INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES

TAILOR YOUR OWN B.A. OR B.S. DEGREE!

Do you feel limited by the curriculum of a single major? Would you like to design your own curriculum to link together separate academic interests? If so, then the Interdisciplinary Studies major may be for you.

Students in the major combine academic work in two or three of the following disciplines:

The foundation of the major is 36 hours of coursework in the chosen disciplines, divided as follows:

·         Two disciplines: no fewer than 12 credits in either discipline;

·         Three disciplines: 12 credits in each discipline.

The major allows students to pursue two degree tracks:

·         B.A. degree: requires foreign language through the intermediate level;

·         B.S. degree: requires additional math and science courses (beyond what is required in the general education curriculum).

In the last semester of a student’s work in the major, he/she enrolls in IS 499 Interdisciplinary Studies Capstone.  What is involved in IS 499?

·         The student selects a faculty committee comprised of one faculty member from each discipline in his/her curriculum, plus Dr. Brian Anderson (general adviser for the IS major).

·         The student develops a proposal for a substantial academic project based upon an academic paper of at least 20 pages in length.

·         By the time the faculty committee approves the proposal, a timeline for completion of stages of the project is worked out, which may include (depending on the methodology of the disciplines covered): (annotated) bibliography; detailed outline; literature review; drafts of the paper.

·         The student submits the final draft by an agreed-upon due date, which is at least a few days prior to a scheduled presentation date, in which the student orally presents his/her work to the committee (and other faculty and students interested in the project) and answers questions about it.

·         The grade for IS 499 is determined in the following manner: 80% for evaluation of paper, including effort made in preliminary stages; 20% for evaluation of oral presentation and response to questions.  

Interdisciplinary Studies is a brand new major, and we are happy to announce the completion of the inaugural IS 499 project in the Spring 2011 semester:

J. Alec Hawkins: “Alice A. Bailey and Her Mystic Interpretation of the Christ”
Faculty committee:

·         Dr. Kim Whitehead (Religious Studies)

·         Dr. Erin Kempker (History)

·         Dr. Leslie Stratyner (English)