News Category: ‘2015-2016’

Modified Courses

• ASTR 210 Introduction to Astrophysics [Approved]
• PHYS 160 University Physics I [Approved pending “MATH 114 or equivalent” as a prerequisite or a co-requisite; whichever the department deems more appropriate upon further review.]
• PHYS 161 University Physics I Laboratory [Approved]
• PHYS 260 University Physics II [Approved pending “MATH 213 or equivalent” as a prerequisite or a co-requisite; whichever the department deems more appropriate upon further review.]
• PHYS 261 University Physics II Laboratory [Approved]
• PHYS 262 University Physics III [Approved]

Time: 10:00am
Location: Exploratory Hall, Room 3301
Items to be considered on this agenda are due by 4/11/2016

When available, the meeting minutes will be indicated within bold brackets [ ] and are in draft form until they are approved by the committee.

I. Call to Order [10:05 a.m.]

II. Approval of the March 2016 Meeting Minutes [Approved]

III. Announcements/Discussion

Fall 2016 Meeting Schedule [Tentative day/time – Mondays at 9:30 a.m.  Suggested dates to be discussed at May 9, 2016 meeting.]

[Dr. Kevin Curtin requested that committee members ask their departments to delete older graduate courses that are no longer being offered.  The list can be found on the Provost/Graduate Council website http://provost.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/Course-Offering-History-as-of-Oct-15.pdf.]

IV. Old Business

• Geography, BA with Concentration in Global and Environmental Change modification [removed from consideration]
• Physics, BS Physics Core Courses – needs further discussion. [On hold]
• PHYS 150 Course Proposal Computing for Physics and Engineering I – [remains tabled]
• GGS 313 – removed from consideration.  Needs further discussion. [On hold]

V. New Business – Undergraduate

New Courses

• EVPP 401 Integrated Environmental Assessment [Approved]
• EVPP 442 Urban Ecosystems and Processes [Approved pending amendment to prerequisite: 

CHEM 211, (add “CHEM 213”), MATH 113 or equivalent, (substitute BIOL 308 for BIOL 307″), (add “or EVPP 302”), PHYS 243).

Note on the syllabus that Undergraduate and Graduate projects must be completed separately.]

VI. New Business – Graduate

New Course

• EVPP 542  Urban Ecosystems and Processes [Approved pending syllabus language and prerequisite change to match EVPP 442.]

Modified Program/Modified Course

• Environmental GIS and Biodiversity Conservation Graduate Certificate  [Approved]

• EVPP 650 Ecosystem Analysis and Modeling [Approved]

VII. Adjournment [10:40 a.m.]

• PHYS 150 Course Proposal Proposal:  PHYS 150 Computing for Physics and Engineering – Bob Weigel and Chi Yang.  [Tabled until Physics Department discusses with CDS Department.  After signature by both departments, bring before the COSCC.]

• Teacher Licensure [Tabled.  Some departments need more information from CEHD before moving forward.]

Time: 10:00am
Location: Exploratory Hall, Room 3301
Items to be considered on this agenda are due by 2/8/2016

When available, the meeting minutes will be indicated within bold brackets [ ] and are in draft form until they are approved by the committee.

I. Call to Order 

Meeting was cancelled in favor of e-mail vote.

II. Approval of the January 2016 Meeting Minutes

Minutes will be approved at March meeting.

III. Announcements/Discussion

IV. Old Business

V. New Business – Undergraduate

None

VI. New Business – Graduate.  See Dropbox – February 16th’s Meeting.  Dropbox Link

Modified Courses

•  BINF 739 Modification  Topics in Bioinformatics [Approved]

•  CHEM 651 Modification Environmental Chemistry and Organic Substances  [Vote postponed. Discussion re: new course, not a modified one as little direct overlap between content of current course and modification – further clarification/explanation required.]

Modified Programs

• ESP BS/MS Accelerated Environmental Science and Policy, BS/Environmental Science and Policy accelerated MS [Approved]

VII. Adjournment

Date:  February 1, 2016

Time: 10:00am [10:05 a.m.]
Location: Exploratory Hall, Room 3301
Items to be considered on this agenda are due by 1/11/2016

When available, the meeting minutes will be indicated within bold brackets [ ] and are in draft form until they are approved by the committee.

I. Call to Order 

II. Approval of the December 2015 Meeting Minutes [Approved]

III. Announcements/Discussion

February 22, 2016 meeting has been changed to February 29, 2016.

IV. Old Business

V. New Business – Undergraduate – See link:  Dropbox

Modified Courses

• CHEM 446 – Bioinorganic Chemistry – drop prerequisite [Approved]

Deleted Programs

• BIOL BS Modification  Biology Concentration [Approved]
• BIOL BA Modification  Biology Concentration [Approved]

Modified Programs

• ESS CHSS BA  Environmental and Sustainability Studies [Approved with the following exceptions:

1.  For Agriculture Concentration – Delete EVPP 335.

2.  For Conservation & Sustainability – Add EVPP 440 (field trip)]

VI. New Business – Graduate

Modified Programs

• CDS BS Accelerated CSS MS Computational and Data Sciences, BS and Computation Science, MS [Approved]
• CDS-CSI PhD Computational Sciences and Informatics, PhD. [Approved]

VII. Adjournment [10:21 a.m.]

Time: 9:00am
Location: Exploratory Hall, Room 3301
Items to be considered on this agenda are due by 11/23/2015

When available, the meeting minutes will be indicated within bold brackets [ ] and are in draft form until they are approved by the committee.

I. Call to Order [9:05am]

II. Approval of the November 2015 Meeting Minutes [Approved]

III. Announcements/Discussion

• Spring 2016 Meeting Schedule
• January and February 2016’s Meeting Procedures
  • COSCC members should have access to Jen’s Dropbox folder “COS Curriculum Committee- January and February 2016”
  • In the corresponding month’s folder, insert any course or program approval forms (one document per item)- however
    • they MUST already have a department signature on them (this MUST be the chair’s signature)
    • new courses MUST also include syllabi
  • Each meeting’s agenda will be run off of the items deposited into these folders
  • C. Parson’s will keep track of approvals and modifications that may be deemed necessary by the committee
  • The agendas and minutes will be posted to this website ~March 2016 for record keeping purposes

IV. Old Business

V. New Business – Undergraduate

New Courses

• GGS 340 Health Geography [Approved]
• GGS 384 Special Topics in Geospatial Intelligence [Approved pending a more descriptive summary and syllabi examples; these were provided later on 12/7/2015.]

Modified Courses

• CHEM 332 Physical Chemistry II [Approved- afterwards, the department asked that the forms not be routed for implementation quite yet.]
• CHEM 463 General Biochemistry I [Approved– afterwards, the department asked that the forms not be routed for implementation quite yet.]
• GGS 110 Maps and Mapping [Approved]
• GGS 303 Conservation of Resources and Environment [Approved]
• MATH 110 Introductory Probability [Approved]

Deleted Course

• GGS 353 Observations of the Earth and its Climate [Approved]

Modified Programs

• Atmospheric Sciences, BS [Approved]
• Mathematics, BA [Approved]
• Mathematics, BS plus an additional modification [Approved]

VI. New Business – Graduate

New Courses

• FRSC 517 Questioned Document Examination [Approved]
• FRSC 541  Forensic Chemistry Laboratory [Approved]
• FRSC 561 Forensic DNA Laboratory [Approved]
• FRSC 590 Medicolegal Death Investigation/Pathology [Approved]
• FRSC 620 Face and Biometric Pattern Analysis [Approved]
• FRSC 630 Fingerprint Identification [Approved]
• FRSC 640 Legal, Privacy and Ethical Issues in Identity Analysis [Approved]
• FRSC 650 Identity Analysis Applications [Approved pending change to become a ‘LEC’]
• GGS 507 Sustainable Development [Approved]
• GGS 681 Social Media Analysis [Approved]

Modified Courses

• CLIM 751 Predictability of Weather and Climate [Approved]
• GGS 900 Colloquium Earth Systems Sciences [Approved]

Modified Concentration

• Environmental Communication (within the Environmental Science, MS) [Approved]

Modified Program

• Climate Dynamics, PhD [Approved]
• Forensic Science, MS [Approved]

VII. Adjournment [10:45am]

Time: 9:00am
Location: Exploratory Hall, Room 3301
Items to be considered on this agenda are due by 11/9/2015

When available, the meeting minutes will be indicated within bold brackets [ ] and are in draft form until they are approved by the committee.

I. Call to Order [9:00am]

II. Approval of the October 2015 Meeting Minutes [Approved]

III. Announcements/Discussion

• The search function on the COSCC website is currently not functioning- the problem has been reported and hopefully will be remedied soon. As a work-around, go to the Meeting Archives and use the ‘Find’ function (Ctrl+F) to locate an item.

IV. Old Business

• BIOL 560 Infectious Diseases of Wildlife [Approved by SSB faculty and will now go on for Graduate Council review]

November 10th’s Email Vote Results:

• CLIM 700 Climate Comprehensive Exam [Approved]
• CLIM 798 Master’s Climate Research Project [Approved]
• CLIM 799 Master’s Thesis in Climate [Approved]
• EVPP 533 Energy Policy [Approved]

V. New Business – Undergraduate

New Courses [Going forward, attached syllabi should be near finalized with all university requirements as listed here. A link to this syllabus guidance has been added to the Procedures page for future reference.]

• CDS 201 Introduction to Computational Social Science [Approved]
• CDS 205 Introduction to Agent-based Modeling and Simulation [Approved]
• CDS 292 Introduction to Social Network Analysis [Approved]
• CHEM 213* General Chemistry Laboratory-I [Approved]
• CHEM 214* General Chemistry Laboratory-II [Approved]

New/Modified Program

• Computational and Data Sciences, BS (received SCHEV approval to revive this inactivated program) [Approved pending the following change to the ‘Science and Engineering’ section: “Choose 6 additional science or engineering credits from either: 1) additional Mason Core ‘Natural Science’ or ‘Information Technology’ courses (building upon the Mason Core courses used to fulfill the Mason Core requirements), or 2) any course offered by the College of Science, or 3) any course offered by the Volgenau School of Engineering.”]

Modified Courses

• BIOL 443 Tropical Ecology [Approved]
• BIOL 444 Tropical Ecology Laboratory [Approved]
• CDS 461 N-body Simulation Methods [Approved]
• CHEM 211* General Chemistry [Approved]
• CHEM 212* General Chemistry [Approved]
• EVPP 301 Environmental Science: Biological Diversity and Ecosystems [Approved]
• EVPP 305 Environmental Microbiology Essentials [Approved]
• EVPP 306 Environmental Microbiology Essentials Laboratory [Approved]
• EVPP 336 Human Dimensions of the Environment [Approved]
• EVPP 419 Marine Mammal Biology and Conservation [Approved]
• EVPP 420 Marine Mammal Biology and Conservation Field Course [Approved]
• EVPP 421 Marine Conservation [Approved]
• EVPP 430 Fundamentals of Environmental Geographic Information Systems [Item retracted as changing what terms a course is offered in does not require COSCC approval]
• EVPP 432 Energy Policy [Approved]
• EVPP 440 Field Environmental Science [Approved pending removal of ‘Total limit of 4 credits’]
• EVPP 480 Sustainability in Action [Approved]
• GGS 304 Population Dimensions of Global Change [Approved]
• GGS 321 Biogeography: Space, Time and Life [Approved]
• GGS 399 Selected Topics in Geography [Approved]
• GGS 480 Internship in Geography [Approved]
• GGS 495 Senior Research in Global and Environmental Change [Approved]
• GGS 499 Independent Study in Geography [Approved]

Deleted Courses

• EVPP 335 People, Plants, and Culture [Approved]
• GGS 398 Selected Topics in Global Change [Approved. Department later requested that we hold the forms until further notice.]
• GGS 410 Introduction to Hyperspectral Imaging [Approved. Department later requested that we hold the forms until further notice.]
• GGS 455 Environmental Impact Assessment [Approved. Department later requested that we hold the forms until further notice.]
• GGS 456 Introduction to Atmospheric Radiation [Approved. Department later requested that we hold the forms until further notice.]
• GGS 490 Practicum in Geographical Applications [Approved. Department later requested that we hold the forms until further notice.]

*CHEM 211 & 213; 212 & 214: COS degrees that have these courses listed in their catalog entries will be updated according to these forms by J.Gettys- please have your department’s catalog editors double check these changes when the draft catalog is distributed ~March 2016.

VI. New Business – Graduate

New Courses

• BINF 795 Bioinformatics Internship [Approved pending the addition of a syllabus, to be distributed to COSCC members via email]
• PHYS 665 Planetary Atmospheres and Ionospheres [Approved]

New/Modified Program

• Bioinformatics Management, PSM (adding PSM designation to the MS in Bioinformatics Mgmt) [Approved]

Modified Course

• GGS 704 Spatial Analysis and Modeling of Population [Approved]

Deleted Courses

• GGS 524 Intro to Environment and Resource Economics [Approved. Department later requested that we hold the forms until further notice.]
• GGS 525 Economics of Human/Environment Interactions [Approved. Department later requested that we hold the forms until further notice.]
• GGS 674 Environmental Impact Analysis [Approved. Department later requested that we hold the forms until further notice.]
• GGS 792 Seminar in Earth Systems Science [Approved. Department later requested that we hold the forms until further notice.]

Modified Programs

• Earth Systems and Geoinformation Sciences, PhD [Approved]
• Environmental Science and Policy, MS [Approved pending the addition of CLIM 512 to the Aquatic Science and Aquatic Science Methods sections]

VII. Adjournment [10:05am. The committee members agreed that spring 2016’s meeting schedule should be set for Mondays at 10:00am.]

Forensic’s items were removed on 11/20/2015 per department request.

Time: 9:00am
Location: Exploratory Hall, Room 3301
Items to be considered on this agenda are due by 10/12/2015

When available, the meeting minutes will be indicated within bold brackets [ ] and are in draft form until they are approved by the committee.

I. Call to Order [9:02am]

II. Approval of the September 2015 Meeting Minutes [Approved]

III. Announcements/Discussion

IV. Old Business

V. New Business – Undergraduate

New Courses

• BIOL 460 Infectious Diseases of Wildlife [Approved pending prerequisite update: “60 credits plus BIOL 308 or EVPP 305 and EVPP 306, or permission of the instructor” and adding EVPP 305 and EVPP 306 as equivalent courses.]
• EVPP 429 Environmental Science Communication [Approved]
• EVPP 475 Global Biodiversity Governance [Approved]

Modified Courses

• CDS 411 Modeling and Simulation [Approved]

Inactivated Course

• CHEM 341 Fundamental Inorganic Chemistry [Approved but later tabled by the department]

VI. New Business – Graduate

New Courses

• BIOL 560 Infectious Diseases of Wildlife [Approved but to be reviewed by SSB faculty before going to the Grad Council.]
• BMED 550 Special Topics in Biomedicine [Approved]
• EVPP 529 Environmental Science Communication [Approved]
• EVPP 549 Marine Ecology [Approved pending the addition of “(or the equivalent)” to the prerequisites.]
• EVPP 575 Global Biodiversity Governance [Approved pending adding EVPP 475 as an equivalent.]
• EVPP 608 Environmental Social Science [Approved pending title change to “Introduction to Environmental Social Science”. All were in favor except for GGS; their concern was that the course covers too much material.]
• EVPP 797 Master’s Thesis Proposal [Tabled for the proposing department’s further review.]
• GEOL 521 Geology of Energy Resources [Approved]

Modified Courses

• CDS 502 Scientific Data and Databases [Approved]
• CSI 780 Computational Physics and Applications [Approved]
• NEUR 603 Mammalian Neurobiology [Approved pending the prerequisite addition of “(or equivalent biology course)” and a note to see the second page for a new catalog description.]

Inactivated Courses

• CHEM 505 Hazardous Materials Waste Management [Approved]
• CHEM 554 Geochemistry of Environmental Hazards [Approved]

New Concentration

• Environmental Communication Concentration (within the Environmental Science and Policy, MS) [Approved]

Modified Concentration

• Systematics and Evolutionary Biology Concentration (within the Biology, MS) [Approved pending closer review by ESP faculty. An email from ESP’s chair on 10/28/2015 indicated that there were no concerns.]

Modified Programs

• Computational Sciences, MS [Approved pending the addition of “… graduate-level CDS, CSS, or CSI courses listed in the catalog…” and fixing “five specific courses” to “four”.]
• Computational Techniques and Applications Graduate Certificate [Approved]
• Earth Systems Science, MS [Approved]

VII. Adjournment [10:34am]

Time: 9:00am
Location: Exploratory Hall, Room 3301 3202 (Dean’s conference room)
Items to be considered on this agenda are due by 9/14/2015

When available, the meeting minutes will be indicated within bold brackets [ ] and are in draft form until they are approved by the committee.

I. Call to Order [9:02am]

II. Approval of the August 2015 Meeting Minutes [Approved]

III. Announcements/Discussion

IV. Old Business

New Courses

• BIOL 443 Tropical Ecology [Approved]
• BIOL 444 Tropical Ecology Laboratory [Approved]

V. New Business – Undergraduate

New Courses

• CDS 230 Modeling and Simulation I [Approved]
• MATH 044 Business Math Preparation [Approved]
• MATH 045 STEM Math Preparation [Approved]

VI. New Business – Graduate

New Courses

• CDS 501 Scientific Information and Data Visualization [Approved pending an addition to the syllabus: “Graduate students will be graded under a different rubric with different assignments than the undergraduate students that co-meet in class.”]
• CDS 502 Scientific Data and Databases [Approved pending an addition to the syllabus: “Graduate students will be graded under a different rubric with different assignments than the undergraduate students that co-meet in class.”]
• CDS 503 Scientific Data Mining [Tabled prior to meeting to allow for discussions between CDS and GGS.]

Modified Courses

• CSI 702 High Performance Computing [Approved]
• CSI 780 Computational Physics and Applications [Approved pending the following prerequisite clarification: “Completion of college or university-level physics sequence or the equivalent.” The course modification was later retracted by the department and was not submitted to the Graduate Council.]
• CSI 798 Research Project [Approved pending a wording modification from “Internship” to “Research Project” in the course description.]

Modified Program

• Computational Science and Informatics, PhD [Approved]

Inactivated Courses

• BIOL 504 VA. Nat. Hist. for Teachers [Approved]
• BIOL 520 Systematics in Complex Angiosperm Families [Approved]
• BIOL 534 Advanced Plant Taxonomy [Approved]
• BIOL 535 Ancient Plants and their Environment [Approved]
• BIOL 536 Ichthyology [Approved]
• BIOL 547 Terrestrial Plant Ecology [Approved]
• BIOL 554 Plant Physiology [Approved]
• BIOL 576 Microbial Ecology of Soils [Approved]
• BIOL 587 Soil Ecology [Approved. The course inactivation was later retracted by the department and was not submitted to the Graduate Council.]
• BIOL 588 Global Changes in Climate and Ecology [Approved]
• BIOL 622 Methods and Principles of Animal Taxonomy [Approved]
• BIOL 640 Environmental Biology [Approved]
• BIOL 641 Envr Sci/Pub Policy [Approved]
• BIOL 670 Environmental Law for Biologists [Approved]
• BIOL 741 Advanced Topics in Environmental Biology [Approved]
• BIOL 800 Studies for the Doctor of Philosophy in Education [Approved]

VII. Adjournment [9:50am]

Time: 9:00am
Location: Exploratory Hall, Room 3301
Items to be considered on this agenda are due by 8/17/2015

When available, the meeting minutes will be indicated within bold brackets [ ] and are in draft form until they are approved by the committee.

I. Call to Order [9:08am]

II. Approval of the May 2015 Meeting Minutes [Approved]

III. Announcements/Discussion

• [J. Gettys requested that the committee work with their departments to bring any new/modified/deleted course or program forms through the COSCC as soon as possible so that the changes can get approved and entered into the catalog. Ideally, all changes that need to be in the 2016-2017 University Catalog will be on COSCC agendas by/before December 2015.
• The committee voted that C. Parsons be its chair for the fall 2015 semester. The committee thanks B. Klinger for his chairing of the committee throughout the years and appreciates his continued participation on the committee.
• K. Curtin made the committee aware that, by majority vote, the Graduate Council passed a new Certificate Viability Policy whereby the power to discontinue underperforming certificates will be executed from the Graduate Council-level, not from the college-level as previously practiced. The COS Curriculum Committee would like to go on record about its concern with this new policy and the slippery slope that goes along with the power to discontinue programs coming from outside the college or SCHEV-level.]

IV. Old Business

V. New Business – Undergraduate

Modified Programs

• Biology, BA [Approved]
• Biology, BS [Approved]

VI. New Business – Graduate

New Certificate

• Data Journalism, Graduate Certificate [Approved pending the following revisions: 1. Electives: Add wording to the effect: “Other courses can be chosen in consultation with an advisor”. 2. Electives: Addition of STAT 554. Electives: Addition of the upcoming new CDS graduate course Scientific Info & Data Visualization]

Modified Programs

• Computational Social Science, PhD [Tabled pending CDS Departmental review.]

VII. Adjournment [9:52am]