Faculty to review proposed “Community and Conflict in the Modern World” GE requirement
Meeting the Requirement
Below are possible courses that could fulfill the "Community and Conflict in the Modern World" requirement.
- Anthropology 9: Culture and Society
- Chicana and Chicano Studies 10A: Introduction to Chicana/o Studies History and Culture
- GE Cluster 20: Interracial Dynamics in American Culture and Society
- Global Studies 1: Introduction to Global Studies
- Women's Studies 10: Introduction to Women's Studies: Feminist Perspectives on Women and Society
SOURCE: Sample GE Course List from the College Faculty Executive Committee
Compiled by Jillian Beck, Bruin reporter.
By Jillian Beck
April 6, 2012 1:15 a.m.
Faculty are being asked to review a proposed change to the College of Letters and Science General Education requirements this month.
Monday marked the start of a month-long period where faculty can weigh in on the proposed “Community and Conflict in the Modern World” requirement, which was introduced last spring.
This new requirement would have students take a general education course that focuses on conflicts in specific communities and cultures.
This is the latest step in a process that has evolved over the past decade. The faculty voted down a similar requirement, then called a “diversity requirement,” in 2004. Some thought the proposal went too far, others not far enough, said Kyle McJunkin, director of curriculum coordination.
The number of faculty who voted for the requirement was also low. Out of 1,262 eligible voters, only 249 faculty members voted on the 2004 proposal, according to Daily Bruin archives.
At the time, faculty voted by mail, which could have played a factor in the low voter turnout, said Raymond Knapp, a professor of musicology who was head of the GE governance committee in 2004.
Now the faculty votes through MyUCLA, which could increase voter turnout because it is more convenient, he added.
Efforts have been made to engage greater numbers of faculty, said Suza Khy, last year’s Undergraduate Students Association Council academic affairs commissioner who worked on the original version of this proposal.
The new version of the requirement was initially proposed by a workgroup made up of administrators, students, and faculty in spring of 2011, according to an official memo from the College Faculty Executive Committee, the elected governing body of the College faculty. In the proposal, the group made sure to address concerns that were brought up by faculty in the past, said Hana Khan, a third-year geography and environmental studies student and a member of the workgroup.
Specifically, some faculty members did not agree with the inclusion of the word “diversity,” and the limited amount of courses that would fulfill the requirement, said Khan, who is also a member of both the academic affairs commission and Students for Diversity, a student group dedicated to promoting diversity at UCLA.
The requirement also used to be restricted to conflicts that took place between 1700 and the present. That restriction has since been lifted, said Tlaloc Vasquez, an undergraduate student representative on the Faculty Executive Committee and second-year international development studies and Chicana/o studies student.
The College Faculty Executive Committee approved the proposal on March 16 after a series of revisions. College faculty can email committee chairman and history professor Michael Meranze with comments and concerns about the proposed change leading up to the committee’s meeting on April 27.
The Faculty Executive Committee will evaluate comments and decide whether or not to move forward, Meranze said.
During last spring’s USAC election, students voted in favor of a GE requirement structured to increase understanding of different cultures and communities. Students have also been involved in the process of drafting the proposal.
“Students have been the gears turning this machine,” Vasquez said. “I think this is going to come from the students’ voice. We want to make sure the faculty knows that students want a relevant education.”
Academic Affairs Commissioner Raquel Saxe said her office will begin encouraging students to talk to their professors about why the requirement is important. The Academic Affairs Commission, along with Students for Diversity, will hold information sessions on the requirement next week.
If the faculty votes to approve the change, it would move on to the UCLA Academic Senate for final approval, McJunkin said.
Meanwhile, the Faculty Executive Committee will work with faculty, departments, and the GE governance committee to compile a list of courses that would fulfill the new requirement, he added.
Fall 2013 is the earliest the change could go into effect, McJunkin said. It would only apply to students entering the College that fall, he added.
