Interdisciplinary Studies (INDS)

This course in community service gives students an opportunity to apply knowledge and skills gained through academic study in the implementation of a service-learning project.? Students will be given the opportunity to work directly in a community service agency.? The course also includes an in-class component in which students reflect critically on their volunteer experiences in order to synthesize past and present learning.

Defining art in its broadest sense to include visual, performance and media arts, as well as literature, music and philosophy, this course will allow students to explore the nature of creative expression.  Students will learn to identify and evaluate these art forms, and, in the process, they will be asked to see relationships and make connections between various forms of creative expression.  In addition to theoretical discussion of the humanities, students will engage in and explore their own creative processes. 

This course will examine the history and controversies associated with the Second Amendment of the Constitution, the complexity of urban educational reform, and a variety of issues associated with extreme poverty in America. Using several types of quantitative and qualitative research, we will study factors that have shaped developments in these areas. Questions related to the regulation of guns, long-term educational outcomes, and equality will be central to both the readings and discussions. We will examine quantitative and qualitative data regarding crime, school integration, academic achievement, income, class, and social mobility. We will discuss the various ethical concerns associated with the subject matter of each text.  

The purpose of this course is to help students develop a better understanding of the growing global interdependence that structures the world they live in. Students will acquire a basic understanding of a number of the most pressing issues that are both an effect of globalization and require solutions that transcend the boundaries of individual nation states and societies. They will come to understand the complexity of the issues by looking at case studies through different lenses and get a sense that they have opportunities to become agents rather than observers in the process of problem solving. The class will investigate the impact of globalization on the economy, the environment, health issues, the environment and security. The course will offer a number of guest lectures and interactive learning strategies such as video conferencing with partner colleges, service learning opportunities and role plays in order to cope with the complexity of the topic while employing hands-on, experiential learning strategies. 

This interdisciplinary Great Books Seminar focuses on questions that are central to the human condition. Individual course topics, such as What is Justice, What is Race, What is Beauty, examine the relationships between and among foundational texts from three distinct disciplines, Humanities, Social Science, Natural Science. The methodology of close textual reading and Socratic discussion is emphasized, including the shared responsibilities of an inquisitive, dialogue-centered learning community. Both professor and students will engage the texts through questioning and rigorous discussion. 

This capstone seminar course focuses on a central theme in relation to a problem, issue or topic affecting cross-sections of humanity. It uses a multi-disciplinary approach to problem solving, personal development, and multi-cultural competency. This course is designed to broaden student's perspectives beyond their own culture or a single discipline. It also teaches students how to make connections among concepts and experiences so that information, skills, and multiple perspectives can be applied to complex challenges. It also provides an opportunity for the integration of knowledge gained in General Education, Liberal Arts and Humanities courses taken previously. The course includes a rigorous writing component.