Department By-Laws
Department of Foreign Languages
Virginia Commonwealth University

Department Mission

            The primary goal of the Department of Foreign Languages is to provide quality instruction to undergraduates of the local and university communities in foreign languages, cultures and literatures. Courses taught by the Department are a substantial part of the liberal arts education provided by the College of Humanities and Sciences. The Department has a special responsibility to provide its majors with a solid grounding in their chosen language areas as the basis for their undergraduate education and as preparation for the pursuit of graduate education and/or careers in teaching, business, government service and other areas. The Department serves as a resource for local language teachers and the community at large and, through scholarly activities of its faculty, contributes to the intellectual life of the local and academic communities. Faculty scholarship is conducted in areas related to foreign language, literature and culture.

            I. Chairperson (existing guidelines)

            II. Governance Structure

            A. Department Meetings

            Department meetings will be held every 3 to 6 weeks during the academic year. The Chair may call more frequent meetings if necessary. All regular faculty are expected to attend. Regular faculty are defined as faculty at the instructor level and above. Adjunct faculty mar normally attend departmental meetings and participate in the discussions of issues on the agenda. However, the presentation and voting on motions are limited to regular faculty. Announcements of meetings will be given to all faculty.

            The agenda regularly includes reports from the standing committees and from conference attendees. The proposed agenda for the next meeting and the minutes from the previous meeting will be distributed at least three days beforehand to allow for additions, corrections and amendments. The minutes of all meetings will be taken by the departmental secretary, or by someone appointed by the Chair, and kept in a file which is accessible upon request to all faculty. Items not included in the agenda will not be discussed until all business on the agenda has been concluded.

            B. Language Sections

            Language sections are constituted when a language is taught by at least two faculty members, one of whom is a regular faculty member. Language sections consist of regular faculty currently teaching or having taught courses in that language at least once within the previous two-year period. The language sections are responsible for the preparation of course offerings, study abroad plans, and issues related to majors.

            Each section shall have a Section Head, appointed by the Chair on an annual basis upon consultation with the section. The Section Head calls meetins of the section, coordinates liaisons between the lower and upper level classes and assists the Chair in issues and activities related to that language section.

            Each Language Section will also have a Coordinator of lower-level classes appointed by the Chair.

            C. Personnel Committee (existing guidelines)

            D. Curriculum Committee

            The Curriculum Committee consists of the following members:

                        - the elected representative of the Undergraduate Academic Committee (Chair)
                        - the language sections heads for the degree programs
                        - an untenured representative, appointed by the Chair
            The UAC representative is elected for a term of two years and is normally a tenured
            faculty member. The Curriculum Committee is responsible for general and specific issues
            related to teaching and the curriculum, such as, but not limited to, assessment policies
            and procedures, new courses, curriculum changes, high school coordination efforts,
            curriculum issues related to study abroad. Proposals dealing with curricular matters are
            first presented to the Curriculum Committee before being recommended to the entire
            Department for consideration.

             E. Language / Computer Lab

             The Language and Computer Lab will have a Director appointed by the Chair. The Director will meet on a regular basis with the language Coordinators in order to ensure coordination between the operation of the Lab and the needs of the language sections.

             F. Adjunct Faculty

             Adjunct faculty are hired by the Chair upon consultation with members of the language sections, the Personnel Committee and/or the appropriate Coordinator. Normal minimal qualifications are a Master’s Degree or equivalent and previous teaching experience. Responsibility for supervision of and communication with adjunct faculty lies principally with the appropriate Coordinators. For adjunct faculty in languages for which there is no Coordinator, this responsibility lies with the Chair and the Personnel Committee.

            G. Study Abroad

             Directors of Study Abroad Programs are appointed by the Chair upon consultation with the Language Sections. The Chair will also appoint on an annual basis a Coordinator of Study Abroad, who will function as liaison with the Center for International Programs and as coordinator for the Department’s study abroad activities.

            III. Departmental Policies (existing)

                 A. Faculty-related policies
            1. Tenure and Promotion statement
            2. Mini-sabbatical policy

                B. Student-related policies
            1. Placement Test policy
            2. Independent Study guidelines
            3. Credit by examination
            4. Transfer student policy

             IV. Faculty Responsibilities

             A. Teaching Responsibilities

            Normal teaching load for regular faculty is 11-12 hrs/week. Requests for reduced teaching loads will be considered by the Chair and the Dean in cases in which the faculty member makes a commitment to undertake and complete a significant plan of research or curriculum development.

            All faculty (including adjuncts) must distribute a syllabus in their classes within the first week of classes; a copy shall be given to the language Coordinator or the Chair.

            Courses will be scheduled in consultation with the Chair and after discussion with the language sections. The following priorities will be observed in scheduling classes:

             - the mission of the Department and the training/experience of individual faculty
            - the needs of students, especially of majors, and including evening students
            - the support of faculty, especially tenure-track faculty, in achieving desirable balance
              among teaching loads, variety of courses taught, available time for scholarship
              and service obligations.

            B. Service Commitments

            All faculty are to share in service to the Department, College and University with the understanding that the main responsibility for service rests with the senior faculty. All regular faculty should keep Thursday 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. free for meetings. Attendance at scheduled meetings is required.

             C. Research Expectations

             Tenure-track and tenured faculty are expected to be continuously active in scholarship related to foreign languages, literature or culture such as, but not limited to, literary studies, linguistics, studies in culture and civilization, film studies, editing and critical editions, bibliographical studies, creative and journalistic writing in a foreign language, language-learning pedagogy, development of review-able instructional materials, and instructional technology.

             D. Office Hours

             All regular faculty should keep a minimum of 4 hours a week of officially-posted office hours. Adjunct faculty should hold office hours equivalent to one hour per course taught.

             E. Faculty Portfolio

             All tenure-track faculty and tenured faculty are responsible for maintaining a portfolio, which documents their activities in the areas of service, teaching, and scholarship. Materials to be kept include copies of course syllabi, sample exams and handouts, sample (graded) student papers and tests, new course proposals, conference programs attended, (unpaid) translations, letters regarding community service, grant proposals, conference papers given, drafts of research in progress. All material should be dated by the faculty member. Copies of especially important documents should be passed on to the Chair for placement in the faculty member’s permanent file.

             V. Amending By-laws

            These By-laws will become effective May 15, 1994. They may be amended during the regular academic year by a two-thirds vote of the regular faculty.

            At least two-thirds of the faculty eligible to vote must be present at the meeting at which any amendment is put to a vote. A minimum of two weeks must elapse between the initial presentation of a motion for an amendment and an actual vote.

Approved by Department, March, 1994.