Introduction to an Exemplary of Our Doctoral Program

Faculty Retreat

Texas A&M

Department of History

Description of exemplary or innovative element

While perhaps not an "Innovative Element" in the usuual sense, the faculty retreat held in May 2004 by the Texas A&M History Department had no precedent. We met to present the CID Committee's findings at the end of the first year as a partner department, to make recommendations based on those findings, to solicit the views of the department as a whole, and develope an "Action Plan."

Details of the element

The following summarizes the activities at the faculty retreat:

Retreat Agenda

Item 1: Is the current graduate curriculum satisfactory--do we offer enough courses? How do we integrate "Comparative Borders" effectively, etc.?

Sense of the discussion: The department generally agreed on the need for improvement of the graduate program in terms of more diverse course offerings reflecting the changing contours of the department (including Comparative Borders), as well as the desirability of scheduling and publishing graduate courses two or more semesters in advance. (The latter of course subject to the vagaries of unforeseeable faculty absences.)

The department recognizes that all such planning takes place within the parameters imposed by the need to make 7000 seats available in undergraduate history classes every semester. In addition, the department's 650 majors require an appropriate schedule of upper division courses, including small-enrollment capstone courses.

Action Plan: The CID committee submitted a "Graduate Scheduling Template" to the Department