SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

?

S.07-31

Senate Committee on University Priorities

Memorandum ?

___

TO: Senate

?

FROM:

John Waterhous'

.4&A

Chair, SCUP

)'7

Vice PresidentAademic

RE:

Proposal for a Joint Major and a Joint

?

DATE: ?

February

14,

2007

Honors program in Computing Science and

Philosophy in the Faculties of Arts and Social

Sciences, and Applied Sciences (SCUP 07-06)

At its February 7, 2007 meeting SCUP reviewed and approved the proposal from the

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Applied Sciences for a Joint

Major and Joint Honors program in Computing Science and Philosophy.

That Senate approve and recommend to the Board of Governors, the proposal for a

Joint Major and Joint Honors in Computing Science and Philosophy in the Faculty of

Arts and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Applied Sciences.

end.

c: 0. Schulte

0

---

SCUP 07-06

• ?

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

MEMORANDUM

To: ?

Senate Committee on University Priorities

From: ?

B.

Krane, Chair

?

i

Senate Committee on Undergraduate Studies

Subject: ?

Curriculum Revisions

Faculty of Applied Science/Arts and Social Sciences (SCUS 06-39d)

Date:

?

12 December 2006

Action undertaken by the Senate Committee on Undergraduate Studies at its meeting of

5 December 2006 gives rise to the following recommendation:

Motion:

"that SCUP approve and recommend to Senate the Joint Major and Honors

program in Computing Science and Philosophy."

The relevant documentation for review by SCUP is attached.

0

---

Joint Major and Honors Program in

Computing Science and Philosophy

0. Schulte and B. Hadley

February 7, 2007

2. Proposed Calendar Description - Applied Sciences Entry

The following text is proposed to be placed in the

School of Computing Science

section under

Faculty of

Applied Science.

Joint Major and Honors Program in Computing Science and

Philosophy

The School of Computing Science and the Department of Philosophy cooperate in offering a Joint

Major and a Joint Honors program. The administrative home is within the Faculty of Applied

Science for purposes of student registration, appeals and graduation processing. Interested

students should contact advisors in both the Department of Philosophy and the School of

. ?

Computing Science. Permission to enrol in the program must be obtained from both the

Department of Philosophy and the School of Computing Science.

Program requirements below include sections labelled CMPT Requirements and PHIL

Requirements. The requirements under these sections are intended to track corresponding

requirements within the CMPT and PHIL Major programs, respectively.

Joint Major Program

Lower Division Requirements (50-54 credits)

MATH 151-3 Calculus I

MATH 152-3 Calculus II

MATH 232-3 Elementary Linear Algebra

and one of

STAT 270-3 Introduction to Probability and Statistics

BUEC 232-4 Data and Decisions I

and one physical science chosen from the list of physical sciences electives for the computing

science lower division requirements.

CMPT Requirements

. ?

CMPT 120-3 Introduction to Computing Science and Programming 1*

CMPT 125-3 Introduction to Computing Science and Programming 11*

4

---

CMPT 150-3 Introduction to Computer Design

CMPT

CMPT

225-3

2754 Software

Data StructuresEngineering

?

40

MACM 101-3 Discrete Mathematics I

MACM 201-3 Discrete Mathematics II

*CMPT 126-3 may be taken in lieu of CMPT 120-3 and 125-3.

PHIL Requirements

Students are required to complete at least 16 credit hours of lower division credit including one of

PHIL 100-3 Knowledge and Reality

PHIL 120-3 Intro Moral Philosophy

and one of

PHIL 150-3 History of Philosophy I

PHIL 151-3 History of Philosophy II

and all of

PHIL 201-3 Epistemology

PHIL 203-3 Metaphysics

PHIL 210-4 Deductive Logic

Upper Division Requirements (44 credits) ?

0

CMPT Requirements

CMPT 300-3 Operating Systems

CMPT 307-3 Data Structures and Algorithms

CMPT 310-3 Artificial Intelligence Survey

CMPT 354-3 Database Management Systems

and one of

CMPT 320-3 Implications of a Computerized Society

PHIL 320-3 Social and Political Philosophy

PHIL 321-3 Moral Issues and Theories

and one of

CMPT 383-3 Comparative Programming Languages

CMPT 384-3 Symbolic Computing

and one 400 level course from the Al concentration (see

Computing Science)

and one 400 level course from the theoretical computing science concentration (see

Computing

Science)

PHIL Requirements

---

. ?

A total of 20 upper division Philosophy credits are required, including

PHIL 341-3 Philosophy of Science

PHIL 344-3 Philosophy of Language I

PHIL 343-3 Philosophy of Mind

at least one 4-credit 400 level course

For a B.A. from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, students must fulfill the Faculty of Arts

and Social Sciences requirements, such as the Breadth Requirements. For a B.Sc. from the

Faculty of Applied Science, students must fulfill the Faculty of Applied Science requirements,

such as the Residency Requirements. The University's QBW requirements must be met as well

for either Bachelor's Degree.

Students are encouraged to enrol in the Cooperative Education program.

Joint Honors Program

Lower Division Requirements (53-57 credits)

MATH 151-3 Calculus I

MATH 152-3 Calculus II

MATH 232-3 Elementary Linear Algebra

and one of

STAT 270-3 Introduction to Probability and Statistics

BUEC 232-4 Data and Decisions I

and one physical science chosen from the list of physical sciences electives for the computing

science lower division requirements.

CMPT Requirements

CMPT 120-3 Introduction to Computing Science and Programming 1*

CMPT 125-3 Introduction to Computing Science and Programming 11*

CMPT 150-3 Introduction to Computer Design

CMPT 225-3 Data Structures

CMPT 250-3 Introduction to Computer Architecture

CMPT 275-4 Software Engineering

MACM 101-3 Discrete Mathematics I

MACM 201-3 Discrete Mathematics II

*CMPT 126-3 may be taken in lieu of CMPT 120-3 and 125-3.

PHIL Requirements

Students are required to complete at least 16 credit hours of lower division credit including one of

PHIL 100-3 Knowledge and Reality

PHIL 120-3 Intro Moral Philosophy

and one of

. ?

PHIL 150-3 History of Philosophy I

PHIL 151-3 History of Philosophy 11

---

and all of

PHIL 201-3 Epistemology

PHIL 203-3 Metaphysics

PHIL 210-4 Deductive Logic

Upper Division Requirements (61 credits)

CMPT Requirements

CMPT 300-3 Operating Systems

CMPT 307-3 Data Structures and Algorithms

CMPT 310-3 Artificial Intelligence Survey

CMPT 354-3 Database Management Systems

CMPT 405-3 Design and Analysis of Computing Algorithms

and one of

CMPT 320-3 Implications of a Computerized Society

PHIL 320-3 Social and Political Philosophy

PHIL 321-3 Moral Issues and Theories

and one of

CMPT 383-3 Comparative Programming Languages

CMPT 384-3 Symbolic Computing

and one of

MACM 300-3 Introduction to Formal Languages and Automata with Application

PHIL 310-3 Modal Logic and its Applications

?

0

and one 400 level course from the Al concentration (see

Computing Science)

and two additional 400-level CMPT courses

PHIL Requirements

A total of 28 upper division Philosophy credits are required, including

PHIL 341-3 Philosophy of Science

PHIL 344-3 Philosophy of Language I

PHIL 343-3 Philosophy of Mind

and one of PHIL 350-3 Ancient Philosophy, PHIL 352-3 17

th

century philosophy, PHIL 356318th

century philosophy, PHIL 322-3 History of Ethics, or a 3'-year topics course in History or Value

Theory (PHIL 331-3,332-3,333-3,357-3)

and one of

PHIL 444-4 Philosophy of Language II

PHIL 455-4 Contemporary Issues in Epistemology and Metaphysics

and one additional 4-credit 400 level course

and

PHIL 477-5 Honors Tutorial I

.

---

I

p

.

?

Note: SFU regulations require at least 132 total credits for an Honors Degree. For a B.A. from the

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, students must fulfill the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

requirements, such as the Breadth Requirements. For a B.Sc. from the Faculty of Applied

Science, students must fulfill the Faculty of Applied Science requirements, such as the Residency

Requirements. The University's QBW requirements must be met as well for either Bachelor's

Degree.

Students are encouraged to enrol in the Cooperative Education program.

3. Proposed Calendar Description - Arts and Social

Sciences Entry

The following text is proposed to be placed in the

Department

of

Philosophy

section under

Faculty

of

Arts

and Social Sciences.

Joint Major and Honors Program in Computing Science and Philosophy

See 'Joint Major and Honors Program in Computing Science and Philosophy" on page x.

L

I

---

Proposal:

Joint Major and Honors Program in Computing Science and Philosophy at ?

Simon Fraser University

submitted to?

Ministry of Advanced Education

?

Degree Program Review

Date: Feb 7, 2007

Contact: ?

Dr. Oliver Schulte?

School of Computing Science! Department of Philosophy?

Simon Fraser University?

oschulte(cs.sfu.ca ?

604-291-3390

0

140

---

Executive Summary

1.

Credential to be awarded: Joint Degree in Computing Science and Philosophy

(Major, Honors), with either a B.Sc. credential or a B.A. credential.

2.

Location: SFU. Initial program offerings at only the Burnaby campus due to a

current lack of diversity in course offerings at the Surrey campus.

3.

Faculty: Arts and Social Sciences, Applied Science. The administrative home is

Applied Science.

4.

Anticipated program start date: September 2007

5.

Description of the proposed program

The joint degree in Philosophy and Computing is an interdisciplinary degree focusing on

philosophy and computing science. The program will offer students the opportunity to

pursue each discipline in detail, but will contain a special emphasis on overlapping

concerns.

Degrees of this kind have responded particularly well to equipping students with the

skills to investigate theoretical issues arising in each discipline. The degree should also

prepare student for careers, such as Information Technology.

The joint program is projected to have initially a rather modest enrolment, and well

below the proposed cap of 30 FTE's.

The proposed program complements the university's mandate in several ways:

1.

It is an excellent fit for the curriculum reform initiative at SFU, combining as it does a

rigorous training in quantitative, technical and formal skills, much exposure to analytic

and essay writing, and a great breadth of topics and methodologies from both the

humanities and the information sciences.

2.

The focus on interdisciplinary content is consistent with the university's vision

statement.

3.

The program complements the university's international strategic initiative in virtue of

being attractive to international students.

The program will initially be taught at the Burnaby campus. It will make use of

traditional classroom pedagogies, and existing courses in both Computing Science and

Philosophy. No new resources are required.

The joint major comprises 94-98 credits with lower division requirements

(50-54

credits)

and upper division requirements (44 credits). The joint honors comprises 114-118 credits

with lower division requirements

(53-5

7 credits) and upper division requirements (61

credits).

This joint program is unique within British Columbia post-secondary institutions.

---

0. Background and Purpose

There is a natural intellectual affinity between Computing Science and Philosophy. The

commonalities shared by these disciplines consist largely in the very substantial amount

of logical inference and abstract conceptual organization required in both fields. The

ability to reason clearly, and to formulate plans for creating complex, coherent, and

logically correct systems will be mutually reinforced by training, which would be given

in each of the two disciplines.

The joint degree in Computing Science and Philosophy is intended to be an option for

most students pursuing majors degrees

in

Philosophy or Computing. We expect that it

will be particularly attractive to:

1.

Students throughout the Lower Mainland who want an interdisciplinary

program in Arts and Sciences.

2.

International students in the Lower Mainland who are attracted to computing

science and who also desire exposure to the Western philosophical tradition

and Western philosophical methods. (There are 106 international students

in

Computing Science for the Summer Term, 2006.)

3.

Students intending to pursue graduate studies in areas of philosophy requiring

a computing science background.

1. Degree Level Standard

As a University under the B.C. Universities Act, Simon Fraser University has had legal

degree granting status since

1965,

and has offered an increasing number of Baccalaureate

Degrees since that time. The new program was designed to meet the existing degree

standards at Simon Fraser, following these principles:

1.

The joint major observes all the general major requirements in both the Faculty of Arts

and Social Science and Faculty of Applied Science (e.g., breadth requirement in FASS).

The same holds for the joint honors program.

2.

The joint major combines about 2/3 of the number of credits from each regular major

(CS major, Philosophy major). The same holds for the joint honors program.

3.

We restricted some electives to require courses that are particularly pertinent to the

intellectual aims of the program (e.g., Artificial Intelligence in Upper Division Computer

Science).

---

2.

From

Credential

the Arts

Recognition

side, blending

and

a degree

Nomenclature

with training

?

in Information Technology is seen as

W

a large plus by employers and students. Studies consistently show that philosophy majors

are among the top group of the humanities and social sciences as far as their employment

rate and life-time earning potential is concerned (with many pursuing a career in the

information technology industry). Moreover, in polls a clear majority of business leaders

assert that the ideal preparation for the leaders of tomorrow is a combination of analytical

and communication skills together with a solid technical background. This is the kind of

leadership training that the proposed joint program will provide.

3. Curriculum/Program Content

a) Program Structure and Length of Program

The program requirements are entirely composed of courses that

already exist

and are

taught in regular annual or bi-annual cycles at SFU. The articulation of required courses

comprises 3 main areas relating to the learning objectives of the program.

1. The core courses at which Computing Science and Philosophy intersect.

2.

The remaining core courses of Computing Science.

3.

The remaining core courses of Philosophy.

?

0

Neither work experience, nor a work place term is required for degree completion.

The major can be completed in the usual number of semesters at SFU, i.e. eight semesters

of full-time study @ 15 hours per semester (4 years). For the honors degree we anticipate

a completion time of 5 years. Elective enrolment in the Co-Op Program will likely

lengthen a student's completion time.

b) Governance of the Joint Programs

The program is overseen by the Undergraduate Chairs of Computing Science and

Philosophy. The administrative home is within the Faculty of Applied Science for

purposes of student registration, appeals and graduation processing.

c) Calendar Course Description.

See

previous pages 1-8

4. Learning Methodologies/Program Delivery/Enrolment Plan

The courses that comprise the joint major and honors programs are delivered through

well-established conventional mechanisms of university course delivery practiced at

4

---

SFU. The joint degree makes use of existing faculty and courses. The calendar course

descriptions provide information about the vectoring of courses.

The program will be capped at 30 students per year. Projected demand in the immediate

future is substantially lower. There were 10 Computing Science majors who completed

an upper division Philosophy course during the

2005-6

academic year. There were 0

Philosophy students who completed an upper division Computing Science course during

that interval. These numbers may increase as a result of the program's creation, and in

light of the intellectual affinities between the disciplines.

5.

Admission

The administrative home is within the Faculty of Applied Science for purposes of student

registration, appeals and graduation processing. Interested students should contact

advisors in both the Department of Philosophy and the School of Computing Science.

Permission to enrol in the program must be obtained from both the Department of

Philosophy and the School of Computing Science. The general principle is that students

should meet the admission requirements of both departments.

6.

Faculty

S ?

There are no faculty appointed specifically to this program. Existing faculty will teach

currently existing courses. All courses in the joint degree are currently taught by

members of their home departments. These are mounted as regular course offerings, and

no special investment of teaching or research time is required from any faculty member.

7.

Program Resources

University Facilities

The joint degree makes use of existing faculty, courses, library

holdings and computer facilities. No new resources are required.

Student Support and Academic Advising

Students can consult with the advisors either in Computing Science or in Philosophy. The

advising staff has been consulted in the development of this program. Both departments

have in place a number of support systems for their majors and honours students.

Students in the new program will have access to these; current capacities are sufficient.

8.

Program Consultation

Drs. Oliver Schulte and Bob Hadley developed the initial program proposal and calendar

description/curriculum in consultation with the undergraduate advisors in Computing

Science and Philosophy, and with then FAS Associate Dean Rob Cameron. The proposal

.

?

with calendar description was reviewed in the undergraduate curriculum committees of

both departments, and approved after revisions. The respective departments followed the

---

recommendation of the committees and approved the proposal, including the calendar

description. The FASS and FAS curriculum committees also approved the proposals with

?

10,

calendar description, with some updates to reflect changes in the majors (e.g., change in

the philosophy major). SCUS approved the Notice of Intent.

9.

Program Review and Assessment

All academic units at SFU are subject to external review every six years. The program's

administrative home is in Applied Science, and will be reviewed in Computing Science.

Furthermore, the undergraduate committes in both Philosophy and Computing Science

monitor the state of their programs. In addition to the major review process of external

reviews, SFU has ongoing methods of reviewing the quality of academic courses and

instruction. These include:

- instructor evaluations conducted near the end of each course;

- regular performance review in teaching of all faculty members by Departmental

Tenure and Promotion Committees.

10.

Implementation Schedule

As explained above, the necessary resources and mechanisms for administering the

program are in place already. The program can start admitting students as soon as it is

approved and the description appears in the calendar. We hope to complete the approval

process in time for the first students to enrol in the

Fall Term 2007.