Students at UK may have a new major added to the curriculum, but only if it is approved by the Council on Higher Education, which may take awhile.
A proposal has been made by UK to establish an undergraduate major in American Culture.
"This issue is really tricky, for now the main objective is to get the minor approved," said Steven Weisenberger, an English faculty member working on the implementation of the program.
Weisenberger said he thinks it is a shame the council is putting a "numbing effect on academics with the block."
Although he believes the program will make its way into the schedule books, he tries to be optimistic in thinking it will only take 2-3 years.
The approvals needed by the council may not be completed for another 2-3 years, and then the proposal must go through the channels at the University. This could mean the major would not go into effect until the 1998-99 academic year. Although, an undergraduate minor in the program can be in the schedule books for the 1996-97 academic year.
An interest in this area of study has been raised by many students and colleagues alike.
The program in American culture will offer an approach to the analysis of American civilization. The required classes will be taught by a conglomerate of professors in English, history, sociology, psychology, film studies, fine arts, geography, political science, African-American and women's studies.
The emphasis being on how these different studies, when combined, all complement and relate to each other.
Because the council has put a block on any new major programs at state universities this serves as a major road block in the path toward establishing the new American culture program. The history and English departments at UK are trying to persuade the council to ease this regulation.
Once the council passes the issue there are many channels the program will have to go through to get its feet off the ground. After passing the approval of the Arts and Sciences Dean the issue of the program is then sent to the University Senate. Only after it has approved the program is a formal minor established.
An issue the council will consider is the fact that no new faculty members or money will be needed to start the program.