Senate Academic Planning Committee

Carleton University

March 16, 2006

To:Senate

From:Alan Harrison, Provost and Vice-President (Academic)

RE: Late 2006-2007 curriculum changes from the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research

At its meeting of March 9, 2006, the Senate Academic Planning Committee considered the following late changes form the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. The Graduate Faculty Board previously approved these changes on January 23, 2006 and February 13, 2006. In summary these changes are:

1. Department of English Language and Literature – changes to the MA requirements

2. OC Institute for Environmental Engineering – changes to the Ph.D. comprehensive examination regulations

3. Department of Geography and Environmental Studies – a new course

4. Minor course changes, special topics and editorial changes (for information only)

SAPC supports all these changes and recommends their approval to Senate.

1. Department of English Language and Literature

Program Changes

1. Change the program requirements for the English M.A.

Old Version:

Program Requirements

Each candidate will select one of the following program patterns:

•2.0 credits in English, selected from those at the 5000-level (excluding ENGL 5908), plus ENGL 5005, and a master's thesis; an oral examination on the thesis will be required. A prospectus for the thesis must be submitted to the graduate committee by December 1 after registration in September, or at the end of three months for any other registration

3.0 credits in English selected from those at the 5000-level (excluding ENGL 5909), plus ENGL 5005, and a research essay; an oral examination on the research essay will be required

Each program is designed to be completed within the three-term academic year. Each program is of equal status.

New Version:

Program Requirements

Each candidate will select one of the following program patterns:

2.0 credits in English, selected from those at the 5000-level (excluding ENGL 5908), plus ENGL 5005, and a master's thesis; an oral examination on the thesis will be required. A prospectus for the thesis must be submitted to the graduate committee by December 1 after registration in September, or at the end of three months for any other registration

3.0 credits in English selected from those at the 5000-level (excluding ENGL 5909), plus ENGL 5005, and a research essay; an oral examination on the research essay may be required.

4.0 credits in English selected from those at the 5000-level (excluding ENGL 5908 and ENGL 5909), plus ENGL 5005.

Each program is designed to be completed within the three-term academic year. Each program is of equal status.

Rationale:

The introduction of a coursework M.A. will retain the overall quality of our program, while offering two main benefits to us and our students:

1) A Recruitment Advantage

Our informal survey of Canadian graduate English departments reveals that many departments offer a coursework M.A., including local competing institutions Queen's University and the University of Ottawa. It is an attractive option to many students. Adding a coursework stream will thus position us to be more competitive in the recruitment of these students, while continuing to offer the traditional programs to those who want them.

2)Improved Times to Completion

Our times to completion are among the highest in the Faculty. Of our M.A. students who fail to complete their degree within the preferred timeframe, however, nearly all are delayed in the Research Essay or Thesis component of their degrees. These delays in completion prevent our students from applying and being admitted to doctoral programs in a timely fashion. The problem is not particular to Carleton, and is the reason that English departments elsewhere already offer the coursework M.A. option. We would like to bring our department in line with these practices.

Staffing: N/A

Library Resources: N/A

Computer requirements: N/A

Laboratory Facilities: N/A

Any Other Demands: N/A

2. Ottawa-Carleton Institute for Environmental Engineering

Program Changes

1. Modified Program Requirements

Old Version:

Program Requirements

The requirements for the Ph.D. program (from a Master's degree) are as follows:

1)Completion of a minimum of 1.5 credits by course;

2)Participation in the graduate seminar series (ENVE 7800);

3)Successful completion of written and oral comprehensive examinations in subject areas determined by the advisory committee;

4)Successful presentation of the Ph.D. proposal before the advisory committee;

5)Completion and successful oral defence of a research thesis.

Master's students with outstanding performance in the master’s courses may request transfer into the Ph.D. program without completing the master’s degree. Students who are permitted to do so require 4.5 credits for a Ph.D., including any credits transferred from the Master's degree program.

Candidates in the Ph.D. program are expected to demonstrate a broad knowledge of the areas within environmental engineering (see “Breadth Requirement” under “Master’s Program” above). Successful completion of the comprehensive examinations indicates that a candidate has acquired this knowledge. The comprehensive examinations, which normally should be completed within twelve months of registration, consist of at least three written exams in areas that are determined by the advisory committee and the candidate, and the defense of a written research proposal. One of the written exams is within the specific area of research of the candidate and serves to assess the depth of the candidate’s background in this area. The remaining two exams serve to satisfy the objective of assessing the candidate’s breadth of fundamental knowledge in two other areas of environmental engineering. These exams are selected by the candidate from a list that is proposed by the advisory committee. Upon completion of the written exams, an oral exam is held if requested by one or more of the committee members. The thesis proposal normally should be defended within 4 months of completion of the written exams.

New Version:

Program Requirements

The requirements for the Ph.D. program (from a Master's degree) are as follows:

1)Completion of a minimum of 1.5 credits by course;

2)Participation in the graduate seminar series (ENVE 7800) (0.0 credit);

3)Successful completion of the comprehensive examination which consists of a presentation of a Ph.D. research proposal followed by an oral examination to assess any academic deficiencies in the student’s background related to the proposed research project and to assess the originality and feasibility of the proposed research project. The comprehensive examination should be completed within the first 16 months (or the equivalent of four full-time terms) of the student’s program;

4)Completion and successful oral defence of a research thesis (ENVE 6909) (8.5 credit). Master's students with outstanding performance in the master’s courses may request transfer into the Ph.D. program without completing the master’s degree. Students who are permitted to do so require 4.5 course credits for a Ph.D., including any credits transferred from the Master's degree program.

Candidates in the Ph.D. program are expected to demonstrate a broad knowledge of the areas within environmental engineering (see “Breadth Requirement” under “Master Program” above) through course work completed to date (undergraduate and graduate).

Rationale:

The current PhD comprehensive exam format, which consists of written and oral exams followed by the presentation and defence of a PhD research proposal, places a large demand on the time and resources of the student, the student’s supervisor and the department. The current system requires exams written in several areas to ensure breadth. In reality, this often results in PhD students being retested on material studied either before or since arriving at Carleton University during their undergraduate and/or graduate degrees. Because of this unnecessary redundancy in testing, the requirement for written and oral examinations has been removed. The revised format still tests the student’s background knowledge related to their proposed research area through an oral exam completed as part of the student’s research proposal defence. In addition, the revised format still requires the student to meet the breadth requirement through course work completed prior to or during the student’s program via the minimum 1.5 credits by course work. The revised format is used by other departments at Carleton (e.g. Earth Sciences, Chemistry) as well as other Civil and Environmental Engineering departments in other Canadian universities. The revised format allows the student more time to generate and defend a PhD research proposal and should reduce the overall time to complete the comprehensive examination portion of the program requirements, and thus the total time to complete the Ph.D. degree requirements.

3. Department of Geography and Environmental Studies

Add new course GEOG 5103 Hydrologic Principles and Methods

Old version: None

New version:

GEOG 5103 [0.5 credit]

Hydrologic Principles and Methods

Advanced physical hydrology with emphasis on atmospheric moisture, precipitation, evaporation, infiltration, soil water physics, snow hydrology and runoff generation. Analytical approaches and methods to solve practical hydrological problems.

Rationale: Area of expertise of recently-hired faculty member that fills out the curriculum of the M.Sc. program. Offered in Fall 2005 under GEOG 5107 (a field methods course where it does not really belong) with 11 students from Geography, Earth Science and Engineering at both Carleton and University of Ottawa. It is the only graduate course in physical hydrology at either institution.

4. Minor Course, Special Topics and Editorial Changes (for information only)

1.Modified Course Number – ENVE 5101 (EVG 7101) Air Pollution Control – Pgs. 5/6

2.Modified Course Number – ENVE 5104 (EVG 7104) Indoor Air Quality – Pg. 6

Modified Course Number – ENVE 5203 (CVG 7164) Hazardous and Radioactive Wastes – Pg. 7
Modified Course Number – ENVE 5001 (EVG 5001) Biofilm Processes – Pg. 7

1.Modified Course Number – ENVE 5101 (EVG 7101) Air Pollution Control

Old Version: ENVE 5101 (EVG 7101) Air Pollution Control

New Version: ENVE 5101 (EVG 5101) Air Pollution Control

Rationale: Correct course number.

2.Modified Course Number – ENVE 5104 (EVG 7104) Indoor Air Quality

Old Version: ENVE 5104 (EVG 7104) Indoor Air Quality

New Version: ENVE 5104 (EVG 5104) Indoor Air Quality

Rationale: Correct course number.

3.Modified Course Number – ENVE 5203 (CVG 7164) Hazardous and Radioactive Wastes

Old Version: ENVE 5203 (CVG 7164) Hazardous and Radioactive Wastes

New Version: ENVE 5203 (EVG 5203) Hazardous and Radioactive Wastes

Rationale: Correct course number.

4.Modified Course Number – ENVE 5001 (EVG 5001) Biofilm Processes

Old Version: ENVE 5001 (EVG 5001) Biofilm Processes

New Version: ENVE 5001 (CVG 5001) Biofilm Processes

Rationale: Correct course number.

School of International Affairs

Summer 2006- Special Topics

1.Course description for INAF 5409R News Media and Foreign Policy

2.Course description for INAF 5409S Civil-Military Relations

3.Course description for INAF 5409U Rhetoric and Reality in Contemporary Canadian Foreign Policy

1.INAF 5409R News Media and Foreign Policy

New Version:

For summer 2006, the topic is: News Media and Foreign Policy. Explores the interplay of the provision of news to the public and the formulation and conduct of foreign policy. The Canadian experience will be used where appropriate but relevant material pertaining to other Western democracies will also be employed.

Old Version: None.

2.INAF 5409S Civil-Military Relations

New Version:

For summer 2006, the topic is: Civil-Military Relations. Examines the theoretical and practical issues of civil-military relations, emphasizing the multidisciplinary and multidimensional nature of the relationship among society, political authority and the military, using comparative and global frames of reference.

Old Version: None.

3.INAF 5409U Rhetoric and Reality in Contemporary Canadian Foreign Policy

New Version:

For summer 2006, the topic is: Rhetoric and Reality in Contemporary Canadian Foreign Policy. A critical analysis of the design and delivery of contemporary Canadian foreign policy and the extent to which it meets Canadian interests, values, and public expectations.

Old Version: None.

Rationale: Summer 2006 special topics offerings.

Department of English Language and Literature

Summer 2006 Special Topics

1.Add piggybacked course ENGL 4001 to ENGL 5301S and announce topic for Summer 2006.

New Version:

For summer 2006, the topic is: The Ethics of Male Fantasy: Early Modern Erotic Verse.

This course articulates the ethics of male fantasy in early modern erotic verse through psychoanalytic and feminist theories. Representations of the feminine will be analyzed according to the discourses of rhetoric, Petrarchanism, Ovidianism, Neoplatonism, and medicine.

Also offered at the undergraduate level as ENGL 4001A, with different requirements, for which additional credit is precluded.

Old Version: Topic may vary from year to year.

Rationale: This course is piggybacked because we need a course at both the 4000 and 5000 level. There are no funds available to offer two courses.

Institute of European and Russian Studies

Special Topics - Summer 2006

Old Version:

EURR 5201 [0.5 credit]

Selected Topics in European Studies

Selected topics related to Europe

New Version:

EURR 5201 [0.5 credit]

Selected Topics in European Studies

For Summer term 2006 the course is open only to student enrolled in the “European Study Tour 2006” ( In addition to satisfactory participation in the European Study Tour (May 13-June 3), students will have two seminar meetings at Carleton University (before and after the tour) and will complete written assignments. The thematic focus of the course in 2006 is “Social Cohesion in Canada and the European Union.”

Rationale:

Students enrolled in this course will participate in a study tour of EU institutions organized by a consortium of universities, of which Carleton is a part. The project is described at and in the attached brochure. The consortium of universities involved includes, in addition to Carleton, UBC, Simon Fraser, Universite de Montreal, York , Victoria, and Capliano College. This is Carleton’s first year in the Consortium. Four spots are reserved for Carleton students in the tour. The tour fee, in addition to Carleton tuition, is $2500. Faculty supervisors from UBC and Capliano College will accompany the tour and run academic discussions during the course of the tour.

The tour (20 days in length) gives students first hand exposure to EU institutions, including discussions with officials from a variety of organizations providing different perspectives on a variety of issues. An assessment of participation will be provided by the teaching collective accompanying the tour. At Carleton Professor Joan DeBardeleben will be responsible for the course, which will involve briefing students before and after the tour, overseeing and evaluating completion of written requirements associated with the course, and providing the final course evaluation. Students enrolled will be expected to write a pre-tour briefing paper on some aspect of the Canadian social model as a point of comparison for European examples explored on the tour, and a post-tour term paper focusing on same aspect of the material. The tour runs from May 13-June 3 and thus work must be completed by the end of the first summer school session.

As worked out with Carleton International, the tour is in the first instance open to EURUS students (MA and Diploma in European Integration Studies) and will be opened to students from other units if space permits.