Program Review
BA in International Affairs
College of Liberal Arts
October 2012
MARSHALL UNIVERSITY
Program Review
Marshall University
Date: September 24, 2012
Program: BA in International Affairs
Degree and Title
Date of Last Review: October 2007
Recommendation
Marshall University is obligated to recommend continuance or discontinuance of a program and to provide a brief rationale for the recommendation.
Recommendation
Code (#):
1. Continuation of the program at the current level of activity; or
2. Continuation of the program at a reduced level of activity or with corrective action: Corrective action will apply to programs that have deficiencies that the program itself can address and correct. Progress report due by November 1 next academic year; or
3. Continuation of the program with identification of the program for resource development: Resource development will apply to already viable programs that require additional resources from the Administration to help achieve their full potential. This designation is considered an investment in a viable program as opposed to addressing issues of a weak program. Progress report due by November 1 next academic year; or
4. Development of a cooperative program with another institution, or sharing of courses, facilities, faculty, and the like; or
5. Discontinuation of the program
Rationale for Recommendation: (Deans, please submit the rationale as a separate document. Beyond the College level, any office that disagrees with the previous recommendation must submit a separate rationale and append it to this document with appropriate signature.)
____1____ _Jason J. Morrissette_____________________________________ _9/24/2012________
Recommendation: Signature of person preparing the report: Date:
____1____ _Jason J. Morrissette______________________________________ _9/24/2012________
Recommendation: Signature of Program Chair: Date:
____1___ _David J. Pittenger_________________________________________ ______________
Recommendation: Signature of Academic Dean: Date:
________ __________________________________________________ ______________
Recommendation: Signature of Chair, Academic Planning Committee: (Baccalaureate pgms only) Date:
________ _________________________________________________ ______________
Recommendation: Signature of President, Faculty Senate/ Chair, Graduate Council: Date:
________ _________________________________________________ ______________
Recommendation: Signature of the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs: Date:
_______ __________________________________________________ ______________
Recommendation: Signature of the President: Date:
________ _________________________________________________ ______________
Recommendation: Signature of Chair, Board of Governors: Date:
College/School Dean’s Recommendation
Deans, please indicate your recommendation and submit the rationale.
Recommendation:
I recommend continuation of program at current level of activity.
Rationale:
(If you recommend a program for resource development identify all areas for specific development)
The BA in International Affairs is an important component of the many degrees offered by the College of Liberal Arts Indeed, one can think of the program as a true liberal arts degree given that it represents the confluence of many academic traditions including Economics, History, Language, and Political Science. Students in the program receive a high-quality education that prepares them for any work setting requiring critical thinking, an appreciation for international political events, and an interest in the many contemporary matters that affect this nation’s economy and political landscape. Students are also well prepared to purse post graduate education in law or the many academic disciplines associated with this degree.
Although I am asking that the program continue at its current level of activity, I will ask that the coordinator of the program initiate several programmatic changes. First, the number of credit hours required for the program needs to be reduced to conform to the University’s requirement that the bachelor’s degree require 120 hours of college level work. Second, I ask that the coordinator continue to review the very good assessment program to include the capstone project as a datum for the program review. While students complete their capstone in Economics, History, or Political Science, the student selects the topic of his or her topic project, thus allowing the student to focus on topics that bring to faculty the skills and perspectives learned in the major.
__David J. Pittenger___________________ ________________________
Signature of the Dean Date
Marshall University
Program Review
For purposes of program review, the academic year will begin in summer and end in spring.
Program: BA in International Affairs
College: College of Liberal Arts
Date of Last Review: Academic Year 2007-2008
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CONSISTENCY WITH UNIVERSITY MISSION
Provide your program’s mission statement. Explain how your mission supports the mission of your college and the mission of Marshall University.
The Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs (IA) is an interdisciplinary program, housed in the Department of Political Science that integrates the perspectives of Anthropology, Economics, Geography, History, and Political Science to help students to excel in an increasingly globalized world. To this end, the IA Program also places an emphasis on the study of foreign language, requiring 21 credit hours of a single language.
The IA Program addresses the Marshall University goals of:
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Preparing [students] for responsible participation as members of local, regional, national, and international communities.
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Cultivating…those qualities as needed by an educated citizenry to meet the challenges of societal living.
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Adequacy of the Program
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Curriculum: Summarize degree requirements and provide commentary on significant features of the curriculum. In Appendix I, list required courses, elective courses, and total hours required. The list of courses must provide specific course titles and numbers.
Curricular flexibility is a defining feature of the International Affairs major. As noted above, the major draws on a wide range of courses from the Departments of Economics, History, Political Science, Anthropology, Geography, and Modern Languages to build its curriculum—all with the goal of helping students develop the critical thinking skills necessary to analyze and address contemporary global challenges from multiple perspectives.
Degree requirements for the International Affairs program can be divided into four broad categories (totaling 66 credit hours for the major):
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Introductory requirements: To ensure that students have the necessary background to engage in thoughtful analysis in upper-level courses, all majors are required to take introductory courses in Economics, History, and Political Science. These include:
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ECN 250 (Principles of Microeconomics) and ECN 253 (Principles of Microeconomics)
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HST 103 (The World Since 1850)
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PSC 207 (Fundamentals of Comparative Politics) and PSC 209 (Fundamentals of International Relations)
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Advanced requirements: Students have more flexibility in selecting their advanced requirements, allowing them to tailor the major toward their academic interests and/or career goals. Advanced requirements include:
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International Economics: Two of the following courses:
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ECN 340 (Global Macroeconomic Issues)
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ECN 408 (Comparative Economic Systems)
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ECN 420 (International Trade)
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ECN 460 (Economics of Developing Countries)
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International History: HST 405 (American Diplomacy 1900 to Present) and three courses selected from:
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HST 223 (The Rise and Fall of Nazi Germany)
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HST 260 (Rise of Islam, 570-1750)
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HST 301 (Latin America: Discovery to Independence)
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HST 302 (Latin America: Independence to Present)
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HST 361 (Modern Middle East)
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HST 404 (American Diplomacy, 1789-1900)
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HST 423 (US Latin-American Relations)
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HST 425 (European History, 1814-1914)
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HST 426 (European History, 1914 to Present)
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HST 430 (Soviet Russia and Beyond)
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HST 434 (The American Experience in Vietnam)
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HST 436 (Modern China)
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HST 445 (Arab-Israeli Conflict)
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International Politics: Both of the following courses:
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PSC 405 (International Organization)
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PSC 406 (International Politics)
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International Geography One of the following courses:
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GEO 317 (World Regional Geography)
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GEO 405 (Political Geography)
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Cluster courses: Students are required to choose four additional courses from the following list of clusters:
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Anthropology Cluster: ANT 201 (Cultural Anthropology), ANT 325 (World Prehistory), ANT 440 (African Cultures), ANT 441 (Oceania), ANT 465 (Anthropology of Global Problems)
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History Cluster: HST 223 (The Rise and Fall of Nazi Germany), HST 260 (Rise of Islam, 570-1750), HST 301 (Latin America: Discovery to Independence), HST 302 (Latin America: Independence to Present), HST 361 (Modern Middle East), HST 404 (American Diplomacy, 1789-1900), HST 423 (US Latin-American Relations), HST 425 (European History, 1814-1914), HST 426 (European History, 1914 to Present), HST 430 (Soviet Russia and Beyond), HST 434 (The American Experience in Vietnam), HST 436 (Modern China), HST 445 (Arab-Israeli Conflict)
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Geography Cluster: GEO 403 (Geography of Asia), GEO 404 (Geography of Europe), GEO 405 (Political Geography), GEO 407 (Geography of Sub-Saharan Africa), GEO 408 (Geography of South and Middle America), GEO 409 (Geography of North Africa and Southwest Asia), GEO 412 (Geography of Russia), GEO 422 (Environmental Geography).
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Political Science Cluster: PSC 211 (Scope and Method in Political Science), PSC 407 (Asian Politics), PSC 408 (Middle Eastern Politics), PSC 409 (Western Democratic Politics), PSC 410 (Post-Soviet Politics), PSC 411 (Latin American Politics), PSC 412 (International Political Economy), PSC 415 (International Law), PSC 416 (Politics of Development), PSC 420 (Current World and Regional Issues), PSC 422 (African Political Systems), PSC 423 (American Foreign Policy), PSC 424 (Comparative Foreign Policy), PSC 428 (Islamic Political Ideas and Institutions), PSC 429 (Politics of Conflict and Revolution), PSC 431 (Politics of Global Terrorism), PSC 444 (Dictatorship and Democracy)
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Language courses: In addition to the twelve hours of foreign language required by the College of Liberal Arts, International Affairs majors take an additional nine hours in the same foreign language. Students can currently choose from French, Germany, Japanese, or Spanish.
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Capstone: The IA major does not have its own dedicated capstone course, consequently students choose from among the Economics Capstone (ECN 466), History Capstone (HST 400), or the Political Science Capstone (PSC 499) to fulfill this requirement.
As noted above, a central goal of the major is to provide majors with a strong background in the core disciplines of International Affairs and then allow them to customize the major to their own interests and/or career goals. For instance, after completing the introductory requirements in Economics, History, and Political Science, a student with an interest in Latin America may select advanced requirements and sequences courses like HST 301 (Latin America: Discovery to Independence), HST 302 (Latin America: Independence to Present), HST 423 (US Latin-American Relations), GEO 408 (Geography of South and Middle America), and PSC 411 (Latin American Politics), while studying Spanish as his or her foreign language.
Conversely, a student who prefers a more diverse curriculum is free to vary his or her course selection, along disciplinary, geographic, or thematic lines. This flexibility, I believe, is one of the IA program’s greatest strengths, providing students with a wide range of educational experiences in preparation for the rapidly-changing global environment into which they will graduate.
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Faculty: Summarize significant points relating to faculty teaching courses within the major (percentage of faculty holding tenure, extent of use of part-time faculty, level of academic preparation, faculty development efforts, books & journal articles, papers & attendance at state, regional and national professional organization meetings). Include part-time faculty and graduate assistants you employed during the final year of this review. Prepare an Appendix II Faculty Data Sheet for each full-time faculty member, part-time faculty member and adjunct faculty member. For part-time faculty members and adjuncts, prepare data through question one on the Faculty Data Sheet. Use Appendix II-A for all graduate teaching assistants. Information for Appendices II and II-A should come from Digital Measures.
Data for faculty teaching required International Affairs courses in the three major constituent departments (Economics, History, and Political Science) are included in Appendix II. At the suggestion of Dr. Mary Beth Reynolds, Director of Academic Assessment, reports generated by Digital Measures are included in their raw form for the Department of History. Faculty Data Sheets for Economics and Political Science are imported directly from those programs' respective five-year reviews.
Faculty data are summarized in the chart below.
Department
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Full-Time Faculty
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Part-Time/Adjunct Faculty
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Tenured Faculty
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Tenure-Track Faculty
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Economics
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7
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2
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6
|
1
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History
|
8
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0
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6
|
2
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Political Science
|
6
|
1
|
4
|
2
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Totals:
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21
|
3
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16
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5
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Of the 24 faculty members from Economics, History, and Political Science who have taught required courses in the International Affairs major in the past five years, approximately 88% are full-time faculty.
Among those full-time faculty teaching required IA courses and included in the report, approximately 76% currently hold tenure (with the remaining 24% on the tenure track). With the exception of one adjunct faculty member in Economics, all faculty teaching required International Affairs courses hold terminal degrees (i.e. doctorates) in their respective fields.
The list below presents a selection of faculty accomplishments during the five-year review period that highlight the multidisciplinary "international spirit" of the International Affairs program. Full details on teaching, research, faculty development, and service are provided in Appendix II.
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Research and Scholarship
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Journal article by Dr. Jacqueline Agesa and Dr. Richard Agesa (ECN): "Changes in Wage Distributions, Wage Gaps and Wage Inequality by Gender in Kenya," Journal of African Economies, Agesa, J., Dabalen, A., Agesa, R. U., June 2009, 18
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Journal article by Dr. Harlan Smith (ECN): "Culture’s Influence on the Perceived Characteristics of Employees: Comparing the Views of U.S. and Chilean Workers," Dias Technology Review: The International Journal for Business and IT, Kim, C. W., Arias-Bozmann, L., Smith, H. M., 2009.
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Journal article by Dr. Robert Behrman (PSC): " Equal or Effective Representation: Redistricting Jurisprudence in Canada and the United States," American Journal of Legal History 51, April 2011.
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Journal article by Dr. Cheryl Brown (PSC): "Get on the Bus!" Tourismos: An International Multidisciplinary Journal of Tourism (2009).
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Journal article by Dr. George Davis (PSC): "The Practice of Craft and the Politics of Community: Re-envisioning Work, Re-imagining Democracy," New Political Science 22, no. 1 (January 2010).
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Journal article by Dr. Paul Hamilton (ECN): "Inclusion of Atlas Shrugged in Economics Classes," Journal of Private Enterprise, December 2009.
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Journal article by Dr. Robin McCutcheon (ECN): "Student Motivation and Performance: Evidence Based on Introductory Economics Classes," Journal of Innovative Education Strategies, McCutcheon, R. S., Sahu, A. P., November 2010.
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Book chapter by Dr. Montserrat Miller (HST): "Las Reinas de los Mercados: cultura municipal y genero en el sector del comercio minorista alimentario de Barcelona," Museu d'Historia de Barcelona; Ajuntament de Barcelona, Institut de Cultura (February 2011).
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Journal article by Dr. Jason Morrissette (PSC): "Rationality and Risk-Taking in Russia’s First Chechen War: Toward a Theory of Cognitive Realism," European Political Science Review 2, no. 2 (July 2010).
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Journal article by Dr. Michael Newsome (ECN): "How America Teaches Principles of Economics: Differences Across institutions and Instructors," DIAS Technology Review, Adkins, R. L., Newsome, M. A., October (4th Quarter/Autumn) 2007.
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Book by Dr. Philip Rutherford (HST): Prelude to the Final Solution: The Nazi Program for Deporting Ethnic Poles, 1939-1941 (Lawrence: The University Press of Kansas, 2007).
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Journal article by Dr. Philip Rutherford (HST): “Pigboats, Fleet Boats, and Mystery MeatL U.S. Submarine Food, 1941-1945,” Undersea Warfare: The Official Magazine of the U.S. Submarine Force (Fall 2011).
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Journal article by Dr. Shawn Schulenberg (PSC): "The Construction and Enactment of Same-Sex Marriage in Argentina," Journal of Human Rights 11, no 1 (February 2012).
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Presentations and Conference Participation
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Paper presented at international conference by Dr. Jacqueline Agesa and Dr. Richard Agesa (ECN): "Higher Residual Wage Dispersion for White Workers in South Africa: Composition Effects or Higher Demand For Skill?" Annual Meeting of the African Econometric Society, African Econometric Society, Cape-Town, South Africa, Agesa, R. U., Agesa, J., July 5, 2007.
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State conference participation by Dr. Marybeth Beller (PSC): West Virginia Consortium for Faculty and Course Development in International Studies, Annual Meeting, 2007-2011.
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Paper presented at national conference by Dr. George Davis (PSC): "Losing Your Voice in the Heavenly Chorus: Pluralism, Power, and Participation in Neoliberal Political Culture," American Political Science Association, August 2008.
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Paper presented at international conference by Dr. Paul Hamilton (ECN): "The New Economy and Capitalism," Association of Private Enterprise Education (APEE) Conference, APEE, Guatemala City, Guatemala, 2009.
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Paper presented at national conference by by Dr. Robin McCutcheon (ECN): "Teaching, Assessing & Documenting Critical Thinking in our Undergrad Students," 23rd Annual Conference on Teaching Economics: Instruction and Classroom Based Research, Robert Morris University, Pittsburgh, PA, McCutcheon, R. S., Smith, H. M., February 2012.
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Paper presented at international conference by Dr. Montserrat Miller (HST): "Gender in the Marketplace: Selling Food and Negotiating Personal Honor at the Commercial Nexus of Neighborhood Life in 20th Century Barcelona, University of Wolverhampton's CHORD Conference, 2011.
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Paper presented at international conference by Dr. Jason Morrissette (PSC): "Zombies, International Relations, and the Production of Danger: Critical Security Studies Versus the Living Dead," International Studies Association, San Diego, April 2012.
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Paper presented at international conference by Dr. Michael Newsome (ECN): "Increasing Instructor Awareness in the Global Classroom: Results from a Survey Technique," Pan-Pacific Conference XXVIII, Accepted, Newsome, M. A., Kim, C. W., Akkihal, R. G., Adkins, R. L., May 26, 2011.
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Paper presented at national conference by Dr. Harlan Smith (ECN): "Our Experience with Revising the Economics Capstone Course: Successes, Failures, and Food for Thought," 23rd Annual Conference on Teaching Economics: Instruction and Classroom Based Research, Robert Morris University, Pittsburgh, PA, McCutcheon, R. S., Smith, H. M., February 2012.
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