Interdisciplinary/Multidisciplinary Studies

Course List:  

Students will develop a concentration in multiple areas that combine around a well-explained problem, question, theme, or interdisciplinary field. Concentrations must have a title, in addition to the Area of Study in Interdisciplinary and Multidisciplinary Studies. 

• Foundation #1: Foundations  Learning outcome: Students will be able to explain fundamental concepts and principles of at least two of the fields involved in the concentration, at least one of which must be a liberal arts and sciences field. These fields include The Arts (including visual, performing, or digital arts), Cultural Studies (including literature, communication, creative writing, expository writing, languages/linguistics, literature, philosophy religion), Historical Studies, Social and Behavioral Sciences (including anthropology, economics, human development, political science, public affairs, sociology, or psychology), Natural Sciences (including biology, chemistry, environmental science, physical sciences) and Mathematics, but not professional disciplines such as Human Services, Educational Studies, or Business.  These foundations will vary based on student interest and focus but are likely met through survey courses at the 1000-level with titles that might include words such as introduction/introductory, principles, exploring, foundations, or literacy, but may be a single subject that serves as a prerequisite to further study in that field. Examples include, but are not limited to: Introduction to Literature, Media and Visual Literacy, Introduction to Psychology, Biology I, Foundations of Anatomy and Physiology, Marketing Principles, or Statistics. 

• Foundation #2: Communication  Learning outcome: Students will be able to develop effective arguments in writing and speech, including demonstrating critical listening, reading and interpretation skills, in multiple contexts and through multiple strategies. This guideline may be met by any course that meets the General Education category of Basic Communication, but most often is met through courses such as College Writing, Composition, Effective Academic Writing, or Public Speaking. 

• Foundation #3: Critical Thinking and Problem Solving  Learning outcome: Students will develop abilities in reading, writing, and evaluating information critically, i.e., with sustained attention to meaning, presentation, and argument.  Learning outcome: Students will build the capacity to identify and describe main ideas, underlying assumptions, and valid conclusions. These guidelines are most often met through courses that specifically deal with reasoning, such as Introduction to Critical Thinking, Introduction to Philosophy or Proposal Writing and Logical Argument. 

• Foundation #4: Quantitative Literacy  Learning outcome: Students will be able to apply basic quantitative skills to the analysis and interpretation of real-world quantitative information to draw conclusions. Learning outcome: Students will be able to apply and present quantitative information to support personal, professional, and societal goals. These guidelines are most often met through any course meeting the General Education category of Mathematics. Courses include Statistics, Algebra, Contemporary Mathematics, Visualizing Math, The History of Math, and Discovering Math Across Generations. 

• Foundation #5: Research Skills and Information and Digital Literacy  Learning outcome: Students will be able to apply information from a variety of media, including digital media, with an emphasis on scholarly sources. Learning outcome: Students will be able to critically evaluate sources and reach well-reasoned conclusions, attributing sources appropriately, to effectively convey information. Learning outcome: Students will be able to use digital tools to advance learning, as well as personal and professional development.  These guidelines may be met through courses that infuse digital research skills, such as Digital Literacy, or Media and Visual Literacy, or by courses that discuss the transformation of culture and society due to digital technologies, such as Communication through New Media, Digital Culture and Society, or The Digital Environment in a Post-Truth World. 

• Foundation #6: Social Responsibility  Learning outcome: Students will be able to engage in ethical reasoning and reflect on issues such as: democratic citizenship; diversity, such as gender, race, class, sexuality; social justice; and environmental sustainability, both locally and globally.   Courses to meet this guideline might include references to subjects such as ethics, diversity, equity and inclusion, or the environment in their titles and include titles such as Introduction to Ethics, Business Ethics, Media, Ethics and Law, Sex and Gender in Western Culture, Images of Women in Western Civilization, African American Literature, Environmental Studies, Social, Professional, and Ethical Issues in Computing or Sustainability and Agriculture. 

• Foundation #7: Development of Knowledge and Current Perspectives  Learning outcome: Students will be able to analyze the system of ideas on which a field or discipline is based. This may mean tracing the definition, foundations, vocabulary, and scope of a field or it might mean discussing the environment in which ideas or priorities change and explain current thinking in the field. Courses meeting this guideline will be at the advanced (3000, 4000 or graduate) level, and include courses such as Art History, History and Theories of New Media, Globalization: Business and Society in the Information Age, Economic Issues in Health Care or Contemporary Environmental Issues. 

• Foundation #8: Theoretical and/or Methodological Knowledge  Learning outcome: Students will be able to evaluate, critique, and apply theories, critical approaches, and/or methodologies in at least two of the areas of inquiry within the concentration or a single already well-established interdisciplinary field.   Courses meeting this guideline will be at the advanced (3000, 4000 or graduate) level, and typically include courses with words such as theory/theories, methods, critical in their titles such as Performance Theory, Communication Theories, Social Science Research Methods, Theory of Computation, Travel and Tourism: A Critical Perspective, and/or course descriptions that refer to these concepts such as Literature and Culture of the Vampire, Advertising and Society, or Evolution. 

• Foundation #9: Synthesis of knowledge  Learning outcome: Students will be able to analyze and form critical perspectives through the synthesis of two or more areas of study through either a capstone study, a senior project or thesis, or through identifying a study or through Prior Learning Assessment that combine at least two areas as discussed thoroughly in the degree rationale. Learning outcome: Students will be able to identify connections and contrasts between two or more disparate approaches or perspectives, or multiple fields.  

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