The Council on Academic Affairs approved many revisions to existing courses that will have an online format option for students, along with a traditional classroom format option.

In total, 28 revisions to courses, majors and minors were approved Thursday.

Eight family and consumer sciences courses required for family and consumer sciences majors will have an online option as well as a face-to-face format.

These courses include: FCS 1800: Lifespan Human Development; FCS 2800: Family Relationships; FCS 2831: Women in Contemporary Society; FCS 2850 Child Development; FCS 3840: Family Theories; FCS 4820: Death and Dying; FCS 4840: The Disadvantaged Family; and FCS 4846: Aging and the Family.

FCS 3840: Family Theories is a new course will only be available to family and consumer sciences students.

Kathleen O’Rourke, the family and consumer sciences undergraduate program coordinator, said the course would be geared toward special age concentrations.

The kinesiology and sports studies department also added an online option to their KSS 3860: Organization and Administration in Exercise Science.

Jill Owens, the kinesiology and sports studies department chairwoman, said they will be offering the course online or in hybrid format.

The department revised KSS 3700: Psychological Foundation of Coaching to focus more on coaching, which it previously had not.

The political science department also revised five courses to add an online option.

These included: PLS 3603: State and Local Government; PLS 3903: Women and Politics; PLS 4793: Civic and Nonprofit Leadership; PLS 4873: Human Resource Management in Public and Nonprofit Organizations; and PLS 4893: Budgeting in Government and Nonprofit Organizations.

PLS 3093: Women and Politics, after being dormant for two years, will be available.

Richard Wandling, the political science department chairman, said it will hopefully bring in a broader audience, especially with the new title.

Since the course differs from its previous curriculum, the women studies department and the pre-law department will have to decide whether this course will still work with their curriculums.

PLS 3603: State and Local Government was also changed to a 3000 level course to differentiate from community colleges that offer the same course.

The political science major has also been revised, reducing the required hours by three credit hours. Wandling said this would hopefully make it more appealing for students to double major in the program and to also stay aligned with peer institutions.

The political science honors program was also revised. Wandling said they wanted to make it an easier transition for transfer students.

The Geography department revised their curriculum to follow some trends of other programs.

Chris Laingen, an assistant geography professor, said they have noticed their students seem to be the “jacks of all trades but masters of none.”

They are changing the curriculum so the three concentrations are more focused. These changes affect environment-physical geography and human geography option, as well as the geography and geography information sciences minor.

Two journalism courses, including JOU 2101: Writing for News Media and JOU 3000: Advanced Reporting have been revised. Learning goals have been added to both courses.

Jarad Jarmon can be reached at 581-2812 or jsjarmon@eiu.edu.