MCS College Council
Minutes for meeting of Wednesday, May 6, 1998

1.  REVISION OF 33-115 INTRODUCTORY PHYSICS: NEW TITLE AND COURSE
DESCRIPTION  (R. Swendsen)

This introductory physics course historically had a primary audience of
H&SS students.  Rich Holman in Physics has redesigned the course,
renaming it Energy and Environmental Issues.  H&SS students are still
the primary audience, but with the new focus on environmental issues
there may be broader interest.  College Council members discussed
whether it could serve as a technical elective for MCS students.  It is
probably not appropriate for a technical elective, but it could be a
free elective for MCS students.

COLLEGE COUNCIL ACTION: The course changes were approved.


2.  CURRICULA CHANGES FOR BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES  (W. Brown)

#1: Change of course numbers and names
To comply with the College Council recommendation about course
numbering, and to reflect better the course content, Biological Sciences
proposed the following changes to their junior-level lab courses:

Current numbers and names:
03-243 Experimental Techniques in Genetics and Molecular Biology
03-244 Experimental Techniques in Biochemistry
03-245 Integrated Cell and Developmental Biology

Proposed numbers and names:
03-343 Experimental Genetics and Molecular Biology
03-344 Experimental Biochemistry
03-345 Experimental Cell and Developmental Biology

COLLEGE COUNCIL ACTION: The course changes were approved.


#2: Addition of a second module for freshman educational enhancement
Biological Sciences proposes the creation of a course for freshmen who
may have received AP credit for 03-121 Modern Biology but who are not
yet ready to enter the sophomore biology courses.  This 9-unit course,
03-211 Directed Readings in Biology, is patterned after the course
offered by Dr. Elizabeth Jones this spring.

The already existing course 03-210 Independent Study in Biological
Sciences will continue to be offered; it is 3-6 units instead of 9 and
is not restricted to freshmen.

COLLEGE COUNCIL ACTION: The new course was approved.


#3: Addition of a new course in evolution
Susan Henry and Robert Kiger have designed the course 03-125 Evolution
and the History of Life, which is targeted at sophomores across the
campus.  The only prerequisite is 03-121 Modern Biology.  The course
will be offered on an alternating year cycle beginning fall 1999, unless
demand is great enough to warrant offering it every year.  This course
would be suitable to serve as a technical or biology elective for MCS
students.

COLLEGE COUNCIL ACTION: The new course was approved.


#4: Redistribution of core topics in sophomore major coursework
Currently biology sophomores take 03-240 Cell Biology in the fall and
03-231 Biochemistry I in the spring.  Many engineering students also
take 03-231 Biochemistry I in the spring.  Because of this schedule,
there is a great deal of overlap in topics between 03-240 and 03-231. 
The Biological Sciences Department proposes to make the following
changes to each course:

03-240 Cell Biology
- Offer in the spring instead of the fall.
- Change some of the content to emphasize cell biology more and
biochemistry less.

03-231 Biochemistry I
- Offer in the fall (primarily for biology majors) and the spring
(primarily for engineering students).
- Add a recitation section meeting once a week; increase the units from
9 to 10.
- Change 09-117 Organic Chemistry I to a co-requisite instead of a
prerequisite.
- Add 03-121 Modern Biology as a prerequisite in the fall version of the
course (see below).

The reason not to require 03-121 Modern Biology for the spring version
of 03-231 is that the engineering students usually cannot fit this
course into their schedules.  College Council recommends making the
spring version a separate course with its own number to make this
distinction clear.

COLLEGE COUNCIL ACTION: These changes were approved with the
recommendation that the department consider a new course number for the
engineering (spring) version of Biochemistry I.


3.  PROPOSED MCS POLICY ON FACULTY DEVELOPMENT (D. Owen)

David Owen reviewed the recent history of discussions at the University
and College levels of faculty development, including the mentoring of
junior faculty and review of senior faculty.  He summarized the main
issues that were addressed in the April 30 draft of the proposed MCS
policy newly before the College Council, and he distributed and
discussed with the Council copies of comments on that draft that he had
received from two MCS faculty members.  Suggestions were made for
modifications of the April 30 draft that addressed the comments from the
two faculty members, and it was agreed to hold a vote on the revised
version after each Council member had received a written copy of the
revisions.  Council agreed that this draft as well as a preamble written
by the Dean would be posted on the World Wide Web at a site associated
with the College Council.

Addendum: Subsequent to this College Council meeting, a proposal was
submitted to the Dean by an MCS faculty member to postpone the vote of
College Council on the updated (May 6) draft of the policy.  This
proposal was circulated among the Council members and was endorsed by
them, with the agreement that a vote would be taken at the first College
Council meeting in the Fall.

COLLEGE COUNCIL ACTION: Will vote on the policy in the fall.