The King's University Academic Program Review 3-Year Bachelor of Arts, Social Science Group
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The King's University Academic Program Review 3-year Bachelor of Arts, Social Science Group 31 October 2016 Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 2 Introduction to the Self-Study ...................................................................................................................... 3 Self-Study ...................................................................................................................................................... 5 1. Department Profile ........................................................................................................................... 5 1.1. Objectives and Goals ................................................................................................................. 5 1.2. Staffing ...................................................................................................................................... 6 1.3. Other Resources ........................................................................................................................ 6 1.4. Scholarly Activity (particularly involving students) ................................................................... 7 2. Program(s) ......................................................................................................................................... 8 2.1. Program Description and Requirements................................................................................... 8 Original context and founding rationale ........................................................................................... 8 Program & Curricular Rationale ........................................................................................................ 9 History of the program.................................................................................................................... 11 The SSCI concentration, the B Ed, and Social Studies as a teachable major .................................. 13 2.2 Program Outcomes ................................................................................................................. 15 3. Curriculum (required courses and general disciplinary offerings in the major, cognates, and roles played by foundations and breadth) ...................................................................................................... 17 Social Science courses (See appendix for course descriptions) .......................................................... 17 Foundations and Breadth ................................................................................................................... 19 4. Assessment ..................................................................................................................................... 21 4.1. Statistical profile of population, course enrolments, degree conferrals ................................ 21 4.2. Graduate profile ...................................................................................................................... 29 4.3. Current student survey/focus groups on qualitative program aspects .................................. 29 4.4. Alumni survey/focus groups on qualitative aspects of the program ...................................... 31 4.5. Resources (budget and facilities) ............................................................................................ 32 External Assessment ................................................................................................................................... 33 Summary and Recommendations ............................................................................................................... 36 Appendix ..................................................................................................................................................... 37 Reference ................................................................................................................................................ 37 Faculty Publications with Undergraduate Involvement ......................................................................... 37 Faculty Publications Without Undergraduate Involvement ................................................................... 41 Course Descriptions ................................................................................................................................ 54 Library Review ......................................................................................................................................... 85 External Reviewer’s Report ..................................................................................................................... 87 Dean’s Response ................................................................................................................................... 102 Faculty CVs ............................................................................................................................................ 106 1 | P a g e Executive Summary The Social Science Group concentration is one of King’s longest standing in the 3-year Bachelor of Arts program. While at one point it was a dominant program, the advent of 4-year degree programs in the social sciences and other areas has seen a significant decline in the student population of this program and a shift of attention by faculty onto the four year offerings. This review sought to test for internal coherence, external relevance, and a future pathway for the program. The resulting recommendations include broadening the disciplines to be included at the introductory level – in particular including social work and education, suggesting that work needs to be done to develop a more engaging capstone course delivery, and, after approval of the 4-year Bachelor of Arts in Sociology program, an examination of the role of 3 year concentrations in the Faculty of Social Sciences. 2 | P a g e Introduction to the Self-Study The Social Science Group concentration (henceforth, SSCI) program review is timely and will provide grounds for decisions regarding program’s future and structure. This timeliness is due to: • Since accreditation in 1987 the program has not been significantly revised despite its intentions when proposed that it do so as the Social Sciences disciplines offered at King’s changed • SSCI’s founding rationales have been rendered less relevant by o the development of disciplinary and interdisciplinary Social Science programs (including 4 year programs in Environmental Studies, Politics History and Economics, and Psychology) o an increase in the number of Social Science faculty and Social Science course offerings • SSCI student enrollment has dropped since 2010 to all-time lows. A range of options for the future of SSCI are available. (Note the numbering is for convenience of reference and does not imply any prioritization.) 1. “Retain as is”. The SSCI program continues as is without significant change. The program is virtually “free” in terms of Faculty workload (with the exception of SSCI 495, and advising responsibilities) meaning that any SSCI enrolment is “bonus” for King’s. 2. “Discontinue”. The SSCI program be discontinued. SSCI 495 and advising responsibilities for SSCI students would be discontinued. Students would be forced to choose other existing programs or to leave the institution. 3. “Retain & revise”. The SSCI program continues, but with some significant revision to required courses. The perceived coherence problem for the concentration be addressed through greater constraint and direction of course offerings available to SSCI students, and the role, function, as well as delivery, of SSCI 495 be revised accordingly. All the following options are variants of “Retain and Revise” and each assumes significant revision of the SSCI. a. “B Ed feeder”. SSCI was at one point a significant feeder program for the BEd Elementary After- Degree program. This revision would intentionally revise SSCI to support both Elementary preparation and providing a Social Studies teachable major in the Secondary program. The current diversity of courses available to students in the program would mandate courses that match Alberta K-12 Social Studies curriculum. This would mean courses in history, politics and economics, geography, in Canadian content, and fewer courses in psychology and sociology (see Figure 9A for statistics on actual course enrollment patterns for the SSCI). In line with earlier historical practice Education Faculty would take on advising of SSCI students. SSCI 495 might need to be revised. b. “3-year PHE”. Analogously to other disciplines which offer both 3 and 4 year versions, the 3 year SSCI could be conceived as the 3 year version of the 4 year Politics, History and Economics 3 | P a g e program. This would entail revising and mandating course choice from the current SSCI based on the PHE streams, scaled fit a 3 year degree. Faculty assigned to the PHE program would be given advising and oversight responsibilities for the SSCI. (Note that much of the revisions of course possibilities on this option might prove very similar to the revisions necessary for c; c and d might prove not extremely different.) c. “Streamed SSCI”. The 4 year Environmental Studies program offers concentrations in particular disciplines, such as Psychology, Biology, English, or SSCI, focussed under the broader umbrella of Environmental Studies.