Memorandum
To: Department Chairpersons & Assistants
From: Tim Steele & Todd Dornbos, Interim Term Committee
Date: December 12, 2012
Re: Planning for Interim 2014
On behalf of the Interim Term Committee (ITC), we would like to ask you to begin thinking about Interim 2014. Please read this memo carefully and remind your department members of the need for some advance planning. As always, we appreciate your willingness to help your department and our committee with this important project.
Also - Please pay special attention to the items highlighted in red font below. These items represent substantive changes to committee processes.
Initial Planning
In order to assist us in planning for the Interim 2014, we ask that you send a tentative list of your department's faculty and their expected Interim assignments by Monday, January 14, 2013 (please use the attached form) to interim@calvin.edu. This list should include all those who are released from interim teaching due to sabbaticals, CRFs, semester overloads, reduced loads, and other assignments. Please know that the ITC will route this list to your academic dean for preliminary approval before reviewing your department’s course proposals. In addition to the normal load and teaching allocations, the deans will be paying close attention to your department’s DCM assignments (see DCM note below).
Interim Course Proposals - Due February 18, 2013
The ITC asks that your department submit all 2014 Interim course proposals (electronically) by Monday, February 18. You are encouraged to submit all department proposals at one time, rather than asking each faculty member to submit their own proposals to the committee. We ask that each proposal be presented to the ITC only after it has been reviewed, edited, and approved by your department's curriculum committee. The ITC will not consider proposals received without departmental endorsement. Proposal forms for DCM, on-campus, and off-campus Interim courses are NOW available and will be considered according to this timeline and these guidelines. Furthermore, please know that the ITC will pay special attention to the Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) required for each course proposal.
Historical Purpose
As outlined in Calvin's 1970 curriculum study committee report, entitled Christian Liberal Arts Education (CLAE), "the objective of the Interim is to provide time and opportunity in the curriculum and calendar for the student and staff to study topics which ordinarily would not be pursued in the regular semester, or to attempt a new approach to a certain topic" (CLAE, p. 96). The ITC encourages faculty to consider this traditional guiding principal when developing an Interim course proposal. If you are interested, an entire chapter of CLAE is dedicated to interim, entitled "The Interim Term".
Developing a Christian Mind (DCM)
Each academic department is asked to submit one to three sections of DCM in proportion to their number of full-time faculty. To maintain manageable course enrollments (20-22 students), we hope to offer approximately 40 sections of DCM in January, 2014. As noted above, the deans will be paying special attention to the DCM courses that you plan to offer, and will not approve your planning documents until they are satisfied that your department is offering a reasonable number. Please remember that this is an ideal opportunity to introduce some of the important issues in your discipline to first-year students. More information and guidelines for developing a DCM course are also available.
Cross-Cultural Engagement
In order to provide enough CCE opportunities for our students, the Interim, Core, and CCE committees would like to promote the development of local CCE options. See the CCE Proposal guidelines.
