Interdisciplinary Studies Minor
Description. The field of Interdisciplinary Studies recognizes that we live in a complex and interrelated world. This minor introduces students to the practices of interdisciplinarity: using critical methods and bodies of knowledge from multiple disciplines to understand real-world issues and problems. A sophisticated comprehension of serious topics – such as sexual violence, mass incarceration, poverty, racial and economic inequality, environmental degradation, technological change, epidemics, or global migration, for example – requires analysis of dimensions that include the cultural, historical, political, psychological, social, gender, and economic. Through a pedagogy centered on active learning, students in the Minor in Interdisciplinary Studies develop critical thinking and analytical skills that prepare them to tackle the difficult topics and advanced work required in law and graduate schools and high-level careers.
Learning outcomes. Students will:
• Read, write, and communicate orally in response to a wide variety of disciplinary and interdisciplinary texts.
• Analyze and synthesize ideas and information from multiple disciplinary sources and perspectives.
• Identify, articulate, and reflect upon theoretical and methodological differences among disciplines across the arts, humanities, and sciences.
• Select and apply appropriate tools from two or more disciplines to significant questions, issues, or problems that would benefit from interdisciplinary analysis.
• Construct knowledge together and collaborate effectively and respectfully.
Minor coordinator. Professor Richard Haw, Department of Interdisciplinary Studies (212.237.8076, rhaw@jjay.cuny.edu)
Experiential learning opportunities. The Interdisciplinary Studies courses are rooted in experiential learning where students engage in interactive classroom exercises, independent research projects, fieldtrips and service and learning opportunities that transcend the classroom. Students should anticipate being engaged, enlivened and compelled to be active participants in their learning experiences. In recent years, first year students have taken several field trips around NYC and visited the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. Students have conducted community-based surveys of food deserts, voting patterns, and have created self-guided tours of major museums, landmarks, and historic neighborhoods. Students have opportunities to interact with guest speakers and performers and pursue internships integrating academics and action with the Vera Institute of Justice, state and city elected officials, and social justice organizations.
Requirements. The minor in Interdisciplinary Studies requires a total of 18 credits of which 3 credits are required and 15 credits are electives. A maximum of two courses can overlap with a student’s major, other minor or program.
Part One. Required Courses
| ISP 101 | Ways of Knowing: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Past | 3 |
Total Credit Hours: 3
Part Two. Electives
Select five ISP courses from the 200- and/or 300-level (at least one course must be at the 300-level or above).
Note: Students who have completed at least one semester (9 credits) in the Interdisciplinary Studies Freshman Program may apply one 100-level ISP course towards Part Two. Such students should see the Minor Coordinator.
| ISP 211 | Revolutions | 3 |
| ISP 224 | Constructions of Difference in the U.S.A. | 3 |
| ISP 235 | Apples & Oranges: Form & Meaning in the Arts | 3 |
| ISP 236 | Truth & Creativity: How We Make Meaning | 3 |
| ISP 248 | Getting Even: Forgiveness and Revenge | 3 |
| ISP 255 | Technology and Culture | 3 |
| ISP 264 | Remembering & Forgetting in Public & Private | 3 |
| ISP 265 | Evolution and Its Impact | 3 |
| ISP 273 | The Stories We Tell | 3 |
| ISP 321 | Moral, Legal and Ethical Dilemmas that Shape the U.S.A. | 3 |
| ISP 322 | Making Waves: Troublemakers, Gadflies and Whistleblowers | 3 |
| ISP 334 | Sex, Gender and Justice in Global Perspective | 3 |
| ISP 335 | Violence in the Pursuit of Justice | 3 |
| ISP 336 | Just Intentions: Global Humanitarianism | 3 |
| ISP 380 | Selected Topics in Interdisciplinary Studies | 3 |
| ISP 385 | Faculty Mentored Research Experience in Interdisciplinary Studies | 3 |
Total Credit Hours: 15
Students can also apply ISP 289, ISP 389, and/or ISP 489 to Part Two of the Minor.
Total Credit Hours: 18