the QUAD webpage and/or contact Emily Ryan, QUAD Coordinator.

    For information about W1 and W2 course designations, please visit the webpage for the program: 

    W1 & W2 Program Webpage

    Subscript Convenors:


    A (Arts)鈥 Kate Ogden (ARHU) ext. 4406

    H (Historical Consciousness) Updated Nov 2, 2022
    Laura Zucconi (ARHU) ext. (626) 3527 - NOTE:  All courses approved for an H subscript BEFORE 2016 need to be resubmitted for approval.

    I (International/Multicultural)- Lauren Balasco (SOBL) ext. 4743

    V (Values)鈥 Aakash Taneja (BUSN) ext. 4948