Resources: Interdisciplinary Courses and Curricula



	The Reinvention Center at the University of Miami



Our Goals Who We Are Advisory Board Events Resources Spotlight Reinventions Boyer Report Brochure Networks Studies Home

Resources:
Interdisciplinary Courses and Curricula


			Minor Programs Bibliography Websites Exemplary Programs and Practices Course and Curricular Innovation Tools

	Two past Reinvention Center Spotlights have addressed interdisciplinarity in undergraduate education. One of the Spotlights featured recent campus efforts to create interdisciplinary general education curricula, with models drawn from UCLA, the University of Michigan, and the University of Texas at Austin, and an essay by Greg Bothun, Professor of Physics at the University of Oregon, on "Achieving Interdisciplinary General Education at the Research University." The second Spotlight focused on the minor as a vehicle for interdisciplinary learning. It has an essay from Katherine Harrington, Associate Provost for Academic Programs at University of Southern California, accompanied by exciting and innovative examples from University of Oklahoma, Emory University, University of Connecticut, University of Massashusetts, Amherst, and Binghamton University. Listed below are links to exciting and innovative interdisciplinary minors on a variety of campuses. If you would like us to add a link to your campus's program, please send us a short description, the URL and the name of the program.
	Minor Programs
	Alcohol Studies Minor Washington State University http://academics.wsu.edu/fields/study.asp?ID=PSYCH#109 American Studies Minor Washington State University http://libarts.wsu.edu/amerst/minor.html American Indian Studies Minor Washington State University http://libarts.wsu.edu/genstudies/academics/pullman/ais.html Asian Studies Minor Washington State University http://libarts.wsu.edu/asia/academics/minor.html Bioinformatics/Computational Biology Minor University of Delaware http://www.udel.edu/bio/educational/undergrad/minors/ http://www.cis.udel.edu/~saunders/ugrad/minor Bio-Mathematics Minor Utah State University http://www.math.usu.edu/program.html#Bio-Mathematics%20Minor Comparative Ethnic Studies Minor Washington State University http://libarts.wsu.edu/cac/majorsandminors.html Disability Studies Minor Washington State University http://www.libarts.wsu.edu/speechhearing/academics/minor.html Film Studies Minor Washington State University http://www.forlang.wsu.edu/filmstudies/film_program.htm Global Studies Integrated Curriculum Binghamton University http://gsic.binghamton.edu/ Global Studies Minor Washington State University http://libarts.wsu.edu/genstudies/academics/pullman/global.html History of Science Minor University of Oklahoma http://www.ou.edu/cas/hsci/minor.htm Human Rights Minor University of Connecticut http://www.humanrights.uconn.edu Information Technology Minor University of Massachusetts Amherst http://www.umass.edu/itprogram/index.html Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Environment University of Oklahoma http://www.ou.edu/cas/ipe/ International Studies Certificate Program Binghamton University http://oip.binghamton.edu/iscp.htm Leadership, Ethics and Social Action Minor Indiana University http://www.iub.edu/~college/lesa.shtml Violence Studies Minor Emory University http://www.emory.edu/College/VS Women's Studies Minor Washington State University http://libarts.wsu.edu/women/minor.html University of Southern California Undergraduate Education, Minors and Interdisciplinary Learning http://www.usc.edu/academics/undergraduate/ http://www.usc.edu/admin/provost/minors/ http://www.usc.edu/academics/undergraduate/special/ http://www.usc.edu/programs/ugprograms/ugresearch/
	Bibliography
	Many items here are drawn from a list complied by Pamela M. Patterson, Program Coordinator, Center for Teaching Excellence, Iowa State University, and posted on the POD Network list serv on July 23, 2002. They are included here with Dr. Patterson's permission. Ayres, B., and Gibbs, P. (1997). Mythic America: Developing an interdisciplinary course. Teaching English in the Two-Year College, December, 326-332. The Boyer Commission on Educating Undergraduates at the Research University, Reinventing Undergraduate Education, Section IV. Remove Barriers to Interdisciplinary Education, available on-line at: http://naples.cc.sunysb.edu/Pres/boyer.nsf/webform/IV Cowan, M. A., Ewell, B. C., and McConnell, P., "Creating Conversations: An Experiment in Interdisciplinary Team Teaching," College Teaching, 43:4, 127-131. Davis, James R. (1995). Interdisciplinary Courses and Team Teaching: New Arrangements for Learning. Phoenix, AZ: American Council on Education and the Oryx Press. Note: Davis explores the pros and cons of teaching interdisciplinary courses. He also describes in depth five interdisciplinary team-taught courses at the University of Denver, including courses in professional subjects. Denofrio, L.; Russell, B.; Lopatto, D.; Lu, Y. “Linking Student Interests to Science Curricula.” Science 2007, 318, 1872-1873. DeZure, D., Interdisciplinary Teaching and Learning. http://www.cte.umd.edu/library/podresourcepackets/alternatives/interdisciplinary.html Do, Ellen Yi-Luen, "Interdisciplinary Programs: Integrating Different Perspectives and Ways of Thinking into Undergraduate Education," Reinvention Center Conference (Nov. 2004): http://www.sunysb.edu/reinventioncenter/Conference_04/proceedings.htm Fraser, Cassandra L., Aultman, Jennifer, and Malewitz, Raymond. "Designing Matter: Fusing Science and Humanities Approaches to Address Real World Challenges," Reinvention Center Conference (Nov. 2006): http://www.sunysb.edu/Reinventioncenter/conference2006/proceedings.htm Haynes, C. Ed. (2002). Innovations in Interdisciplinary Teaching. ACE/ORYX Press. Hertz, David and Giancarlo Maiorino. "Applying Principles of Learning in Undergraduate Education in the Peforming and Fine Arts," Reinvention Center Conference (Nov. 2004): http://www.sunysb.edu/reinventioncenter/Conference_04/proceedings.htm Huber, M. T., and Morreale, S. P. (Eds.). (2002). Disciplinary Styles in the Scholarship of Teaching, Exploring Common Ground, AAHE and Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Interdisciplinary Teaching Web links: http://ss.uno.edu/SS/Links/Interdisc.html The Journal of Innovative Higher Education: http://www.UGA.edu/ihe/IHE.html Note: The Journal of Innovative Higher Education has had some articles on interdisciplinary teaching, and learning. The Web site contains abstracts going back to 1989, and there is also a topical listing. Klein. J. T., and Doty, W. G., (1994). Interdisciplinary Studies Today. No. 58. New Directions for Teaching and Learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Note: A wide-ranging collection of articles going beyond definitional and historical perspectives on interdisciplinary studies. The article titles: Finding Interdisciplinary Knowledge and Information (many resources listed); Designing Interdisciplinary Courses; The Administration and Governance of Interdisciplinary Programs, Assessing Interdisciplinary Learning; Organizational Networking: Taking the Next Step. Lattuca, L. (2001). Creating Interdisciplinary: Interdisciplinary Research and Teaching among College and University Faculty, Vanderbilt University Press. Miller, J. E. (2002). Building Interdisciplinary Bridges between Math, Science, and Engineering Courses,"Journal for the Art of Teaching, Volume IX(1): 56-72. Note: If you cannot easily get a copy contact Judith Miller, Director of Educational Development, Technology and Assessment, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, (508) 831-5579; jmiller@wpi.edu. Nuhfer, E. B. (1999). Motivation in interdisciplinary programs: in M. Theall and others Motivation from Within: Approaches for Encouraging Faculty and Students to Excel: New Directions in Teaching and Learning n. 78, Jossey-Bass, pp. 79-86. Rosenthal, A., and Rodriguez, R. (2001). "Interdisciplinary Courses and Team Teaching: Crossing Academic Borders," Reflections from the Classroom (Center for Teaching Excellence, University of Kansas), Volume 4, Fall, 1-5. http://www.ku.edu/~cte Rubin, Clinton. "Integrating Research and Undergraduate Education in the Post-Genomics Era...A Good Idea, but...What About Implementation?" Reinvention Center Conference (Nov. 2002): http://www.sunysb.edu/Reinventioncenter/conference/Roundtables/reinvent-rubin-11-02.pdf Vess, D. (2000). Exploration in Interdisciplinary Teaching and Learning. http://www.faculty.de.gcsu.edu/~dvess/ids/courseportfolios/front.htm Willis, Holly. "Integrating Core Functions in Fields of Study that Cross Intellectual Domains: Multimedia in the Core," Reinvention Center Conference (Nov. 2006): http://www.sunysb.edu/Reinventioncenter/conference2006/proceedings.htm Wineburg, S., and Grossman, P. (2000). Interdisciplinary Curriculum: Challenges to Implementation, Teachers College Press, 2000.
	Webistes
	CBEL course website (open access): http://atlas.scs.uiuc.edu/chem199L. Engineering Dual Degree Admission: http://engineering.wustl.edu/contentfiles/otherfiles/Engineering%20Dual%20Degree%20Application.pdfSupporting materials are available on Science online: www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/318/5858/1872/DC1 A Standardized, Online Self-efficacy Assessment Tool. David Lopatto’s Classroom Undergraduate Research Evaluation (CURE): http://www.grinnell.edu/academic/psychology/faculty/dl/sure%26cure. The Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at Washington University in St. Louis: http://sces.wustl.edu/ University Scholars Program: http://admissions.wustl.edu/USP/Pages/default.aspx
	Exemplary Programs and Practices
	Bridging Disciplines Programs, University of Texas at Austin. A set of programs that allow undergraduates to earn an interdisciplinary certificate through a course of study that integrates classroom, research, and internship experiences. http://www.utexas.edu/ugs/bdp Community Studies Department, University of California, Santa Cruz: An interdisciplinary undergraduate (and graduate) program that focuses on the study of social change in the context of the community. http://communitystudies.ucsc.edu/ The Computational Design Lab, School of Architecture, Carnegie Mellon University http://code.arc.cmu.edu/visual The Duke Scholarship with a Civic Mission project, Duke University: Gives students, faculty, and community groups a chance to work together on issues of common concern. For more information visit: http://rslduke.mc.duke.edu The Electronic Learning Communities, Georgia Tech: Links to several computer-based learning environments including AquaMoose 3D, a math learning environment designed to build connections between mathematical and artistic thinking and IRC Francais, a project designed to help students learn French through active conversations with other students. http://www.cc.gatech.edu/elc/ Gemstone Program, The University of Maryland: A four-year program for Honors students that integrates technological and social issues into team research projects guided by a faculty mentor. http://www.gemstone.umd.edu/ The History of Consciousness Program, University of California, Santa Cruz: An interdisciplinary graduate program centered in the humanities with links to the social sciences, natural sciences and the arts. http://humwww.ucsc.edu/histcon/HisCon.html The Human-Computer Interaction Institute: An interdisciplinary group of faculty and students at Carnegie Mellon University dedicated to research and education in topics related to computer technology in support of human activity and society. From the site’s homepage, click the ‘research’ link to find information about interesting research projects and computer-based learning tools. http://www.hcii.cmu.edu SAGES, Case Western Reserve University: An innovative program organized around seminars taken in each of your first three years of study and culminating in a capstone project. http://www.case.edu/sages At the University of Southern California, students can minor in a subject offered in a different college or unit than that of their major. See: http://www.usc.edu/academics/undergraduate/ and http://www.usc.edu/admin/provost/minors/ The University of Colorado-based Coleman Institute for Cognitive Disabilities: Uses interdisciplinary research and multi-campus partnerships in the research and development of innovative technologies to enhance the lives of people with cognitive disabilities: http://www.colorado.edu/engineering/cue01/projects/coleman2.html and http://www.cu.edu/ColemanInstitute/
	Course and Curricular Innovation
	Visual Thinking and Spatial Reasoning Course and Presentation http://www.depts.washington.edu/visual http://code.arc.cmu.edu/visual http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/ellendo/0.reinvention/0.default.html http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/ellendo/reinvention.pdf Designing Matter, a common course at University of Virginia: a collaborative learning experiment involving students and faculty from numerous departments and disciplines. The course explores cutting edge research in science and other matter related fields, along with implications for society too. Website (featuring work by participating artists): http://www.designingmatter.net Multimedia in the Core, University of Southern California: A program to teach and promote multimedia literacy through courses across disciplines in the core curriculum: http://iml.usc.edu/html/academic_programs/core/index.htm
	Tools
	Connections in Undergraduate Studies (Connexus), University of Texas at Austin. A cross-college unit that offers a diverse set of academic programs and resources that traverse boundaries between colleges and disciplines and enhances the quality of undergraduate education. http://www.utexas.edu/student/connexus/ Next Resources section RC Home \| Contact us \| Join our network \| SUNY Stony Brook Back to top