Students attempting to satisfy the university’s IAH requirement may have two new courses to choose from in the fall semester.
Integrative Studies in Arts & Humanities 202, Europe and the World; and IAH 206, Self, Society and Technology, have recently been approved by the College of Arts and Letters Curriculum Committee for introduction this fall.
The courses must now receive approval from the University Curriculum Committee.
All undergraduate students not enrolled in the Honors College are required to take two IAH courses. Previously, the university offered only IAH 201, U.S. and the World, to fulfill the first - or the “A” level - requirement.
“I’m really excited about what we’re doing,” said Kenneth Waltzer, director of the Center for Integrative Studies in Arts & Humanities.
“Our objective has been to strengthen the program - give students more choice.”
Waltzer said the addition of new curriculum will also better compliment the direction in which he feels MSU is headed, saying some of the “new options fit very well with the globalizing direction of the university and will help get students ready for study abroad.”
Associate history Professor Anne Meyering helped develop IAH 202, and said she’s excited that the university is starting to consider giving MSU students more options when scheduling classes.
She said the course will “deal with cultural encounters between Europeans and people in other parts of the world.” She said she hopes the course will help broaden students’ horizons.
“We want to put today’s globalization in a historical perspective,” she said.
Stephen Esquith, a professor and chairperson of the Department of Philosophy who worked on the design of IAH 206, said that course will deal with “contemporary problems that are of general interest to all MSU undergraduates.”
He said he’s eager to teach the course and hopes it will give students more exposure to faculty.
“We’re going to teach it every semester for the foreseeable future,” Esquith said. “We’ll have a stable of faculty, and there will be guest lectures by other faculty throughout the university. We think it will be a real feather in the university’s cap.”
Barbara Steidle, assistant provost for undergraduate education, said policy changes, such as a review of external courses for transfer students, may be necessary as a result of the new courses.
When all is said and done, Waltzer said, there could be up to 10 A-level IAH courses to choose from - a far cry from the one currently available.
He hopes to complete adding courses by Fall 2003.
But in addition to simply adding new courses, Waltzer said MSU is trying to improve IAH 201.
Computer science sophomore Greg Deau said he wished he had been offered more options when he was forced to take IAH 201.
“I didn’t think it was very adequate,” he said. “Something a little broader like Europe or like (IAH 206) would definitely be beneficial to all of us.”
But Andrea Vansickle doesn’t agree.
Vansickle, a child development junior, noted that students can choose from 13 courses to complete the B-level of the IAH requirement.
And Vansickle said she had a good experience with IAH 201.
“I think IAH 201 is a good class for everyone to have,” she said. “It’s a broad expanse - gives you a taste of multiculturalism and racism and everything.”
Ed Ronco can be reached at roncoedw@msu.edu
