Tips for the Course Proposal Form 

  • Cross-listing: Cross-listing requires the course to carry the prefix and number from another department or program, and is therefore now permitted for Connections courses. Connections courses must carry the CONN prefix.
  • Scheduling: Indicate the frequency with which the department anticipates that the course will be offered, and identify courses intended only for summer or otherwise planned for special scheduling. If a course is to be offered only once, please indicate the term.
  • Prerequisites: If “permission of the instructor” is required for students to enroll, enter this requirement as a prerequisite, and state specifically what academically germane criteria will be used to permit enrollment.
  • Course Number: Choosing a 200-level Connections course (over a 300-400-level course) should reflect the level of students for whom the course has primarily been designed. This does not prevent either more advanced students or qualified lower-level students from enrolling.
  • Grading: It is assumed that the standard grading pattern will be employed in the course proposed: letter grade or Pass/Fail at the student’s option. If a mandatory Pass/Fail system will be used, full justification must be provided. In general, only such activities as clinical experience or student teaching, where letter grades are impractical, should employ mandatory Pass/Fail grading. If In-Progress (IP) is to be used, a full explanation must be provided. IP grading should be used only where completion of the course requirements is designed to extend beyond the end of the semester. It should not be used interchangeably with the Incomplete grade.

About the Cover Form

Cover Forms for all Cores are located in this Google Share Drive. 
In lieu of a narrative cover letter, the Curriculum Committee asks faculty to complete the appropriate Cover Form (a fillable PDF) which asks the submitter to address that Core requirement's specific guidelines. This should be submitted with the syllabus through the appropriate form (New Course or Course Change forms, depending on whether the course is new or the Core attribute is being requested for an existing course). 
Links to these forms and submission deadlines can be found on the Curriculum Committee's Guidelines & Forms page.

  • Core rubrics consists of “Learning Objectives” and “Guidelines.” As highlighted below, the Curriculum Committee evaluates and approves Core courses based on their adherence to the Guidelines, not the Learning Objectives.

    From "University Core Requirements — Detailed" in the Undergraduate Programs and Degrees section of the University Bulletin:

    Each core rubric consists of two sections, “Learning Objectives” and “Guidelines.” Faculty have developed the Guidelines section to achieve the particular Learning Objectives of the core rubric and, more broadly, the university’s educational goals. The Guidelines are intended to be used by faculty to develop core courses and the Curriculum Committee to review core courses. The Learning Objectives are intended to provide a clear statement to students of what they can expect to learn from any given core area. Although the Learning Objectives will assist the faculty in developing Core courses and meeting the Core area’s spirit, the Curriculum Committee will evaluate and approve Core courses based on their adherence to the Guidelines, not the Learning Objectives.

About the Syllabus

Submit a syllabus for the course that includes:

  • Clear enumeration of student learning outcomes
  • Statement that the course counts towards the Connections core requirement
  • Outline of content and schedule of coursework
  • Student requirements (reading, assignments, written work, projects, etc.), including brief descriptions of major assignments and projects
  • Evaluation criteria and grading structure (as appropriate)
  • Bibliography
  • Required course material
  • Statement of policies regarding Academic Integrity (this statement is developed by the course proposer)
  • Required Syllabus Inserts

An incomplete syllabus may delay the course proposal review.  If a syllabus does not contain all of the items listed above, please provide a brief explanation in the cover letter.

 

CONNECTIONS 2XX RUBRIC

Learning Objectives

CONN 2XX classes address a problem or topic using (a) questions and methods beyond those deployed by a single discipline; and (b) materials and assignments from at least two distinct disciplinary perspectives. Assignments largely involve sources prescribed by the instructor rather than sources students search for and identify themselves.

To understand distinctive disciplinary approaches to knowledge, students will:
1. Distinguish the types of questions that different disciplinary lenses bring to a topic
2. Explore the methodological and theoretical tools of different disciplines
3. Identify assumptions and values of the different disciplinary perspectives

To evaluate relationships among different disciplinary approaches to knowledge, students will:
1. Uncover the way different disciplines complement or act in tension with one another
2. Identify and critique limitations of specific disciplinary approaches/methods
3. Evaluate the consequences of approaching a topic with a particular set of questions or methodological tools 
 

Guidelines (to be addressed in cover letter)

To understand distinctive disciplinary approaches to knowledge, these courses will: 
1. Introduce two or more distinct disciplinary approaches and their methods through guided inquiry led by the professor 
2. Consider questions posed by the respective disciplinary approaches 
3. Include historicization and contextualization of the disciplines 


To evaluate relationships among different disciplinary approaches to knowledge, these courses will: 
1. Offer compare/contrast exercises to analyze a particular topic based on different disciplines’ methodological and theoretical tools 
2. Examine different cases that illustrate the opportunities and limitations of each disciplinary approach to a question 
3. Provide opportunities to reflect on the value of exploring questions from more than one disciplinary perspective