Beginning in the fall of 2014, Francis Marion University’s (FMU) liberal arts track English program will see some extensive changes in course layout and sections that are available to students within the major or minor.
Dr. Pamela Rooks, English professor and gender-studies program coordinator, explained that the changes to the program will include some re-structuring and course additions to add versatility within the program that have been in the works for nearly three years.
“This is a big project that the department has been invested in,” Rooks said. “It’s finally been approved by the rest of the faculty, so it’s officially happening.”
One of the changes that will affect the entire student body, regardless of major or minor, is the new grading policy for students taking ENG 200, a required general education course.
In the past, students were allowed to pass the course with a grade of D or higher, Rooks explained, but now, students entering the course will need a C or better to move on.
The changes will go into effect at the start of the fall 2014 academic semester and will be implemented in the fall 2014 course catalog.
Normally, students are bound to follow the course layout of their major in the course catalog of the year that they enter the university under, so students who are not entering freshmen in the fall of 2014 will not be bound to the revised course catalog unless they choose.
Another change that Rooks mentioned was that in the future, some courses that are currently offered will be removed from the catalog, so there will be a period of transitioning students to the changes in the program.
“[For the] students who have already taken three of four required surveys, the fourth one may not be available starting in the fall,” Rooks said. “So those students will have to take an additional course that applies.”
These changes are quite substantial and will impact a great number of students enrolled in the program. The above mentioned changes are just a few of what is to come in the fall of 2014.