Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2002 09:29:37 -0800

From: Reg Gooden <rgooden@polymail.cpunix.calpoly.edu>

Organization: Cal Poly State University

X-Accept-Language: en

To: Kathy Kaiser <kkaiser@csuchico.edu>, Bob Cherny <cherny@sfsu.edu>,

        Jackie Kegley <jkegley@csubak.edu>, David McNeil <dmcneil@sjsu.edu>,

        Bob Snyder <ras1@humboldt.edu>

CC: Reginald Gooden <rgooden@calpoly.edu>

Subject: [Fwd: [Fwd: [Fwd: Fwd: RE: FW: Pending resolution on removing first-term

 language course          s          from GE C2 bl]]]

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Amigos/Amigas

 

Here is some commentary by John Harrington, the former chair of our

campus GE&B Committee. [He has been replaced by Doug Keesey who is

coming up to speed on this issue] The other person being copied by John

is William (Guillermo or "Memo") Martinez the chair of our Modern

Languages Dept.  It's ironic that although Kathy is taking all the heat

for this resolution, the initiative came from this campus and initially

from John and Memo both of whom are concerned about the integrity of the

GE program as should we all.

 

Sender: John Harrington <jharring@polymail.cpunix.calpoly.edu>

From: John Harrington <jharring@polymail.cpunix.calpoly.edu>

To: dkeesey@calpoly.edu,

    rgooden@polymail.cpunix.calpoly.edu,

    wmartine@calpoly.edu

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Doug asked me for comments on the exchange over changing the CSU policy

governing foreign-language study in General Education.  I tried a longer

version and decided that not even you guys would bother reading it, so

here are what I see as a few key points:

 

1.  Given the movement of students to and from community colleges and

both CSU and UC campuses, there are clear reasons to establish both a

level and criteria for GE credit for language study.  Given EO595, there

is even more reason to have consistency within our own system.

 

2.  The CSU requires freshman to complete a minimum of two years of

high-school language study for admission.  By default, the current CSU

policy encourages--and does not prevent--students from repeating

beginning language study in the same language used for admission.  As

the discussion has pointed out, there is little gain from encouraging

students to repeat work taken in high school and much to gain from

policies that encourage further language study.  (Look at current

enrollments and it's clear that for far too many students the first term

of language study is also the last.) 

 

3.  While the nature of the cultural component is clearly the business

of the language programs, GE programs need to verify that the cultural

component is substantial and reasonably consistent with the intellectual

content of courses in the humanities or any other area that might grant

GE credit to language study.  (Perhaps a reasonable comparison might be

made with Area A courses.  These courses often have an intellectual

component--e.g. literature--but not a sufficiently deep or broad

component to also allow those courses to provide Area C credit.)   It

seems a stretch to imagine any less than a full year's university-level

instruction in a second language could equate to the substance of an

Area C General Education course.

 

4.  It's also critical that evidence be provided of the substance of the

cultural component.  Because most Area C courses have a focused

intellectual objective and language studies have the additional (and

primary?) objective of basic-language instruction, it is logical to

assume (in the absence of very specific and documented evidence) that

the dual-objective course will take two or more terms to meet objectives

equivalent to those of a course without a dual objective.  (While one

might discuss the writing or speech components of a course in the

humanites, one does not hear about "cultural components" for such

courses because cultural issues are not simply a component.)

 

5.  The discussion should not be about positions, but rather about how

to bring students into language study beyond the first term (thus one

assumes/hopes the same number of positions but at a somewhat more

advanced level).  If one wants to focus on financial questions, it is

dishonest to ignore the cost (and wasted resources) of allowing students

with two or more years of high-school language study to enroll in

first-term study in college.

 

John

 

 

dkeesey@calpoly.edu wrote:

>

> John,

>

> Would you like to weigh in on this?

> --

> Doug Keesey

>

>   ------------------------------------------------------------------------

>

> Subject: [Fwd: Fwd: RE: FW: Pending resolution on removing first-term language course s from GE C2 bl]

> Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 10:19:42 -0800

> From: Reg Gooden <rgooden@polymail.cpunix.calpoly.edu>

> Organization: Cal Poly State University

> To: dkeesey@calpoly.edu,

>      wmartine@calpoly.edu

>

> Amigos

>

> Memo you have probably already been inundated with these concerns--now

> you see what YOU have created?  The issue is heating up as you can tell

> and so I plead with you to keep me informed or all our efforts may come

> to naught.

>

> I was under the impression CSU foreign language departments would be in

> support of the resolution apparently many are concerned they will lose

> staffing.  I expected that from the CCs.

>

> I will provide you and Doug with correspondence within the Academic

> Affairs committee and the CSU Academic Senate, please let me know how

> things are moving on your end.  Do you intend to enter the fray in

> support of the resolution?

>

> Cheerio

>

>   ------------------------------------------------------------------------

>

> Subject: Fwd: RE: FW: Pending resolution on removing first-term language course s from GE C2 bl

> Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 09:30:32 -0800

> From: Bob Snyder <ras1@humboldt.edu>

> To: CSUSenateAcadAffairs@calstate.edu

>

> >From: "Kaiser, Kathy" <KKAISER@csuchico.edu>

> >To: "Frongia, Eugenio" <EFrongia@exchange.csuchico.edu>,

> >         "'Bob Cherny'"

> >       <cherny@sfsu.edu>, "'Bob Snyder'" <ras1@humboldt.edu>

> >Subject: RE: FW: Pending resolution on removing first-term language course

> >       s       from GE C2 bl

> >Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 15:00:32 -0800

> >

> >I gues I must plead ignorant on the ? of how the SFSU campus is seeing the

> >accreditation of the CCC courses are affecting this move on their campus. It

> >seems quite vaild for their campus to do this GE focus and not an issue

> >affected by this resolution, since it would only be in effect for Transfer

> >students who meet their GE C-2 NOT at a CSU, ie. not at SFSU.

> >

> >>  ----------

> >>  From:       Frongia, Eugenio

> >>  Sent:       Monday, February 11, 2002 2:42 PM

> >>  To: Blackstone, Sarah; Thorlaksson, Brooks; McNall, Scott; Persons,

> >>  Paul; Kaiser, Kathy; Edelman, Sam; Jackson, Byron

> >>  Subject:    FW: FW: Pending resolution on removing first-term language

> >>  courses     from GE C2 bl

> >>

> >>  FYI. Several key questions are asked here. Many of the concerns are

> >>  parallel to the ones we are expressing in Chico. The system-wide

> >>  discussion is unearthing issues we want to consider very carefully before

> >>  it is too late. Eugenio Frongia

> >>

> >>  -----Original Message-----

> >>  From:       Midori McKeon [SMTP:mmckeon@sfsu.edu]

> >>  Sent:       Monday, February 11, 2002 2:00 PM

> >>  To: Gretchen Angelo

> >>  Cc: Helia Corral; Joanne Schmidt; Eugenio Frongia; Miguel Dominguez;

> >>  Raul Romero; Maurice Gendron; Yolonda Patterson; Roland Heine; Rosamel

> >>  Benavides; Yoko Pusavat; Claire Martin; Hildebrando Villarreal; Donaldo

> >>  Urioste; Yoshiko Saito-Abbot; Elias Ramos; Edda Spielmann; Trino Gonzalez;

> >>  Joseph Farrell; Liliane Fucaloro; Margaret Carol Brown; Gerald Carr;

> >>  Walter Oliver; Mirta Gonzalez; Terri Nelson; Edith Benkov; Mary Ann

> >>  Lyman-Hager; Kathleen Kish; Ilona Vandergriff; Dominique VanHooff; Jose

> >>  Cerrudo; John Thompson; Jill Pelletieri; Silva Rolle; Christine Renaudin;

> >>  Suzanne Toczyski; Enrique Lopez-Contreras; Gretchen Angelo (Sprint);

> >>  Elizabeth Martinez; Midori McKeon; Lew Robinson; David Ross; Teresa

> >>  Bargetto-Andres; William Martinez; Reyes Fidalgo; Curtis Swanson; Tom

> >>  Blair; mcdermid@sfsu.edu; pamelav@sfsu.edu; conco@sfsu.edu

> >>  Subject:    Re: FW: Pending resolution on removing first-term language

> >>  courses     from GE C2 bl

> >>

> >>  Dear Gretchen,

> >>

> >>  Please find attached the letter that the Department of Foreign

> >>  Languages and Literatures at San Francisco State sent to Professor

> >>  Robert Snyder, Chair of the Academic Affairs Committee, Academic

> >>  Senate, CSU on Thursday, February 7 (the date on the letter is

> >>  February 8) by email, to protest against the the AACAS's pending

> >>  resolution AS-2552-02/AA.

> >>

> >>  Our campus is currently undergoing the process of considering all

> >>  undergraduate foreign language courses (including Latin and modern

> >>  Greek) for inclusion in a newly created GE Segment II category E:

> >>  Language Other than English.  Our department immediately responded to

> >>  the news of the AACAS's move toward passing the resolution not only

> >>  because its "blanket" assumption that CC's first-semester foreign

> >>  language courses do not have an adequate cultural component seemed to

> >>  be unfounded and unsubstantiated, but also because such an assumption

> >>  would seriously undermine this important work now in progress on the

> >>  SFSU campus.

> >>

> >>  I hope the attached letter will inform you and others of our

> >>  perspectives and and be helpful to the discussion on this issue.

> >>

> >>  Midori McKeon, Cahir

> >>  Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures

> >>  San Francisco State University

> >>  (415) 338-7413

> >>

> >>  --------

> >>

> >>  >Dear members of the FLC:

> >>  >Terri Nelson alerted me to this resolution, and I am in the process of

> >>  >getting more information about it.  You might want to read the forwarded

> >>  >messages (below) from the bottom up, so to speak, to follow the sequence

> >>  of

> >>  >the discussion thus far.  I have also contacted Tom Blair of the CCCFLC.

> >  > It

> >>  >appears that this affects transfer courses only, *not* our own campuses'

> >>  GE

> >>  >courses which are approved on each campus, but obviously that is a key

> >>  >question.  Of course, such a resolution might well affect our own

> >>  campuses'

> >>  >individual efforts to include FL in GE.

> >>  >

> >>  >I think an important point is that the resolution's rationale for

> >>  omitting

> >>  >the first-term courses is that they don't all include sufficient cultural

> >>  >content.  On the one hand, I think we would agree that such content is

> >>  >necessary justification for inclusion of FL in GE; on the other hand,

> >>  >perhaps we need to protest against the blanket assumption that CC courses

> >>  do

> >>  >not provide such content.

> >>  >

> >>  >I really do believe it is premature to discuss this without more info,

> >>  >especially input from the community colleges.  I just sent out my message

> >>  to

> >>  >the chair of the Academic Senate this morning, and am getting very quick

> >>  >responses.  I think we should be able to undertake discussion of this in

> >>  a

> >>  >few days.  I was going to wait until I got more answers before forwarding

> >>  >the matter to you, but I thought it better to key you in now since other

> >>  >members have begun to contact me about this.

> >>  >

> >>  >Unfortunately, this is coming up before the next meeting, so any memo we

> >>  >write will have to be aired and commented through e-mail.  That is why it

> >>  is

> >>  >so important to understand the issue thoroughly before we get into it.

> >>  The

> >>  >full resolution is attached.  I would suggest waiting a few days for

> >>  further

> >>  >information before opening up a discussion on this, but if you do want to

> >>  >reply immediately, please reply to the entire list.

> >>  >

> >>  >As I get more e-mails from people in the Academic Senate and permission

> >>  to

> >>  >forward them, I will send them on to you.

> >>  >

> >>  >Gretchen Angelo

> >>  >

> >>  >----------

> >>  >>  From: Bob Snyder <ras1@humboldt.edu>

> >>  >>  Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2002 12:27:35 -0800

> >>  >>  To: gangelo@sprintmail.com

> >>  >>  Cc: KKAISER@csuchico.edu, ken_nishita@csumb.edu

> >>  >>  Subject: Re: Fwd: Re: Pending resolution on removing first-term

> >>  language

> >>  >>  courses from GE C2 bl

> >>  >>

> >>  >>  Dear Professor Angelo:

> >>  >>

> >>  >>  Attached is the resolution from the Academic Affairs Committee.  This

> >>  >>  resolution was motivated by the past and current chairs of the GE

> >>  >>  Advisory Committee.  A subcommittee of this committee, the Course

> >>  >>  Review Subcommittee, reviews GE courses from the CCC system.  I will

> >>  >>  try to answer your questions but I am going to copy Ken Nishita, the

> >>  >>  current chair, and Kathy Kaiser, the past chair, and they can correct

> >>  >>  my mistakes.  I do not serve on this committee and therefore may be

> >>  >>  wrong about some of the details.

> >>  >>

> >>  >>  1.  What was the motivation for this resolution?  Who introduced it?

> >>  >>  My understanding is that the Course Review Subcommittee looks at

> >>  >>  proposals from community colleges which are to be approved for GE

> >>  >>  transfer in the CSU and UC. These courses can be approved for just

> >>  >>  CSU transfer or for the intersegmental transfer that lets students go

> >>  >>  to either system. Currently, both systems work with the same language

> >>  >>  for what foreign language courses have to do to be approved for GE,

> >>  >>  but the intersegmental transfer system does not consider 1st term

> >>  >>  courses at all and the CSU transfer system does.  The subcommittee

> >>  >>  approves very few 1st term courses for CSU transfer because it feels

> >>  >>  they do not have enough cultural components in them.  They feel it

> >>  >>  would be easier to prohibit all first term, community college

> >>  >>  courses, in trying to achieve the requirements for GE.

> >>  >>

> >>  >>  2.  Why does the resolution mention first-term language courses only?

> >>  >>  Would second through sixth term lower-division courses still be

> >>  >>  eligible for inclusion in G.E.?  All other term courses would be

> >>  >>  considered for inclusion in GE.  They may not be approved, depending

> >>  >>  on the cultural component.  The reason first-term courses are

> >>  >>  mentioned is because they are the ones most likely for not have a

> >  > >>  cultural component.

> >>  >>

> >>  >>  3.  At CSLA, for example, our foreign language courses are in a

> >>  >>  separate block - C4, which is simply foreign languages.  Would this

> >>  >>  resolution affect campuses which have foreign languages in other

> >>  >>  blocks than C2?  I do not think that this resolution affects CSU

> >>  >>  campuses at all.  (If I am wrong about this, Kathy or Ken will

> >>  >>  correct me.  This is my understanding, but because I am not on the

> >>  >>  committee I am concerned that I might be wrong.  I realize this is a

> >>  >>  very important point and we need to get it right.) CSU campuses have

> >>  >>  their own approval processes for GE. I think on a campus it is much

> >>  >  > easier to get further input to clarify course content.  The Course

> >>  >>  Review Subcommittee is reviewing courses for all the CCC system and

> >>  >>  it is much more difficult to to oversee curriculum content at that

> >>  >>  level of review.

> >>  >>

> >>  >>  4.  Is this a binding resolution on all CSU campuses?  I notice that

> >>  >>  the wording simply says "urges."  As above, I do not think this is

> >>  >>  binding on CSU campuses.  It is also not binding on the Course Review

> >>  >>  Subcommittee.  We are merely urging them to do this.  However,

> >>  >>  because this resolution comes at their request, I have every reason

> >>  >>  to think that they will follow this advice.

> >>  >>

> >>  >>  As to procedure for responding to the Senate, please send a memo to

> >>  >>  me or to chair Kegley.  I am chair of the Academic Affairs Committee

> >>  >>  and will lead the committee in modifying or withdrawing the

> >>  >>  resolution depending on input from the campuses.  This has gone out

> >>  >>  to all campuses for input.  I apologize for overlooking your group in

> >>  >>  seeking advice.  We would be very interested in you input on this

> >>  >>  matter.  Do you know if there is a similar group at the CCC level?

> >>  >>  If there is, please let me know and I will contact them.  I know that

> >>  >>  we are sending the resolution out generally to the the CCC system,

> >>  >>  but I do not think we are sending it directly to any councils.

> >>  >  >

> >>  >>  Thanks for your input and if there are any other questions I can

> >>  >>  answer, please let me know.

> >>  >>

> >>  >>  Bob Snyder,

> >>  >>  Humboldt State University

> >>  >>  ras1@axe.humboldt.edu

> >>  >>  (707) 826-5760

> >>  >>

> >>  >>

> >>  >>>  Bob and Kathy- can you please respond to these questions.  Thanks.

> >>  Jackie

> >>  >>>

> >>  >>>  jkegley@ccsub.edu writes

> >>  >>>

> >>  >>>  This item was brought to our Academic Affairs Committe from a

> >>  >>>  representative on the IGETC Committee (Intersegmental GE Transfer

> >>  >>>  Curriculum ).  I will forward your questions to the chair of our

> >>  Academic

> >>  >>>  Affairs Committee (Robert Synder, CSU, Humboldt) and Katy Kaiser, CSU

> >>  >>>  Chico, the person who initiated the issue.

> >>  >>>

> >>  >>>  Jackie Kegley

> >>  >>>  Jacquelyn Ann K. Kegley, Chair

> >>  >>>  Academic Senate, California State University

> >>  >>>  Professor of Philosophy

> >>  >>>  California State University, Bakersfield

> >>  >>>  9001 Stockdale Highway

> >>  >>>  Bakersfield, California 93311-1099

> >>  >>>  661-664-2249

> >>  >>>  jkegley@csub.edu

> >>  >>>

> >>  >>>  gangelo@sprintmail.com writes:

> >>  >>>>  Dear Dr. Kegley:

> >>  >>>>

> >>  >>>>  I am the current president of the CSU Foreign Language Council and

> >>  am

> >>  >>>>  writing to ask if you can give me more information on the resolution

> >>  >>>>  pending

> >>  >>>>  to remove first-term language courses from the GE C2 block.  One of

> >>  our

> >>  >>>>  members sent me a note about this, but I do not have complete

> >>  information

> >>  >>>>  on

> >>  >>>>  it.  Obviously, this is a matter that would concern our membership

> >>  >>>>  greatly,

> >>  >>>>  so I would like to get as much background on it as I can

> >>  >>>>

> >>  >>>>  Could you answer the following questions or let me know whom I

> >>  should

> >>  >>>>  contact about them?

> >>  >>>>

> >>  >>>>  1.  What was the motivation for this resolution?  Who introduced it?

> >>  >>>>

> >>  >>>>  2.  Why does the resolution mention first-term language courses

> >>  only?

> >>  >>>>  Would

> >>  >>>>  second through sixth term lower-division courses still be eligible

> >>  for

> >>  >>>>  inclusion in G.E.?

> >>  >>>>

> >  > >>>>  3.  At CSLA, for example, our foreign language courses are in a

> >>  separate

> >>  >>>>  block - C4, which is simply foreign languages.  Would this

> >>  resolution

> >>  >>>>  affect

> >>  >>>>  campuses which have foreign languages in other blocks than C2?

> >>  >>>>

> >>  >>>>  4.  Is this a binding resolution on all CSU campuses?  I notice that

> >>  the

> >>  >>>>  wording simply says "urges."

> >>  >>>>

> >>  >>>>  We certainly do not see our goal in our courses as merely "language

> >>  skills

> >>  >>>>  acquisition," but as an introduction to the cultures of other

> >>  countries,

> >>  >>>>  an

> >>  >>>>  understanding that goes hand-in-hand with the ability to communicate

> >>  with

> >>  >>>>  other people in their own languages.  Our Council will certainly

> >>  want to

> >>  >>>>  send a memo about this issue to the Academic Senate.  That is why it

> >>  is so

> >>  >>>>  important to me to get a full understanding of the resolution before

> >>  >>>>  addressing it.  Once we draft such a memo, what is the procedure for

> >>  >>>>  sending

> >>  >>>>  it to the Academic Senate?

> >>  >>>>

> >>  >>>>  Thank you very much for your time.

> >>  >>>>  Sincerely,

> >>  >  >>>

> >>  >>>>  Gretchen V. Angelo

> >>  >>>>  President, CSU Foreign Language Council

> >>  >>>>  Associate Professor of French, CSLA

> >>  >>

> >>  >