To ? 

memDers or senate 

?

_Dean of Graduatp 

_Ph.D. 

Language Requirement 

?

Date January 19, 1977 

MOTION: ? 

That the Faculty of Science requirement for a language 

other than English in the Ph.D. programme be removed and 

appropriate changes be made in the graduate Calendar." 

•

?

This change in the language requirement for the Faculty of Science was 

approved by the Senate Graduate Studies Committee on January 17, 1977. 

Jon Wheatley 

Dean of Graduat Studies. 

miff 

.

J.M. 

S

Marian McGinn, Secretary 

?

Webster Dean 

To

Senate Graduate Studies Committee 

?

Faculty of Science 

1

Ph.D. Language Requirement 

?

December 10, 976 

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..Date ...... ..... 

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The Faculty of Science, at its meeting of December 2, 1976, passed the 

following motion: 

"That the Faculty of Science requirement for a language other 

than English in the Ph.D. programme be removed and appropriate 

changes be made in the graduate calendar." 

The rationale for the motion is provided below. This proposal is here- 

with forwarded to the Senate Graduate Studies Committee for consideration. 

Rationale: The requirement of a language other than English in the Ph.D. 

programme has always been a contentious issue, but.changing times are such 

that the Faculty Graduate Studies Committee considered it necessary that 

the Faculty address itself to this problem. It is clear that the present 

requirements do not ensure a useful or necessary learning experience for all 

students, and do not generally ensure a real reading knowledge of a second 

language. Historically this type of requirement has appeared to give added 

strength to a degree, but contemporary translation services and language 

use suggest that we would better serve the students' needs to have the Fac- 

ulty requirements more closely related to the real skills needed by all 

students in the Faculty. It should be stressed that members of the Committee 

felt that individual departments, and particularly the senior supervisors, 

would still be free to require an appropriate second language, if necessary. 

Jon Wheatley 

Dean of Science 

?

Dean. of .Graduate ... Studies ....... ....... 

................................................................................................................. 

December 

. ? 21, ? 

1976.......................... 

.

You will be pleased to hear that your proposed change of the 

Language Requirement passed the Executive Committee Senate Graduate 

Studies Committee on December 20, 1976. However, there was some 

confusion in the Committee as to what exactly was intended. I 

accordingly made the following rulings: 

a)

That this changes the Faculty regulations but not the 

departmental regulations, which could only be changed 

on the recommendation (through the Faculty Committee) 

of the individual departments. 

b)

That, not withstanding the rationale offered, it is not 

within the power of a Senior Supervisor to require a 

second language. If the department does not require a. 

second language, then a second language could only be 

required in designing the student's program of study under 

6.4 of the General Regulations. 

I offer it as a personal opinion that, if a second language will 

probably be required, there should be an entry in the Calendar to that 

effect under the appropriate departmental listing. 

Jon Wheatley 

JW : j m 

cc: Mr. H. Evans, Registrar 

Ms. M. McGinn, to be distributed to Executive 

Committee with the next agenda 