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Curriculum

Welcome to the College of Liberal Arts Curriculum web pages.

This site is designed to help CLA Faculty with their questions, concerns and needs concerning curriculum and curricular issues.

The site has three main content areas. All of these areas can be easily accessed from the navigational links below.

Please contact Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, J. Emmett Winn, for any questions about matters pertaining to curriculum.

Office: Haley Center 2046
Phone: 844-4026
Email: winnjoh@auburn.edu

Areas of content:

  1. CLA Guidelines for Syllabi: this page gives the approved guidelines for all the REQUIRED syllabus elements for all courses taught in the College of Liberal Arts.
    Please note that these guidelines pertain to all courses in CLA including independent study/directed readings, practicum courses, field experience, research and all graduate courses.

    2. View CLA Guidelines for Syllabi


    CLA Undergraduate Syllabi Guidelines

    (August 2006)

    1. Each course should be of sufficient scope, rigor, and complexity to justify both the number of credit hours assigned to it and the number-level at which it is taught. (The Tiger Cub identifies 3-3.5hrs of total work per week, including class time, as the appropriate amount of student effort to be expected per credit assigned to the course. A 3 credit hour course, in other words, should require approximately 9-10.5 hrs of student effort per week, including time spent in class.)
    2. Students should be provided with a written syllabus no later than the second class meeting. The syllabus should spell out the following:
      • Specific course objectives.
      • Grading and evaluation procedures, including:
        1. the grading system and the method of determining the final grade;
        2. the relative importance of assigned papers, quizzes, exams, class participation, in the determination of the final grade;
        3. the approximate schedule for examinations (other than final exam);
        4. the policy on unannounced quizzes; and,
        5. a reminder that students may withdraw (although with a W on their transcript) until midsemester.
      • Specific policies regarding class attendance, including policies involving late submission of written assignments, missed in-class work, and missed
        examinations.
      • A statement assuring students of your willingness to comply with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, such as the following: “Students who need special accommodations in class, as provided for by the Americans with Disabilities Act, should make an individual appointment with me as soon as possible.”
      • A list of assigned textbooks, readings, and any other required or recommended course
        materials
      • A tentative schedule of both reading assignments and due dates for written work (exams, papers, projects, etc) and a reminder to students that readings should be completed before the class discussion/lecture on them. Exams should not be scheduled during the final three class days of the semester, nor should major papers be due so late in the term that they can not be returned to students by the last day of class.
      • The University-set date and time of the final examination. Do not schedule final exams on the last day of the semester or on Study Days (“Dead Days”). Be sure to follow all University policies about rescheduling final exams, should it be necessary.
      • Office hours and contact information: location of office, office phone number, email address, and a statement of policy about when and how quickly you will respond to student email.
  2. Curriculum Submissions: this page details the steps required for submission of all curriculum additions, deletions, and modifications in the College of Liberal Arts. Please note that the process is complicated and time consuming; therefore, all curriculum submissions should be started as early as possible. It takes almost 5 months for a submission to be fully approved by the CLA and University Curriculum committees.

    3. View Curriculum Submissions


    The Curriculum Submissions Process, College of Liberal Arts

    All additions, modifications and deletions of courses in CLA departments must be approved by both the CLA and University Curriculum committees. In order to help departments with this process the following guidelines are provided.

    1. Plan ahead. The curriculum submission process is complicated and time consuming, therefore, all curriculum submissions should be started as early as possible. It can take as long as 5 months for a submission to be approved by the CLA and University Curriculum committees (UCC). Submissions made between April-August have little chance of being approved before the following Fall. Please consult the UCC deadlines and scheduling webpage for more information: http://www.auburn.edu/academic/provost/undergrad_studies/deadlines.htm
    2. Follow instructions. The major delays in the curriculum approval process result from incomplete or incorrect submissions to the CLA Curriculum Committee. This situation results in the submissions being returned to the departments for revisions.
    3. Start with your departmental Curriculum Coordinator. Before completing the required forms, talk with your departmental curriculum coordinator about the planned submission. Individual CLA departments handle the submissions at the departmental level in different ways. For example, Communication & Journalism has a departmental curriculum committee that reviews all submissions before sending the submissions to the CLA Curriculum Committee. Contact the department head/chair for the name of your department’s curriculum coordinator and get his/her advice about your submission.
    4. Determine which form needs to be completed. Visit the University Curriculum Committee’s website (http://www.auburn.edu/academic/provost/undergrad_studies/unicurr.html) and determine which form should be completed. The options are:
      • Request to Add/Delete/Modify a Course
      • Request to Change an Undergraduate Degree Program Guidelines for Minor Requirements (pdf)
      • Request to Add/Change a Minor
      • Request to Add/Change a Graduate Option
    5. Download and save the form to your computer. Each form is in an Adobe Acrobat file format. You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader/Writer loaded on your computer in order to properly complete and save the form. Please note: the UCC requires that all curricular changes be submitted electronically, therefore this step is mandatory. Please contact the CLA Instructional and Information Technology Office for help with your computer and software ( http://media.cla.auburn.edu/cla/faculty/technology/support.cfm). If a submission is made to the CLA Curriculum Committee without the proper electronic forms, the submission will be returned to the department’s curriculum coordinator and the submission will be delayed.
    6. Understand the forms. The UCC forms have abbreviations for the information that is required. You should familiarize yourself with these abbreviations so you can complete the form correctly. Use this UCC guide to help you understand the forms: http://www.auburn.edu/academic/provost/undergrad_studies/instructions.htm
      Forms that are incorrectly completed will be returned to the departmental curriculum coordinator and the result will delay the submission.
    7. Understand Auburn’s Course Numbering System. Having the correct number for the class is essential to submission. Please consult the Course Numbering webpage at http://www.auburn.edu/academic/provost/undergrad_studies/course_no.html
      for more information.
    8. Collect and revise ALL supporting documents. Most UCC submissions require additional documents (usually syllabi and/or curriculum models). For the modification of a current course, the forms require BOTH a current syllabus and a REVISED (or new) syllabus. Moreover, the UCC requires that these documents be submitted in both electronic AND paper formats. Incomplete submissions will be returned to the department curriculum coordinator and this will result in delays.
    9. Read and follow ALL of the UCC guidelines for syllabi. Use the UCC’s GUIDELINES FOR SYLLABUS PREPARATION webpages:
    10. Read and Follow the CLA’s syllabus guidelines.The guidelines are located here as a pdf file: Curriculum Submissions Checklist.
    11. Use obvious file names for electronic files.
      For example a course modification submission for CMJN 4560 could have files named:
      • CMJN4560form.pdf
      • CMJN4560CurrentSyllabus.doc
      • CMJN4560NewSyllabus.doc
    12. Get the Department’s Head/Chair’s signature on the proper forms. Please note that the first step is at the department level. All submissions must be signed by the head or chair BEFORE they are routed to the CLA Curriculum Committee Chair. Submissions that have not been approved by the department head/chair will be returned to the department curriculum coordinator and this will result in delays.
    13. Submit all paper copies and electronic files of all documents to the CLA Curriculum Committee Chair at the same time. Paper copies (including the SIGNED forms) should be placed in Dr. Emmett Winn’s mailbox in the College of Liberal Arts main office. Electronic copies should either be submitted on a CD that accompanies the paper copies or emailed to Dr. Winn at winnjoh@auburn.edu. CDs are preferred for large submissions. Submissions that lack either the proper paper or electronic files will be returned to the department resulting in delays.
    14. Understand and follow the Procedures and Routing system for submissions. Each submission must follow the correct procedures in order for it to be approved. The Procedure and Routing system is described on the UCC webpage:
      http://www.auburn.edu/academic/provost/undergrad_studies/procedure.htm
    15. If you have questions about your submission, please ask your department curriculum coordinator, he/she will know how to get your answer. If you contact the UCC chair or other administrator first, they will most likely have to go down the chain of approvals to find your answer. If you start with your department curriculum coordinator, he or she can find your answers faster.
  3. Resources: this page details a variety of resources concerning curriculum and curricular issues not covered elsewhere on this website (click on View Resources for content)
Questions about this page
Last updated June 6, 2008