By Will Jackson, News Correspondent
The Faculty Senate approved the establishment of two new Masters programs and began an effort to clarify and redesign the University’s NU Core requirements at a meeting Jan. 29.
The two new Masters programs that the Faculty Senate announced are the master of science in international management in the D’Amore-McKim School of Business and the master of arts in international affairs in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities.
Northeastern has offered the first half of the business degree program in the past as a member of the International Partnership of Business Schools (IPBS). It requires that students study in two universities in two different countries. Wednesday’s vote allowed Northeastern to offer the partnership
This means that graduate students who complete the program will get a degree from Northeastern. Lee’s team said that they hoped this would increase the number of American students participating in the program.
Dr. Gordana Rabrenovic, associate professor of sociology and education associate director of the Brudnick Center on Violence and Conflict, presented the day’s second new offering, the Master of Arts in international affairs in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities.
The program’s inception was handled by Dr. Valentine Moghadam, director of the international affairs program and professor of sociology and international affairs, who said that some of its particulars were inspired by her time at United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. She said that many of the interns she encountered as a section chief there lacked critical skills and knowledge for their new environment.
The Senate also discussed a proposal prepared by a preliminary committee of four Faculty Senate members arguing for the reexamination and potential modification of NU Core, Northeastern’s university-wide general education requirements.
“These modes of inquiry exist in one form or another at every great university,” Dr. Hugh Courtney, dean of the D’Amore-McKim School of Business, said, before going on to argue that the real challenge would be implementing an updated NU Core that gives Northeastern a competitive edge.
Concerns expressed regarding the specifics of the plan included literature’s lack of explicit mention in the methods of inquiry. The Faculty Senate also noted that it might be difficult to ensure that the new NU Core would take advantage of experiences students have had before entering Northeastern.
“One skill that most students don’t have is reading the newspaper,” Dr. James A. Fox, a professor of criminology, said.
Fox argued that cultivating a general awareness of the world at large should be a goal of any revamp.
“[Many students are] oblivious to what’s happening in the surrounding world,” he said.
The Senate decided to expand the committee exploring the NU Core issue. Further, the body agreed to post the much-discussed paper on their website to give access to all interested faculty members, although it was noted by multiple Senators that several “black market” copies of the document were already in circulation among the wider faculty body.
