Sample Course Listing: A Key

Chinese 250¹/Asian Studies 251.² Undergraduate Seminar in Chinese Culture.³

Prerequisites & Distribution:⁴ No knowledge of Chinese language is required. (3).⁵ (HU).⁶ May be repeated with department permission.

Section 001 – Looking at Traditional China Through its Most Famous Novel: The Story of the Stone⁷

Instructor(s):⁸ David Rolston

Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.⁹

See Asian Studies 251.001.¹⁰

Cost:¹¹No Data Given. WL:¹²2

1. The division abbreviation and course number.
2. Indication that this is a cross-listed course with another department or program, giving the name of the cross-listing unit and the course number in that unit.
3. The course title. For cross-listed courses the course title is always the same in each cross-listing unit.
4. Indication of a course prerequisite. Sometimes, but not in this case, this will be the listing of a specific course or courses. Remember that not all courses have prerequisites; such courses are open to all students.
5. Indication of the number of credits granted for successful completion of the course. Credits, also called credit hours, are the same as Michigan Semester Hours (MSH).
6. Designation of the area distribution category into which the class falls. In this instance, S&SEA 250, a course which is also listed and may be elected as Asian Studies 253, earns distribution credit in the area of Humanities (HU). Other courses may earn distribution credit in the areas of Natural Science (NS), Social Science (SS), Mathematical and Symbolic Analysis (MSA), or Creative Expression (CE) or they may be designated as Excluded (Excl.) from counting toward the distribution requirements for a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree.
   If this course were approved to be used in the 60 credits of approved courses in the physical and natural sciences and/or mathematics required for the Bachelor of Science degree, a (BS) would appear here. If this course were approved to meet the QR requirement, the designation (QR/1) or (QR/2) would appear in the course header information.
   If this course were approved to meet the language requirement, the designation (LR) would appear in the course header information.
   If this course were approved to meet the introductory composition requirement, the designation (Introductory Composition) would appear in the course header information.
7. The Section Title (course subtitle) for the description. Not all courses or sections have section titles.
8. The instructor(s) name(s).
9. Provides course/section homepage, if provided to OAI&P
10. The section description, or, if the course is cross-listed or a meets-together section, a reference to the home listing of the course, which will contain the description.
11. Indicates the Cost code for the section.
12. Indicates the Waitlist code for the section.

COURSE NUMBERS: The University numbers courses 100 through 999. This numbering system does not always mean that courses with higher numbers are more difficult. Rather, the number system reflects degrees of specialization. Courses numbered on the 100 and 200 levels are usually designed for students with little previous knowledge of a subject, and are often taken by first-year students. In many cases such courses must be taken before more specialized courses on the 300 and 400 levels can be taken, but this is not always true, and you should study the requirements of different departments before deciding which courses to take.

RENUMBERED COURSES have their course numbers followed by a former course number in parentheses. When renumbering or reorganization has left the division unchanged, only the previous course number is given; if the division has also changed, the previous division name and course number appear. A reorganized or renumbered course cannot be repeated for credit without special permission.

CROSS-LISTED COURSES are sponsored by more than one department or program and may be elected through any of the participating departments. Cross-listings are denoted by a slash appearing between departmental titles.

Descriptions for cross-listed courses only appear in the "home" department, but the course title and instructor's name will appear under the other department(s), with a link to the description.

COURSE TITLES are in bold type, and follow the course number.

PREREQUISITES appear immediately after the course title.

· Course equivalence. Unless otherwise stated, the phrase "or equivalent" may be considered an implicit part of the prerequisite for any course. When a student has satisfactorily completed a course(s) believed to be substantially equivalent to one listed as a prerequisite, the student must consult the instructor or department. If equivalency is determined to have been satisfied, election may be approved.

· Permission of instructor. The phrase "or permission of instructor" may be considered an implicit part of the statement of prerequisites for any course. When permission is a stated requirement, or when a student does not have the stated prerequisite for a course but can give evidence of sufficient background, the student should obtain approval from the instructor or department concerned.

EXCLUDED COMBINATIONS OF ELECTIONS are designated in the course listing of affected courses.

THE CREDIT SYMBOL denotes the official undergraduate credits that may be earned for the course. Credit (sometimes called "credit hour") is granted in semester hours. This is a unit of academic progress. The number of credits assigned to a course corresponds (more or less) to the number of contact hours you have per week with the instructor in the classroom. You should note that credits are NOT a good indicator of how difficult a course may be or the amount of the workload in the class. For example, it's quite possible for a three-credit upper-level course to be more challenging and time-consuming than a four-credit introductory course. LS&A students ordinarily need to complete 120 credits in order to graduate.

THE AREA DISTRIBUTION designation is approved by the LS&A Curriculum Committee. A course may be approved with the designation Natural Science (NS), Social Science (SS), Humanities (HU), Mathematical and Symbolic Analysis (MSA), Creative Expression (CE), Language Requirement (LR), Introductory Composition (INTRODUCTORY COMPOSITION), or Excluded (Excl). Courses approved with the designation "Language Requirement" or "Introductory Composition" may not be used as part of an area distribution plan. If an introductory language course is designated "Excluded" (Excl), it may not be used to satisfy the LS&A language requirement. Courses designated "Excluded" (Excl) may not be included in an area distribution plan.

Courses fulfilling certain college requirements are so listed. (BS) means that the course may be used toward the 60 approved credits required for the B.S. degree. Courses meeting or partially meeting the Quantitative Reasoning requirement are designated (QR/1) or (QR/2). Courses with Standard Approval for meeting the Race & Ethnicity (R&E) requirement are so indicated. Other courses may meet the R&E or QR requirements on a term-by-term basis and are listed in the introductory pages of the LS&A Course Guides.

A SPECIAL GRADING PATTERN associated with a particular course is indicated in the course listing. Some courses offered by the College are offered MANDATORY CREDIT/NO CREDIT, and the notation "Credit" or "No Credit" is posted on the transcript.

EXPERIENTIAL, INDEPENDENT STUDY, AND TUTORIAL courses are so designated. For information concerning LS&A policies about counting credit earned in Experiential, Independent Study, and Tutorial courses toward a degree, see the LS&A Bulletin.

Repetition of a course that varies in content from term to term is permitted only under certain conditions. When a department or program has a policy about the repetition of a course for credit, that policy is included in the course listing. The general statement "May be repeated for credit with permission" usually means "With permission of a concentration advisor." In all other instances, a student must get permission from both the department or program and the Academic Standards Board to repeat a course for credit. Generally, a course may be elected for credit once only.

LABORATORY OR OTHER SPECIAL FEES are indicated if known, but are subject to change without notice.

CAEN Lab Access fee. Non-Engineering and Computer Science students taking Engineering courses have to pay the CAEN Lab Access fee. The CAEN Lab Access fee is based on the tuition differential that Engineering students have to pay. The current fee for 1998-99 (subject to change) was:

· $95 per semester for non-Engineering/ Computer Science freshmen and sophomores;

· $170 per semester for juniors, seniors and graduate non-engineers.

Payment may be made at the CAEN Office, 2161 Media Union. This fee must be paid each term and only provides lab access for the current term. CAEN accounts enable students to log on to any CAEN lab workstation.

INSTRUCTORS for the term are indicated in parentheses at the end of the description.

Cost and Waitlist Information

Information about the cost of books/materials for courses and about various course waitlist procedures is keyed as explained below. This information can be found at the end of individual descriptions preceding the instructor's name. The cost information comes first, followed by the waitlist information.

Cost

The books/materials for this course:

1 – Cost less than $50.

2 – Cost $50 or more, but less than $100.

3 – Cost $100 or more, but less than $150.

4 – Cost $150 or more.

Waitlist

If the course is closed through Touch-Tone Registration, you should:

1=Get on the WAITLIST through Touch-Tone Registration, and then attend the first class meeting. Policies and procedures for handling the waitlist will be explained there.

2=Go to the department office to get on a WAITLIST, and then attend the first class meeting. Policies and procedures for handling the waitlist will be explained there.

3=Visit the faculty office to see the instructor about getting an OVERRIDE into the course.

4=Wait until classes start, and then attend the first class meeting. Policies and procedures for issuing overrides will be explained there.

5=Other.

A NOTE ON CLASS SIZE: Courses numbered on the 100 and 200 level, especially those which are prerequisites for more advanced courses, often have large enrollments. Class size in such courses can range as high as 500, although enrollment of 100 to 200 students is more common. To reduce size, many of these introductory courses are taught in sections. Each section covers the same material but has a different instructor and meeting time. For example, sections of Introductory Composition are limited to 22 students, and language sections are limited to 25 (much smaller in some languages, e.g., 15 in Japanese). In addition, many of the larger courses on the 100 and 200 levels set aside a weekly class or two for small discussion sections led by teaching assistants. The presence of teaching assistants in such courses should not deter first-year students from trying to get to know the professor. Most professors welcome contact with first-year students and are troubled by the tendency of large classes to make contacts more difficult for students. First-year students should always feel free to see professors during their office hours and should not suppose that they must have specific (and profound) questions in mind before visiting.