NPIC - New Programs and Innovations Committee              Feb. 5, 2009

Called to order at 9:35am
Present: G. Cochenet (Chair), G. Adams, E. Cornwell, T. Fleming, J. Hong, D. Marino, K. Skoczen

I. Old Business
None

II. New Business
A. Notification of 3 new Special Topic courses were presented.

Course Number    Course Title                                Semester        Times taught
ENG 398          Travel in England: Place in Brit. Lit.  Summer 2009          0
MDS 398          Propaganda in Media                      Spring 2010             0
SPA 498           Lat. Amer. Culture Through Film      Fall 2009                 0

Description of logged courses

ENG 398 - Travel in England: Place in British Literature
This course is dedicated to seeing and understanding the locations in England as inspirations for the vast canon of British literature from Beowulf to Zadie Smith.  Students will visit Dorset (for Thomas Hardy), Oxford (for Carroll, Tolkien, and Lewis), Stratford-on-Avon (for what's-his-name), and Canterbury Cathedral (for Chaucer).  Most of the time will be spent in London: The Olde Curiosity Shoppe and Broadstairs (for Dickens), the Tabard Inn (for Chaucer), the Bloomsbury district (for Virginia Woolfe and Ian McEwan), and the East End (for Zadie Smith).  The trip will include a Shakespeare play at the reconstructed Globe Theatre and an avant-garde play in the West End.  Students will be expected to read a significant selection of British literature assigned by the instructors prior to departure and to write essays exploring the intersection of topography, material culture, and literature.

MDS 398 - Propaganda in Media
This course will explore historical and current forms of propaganda in various media forms that affect and shape attitudes, beliefs and perceptions.  It will explore propaganda at institutional and personal levels.

SPA 498 - At the Movies: Latin American Culture Through Film
The proposed course will explore contemporary Latin American and Caribbean cinema.  The course will examine Latin American cultural practices and the cinematic representation of specific historical periods including the Cuban Revolution, the Dirty War, and the Trujillo Dictatorship.

B. NPIC began review of the proposal for a new minor in Forensic Science submitted by Dr. Andrushko from Anthropology.  NPIC compiled a list of concerns and suggestions and will meet with Dr. Andrushko at out Feb. 19 meeting.

Meeting adjourned at 10:50am.

Respectfully submitted by:
Greg Cochenet