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The Bachelor of Interdisciplinary
Studies is a relatively new degree offered at a number of universities around the country. Arizona State University’s program is well regarded,
and, from a student prospective, extremely rewarding. The degree permits students to acquire an in depth grounding in two
concentration areas, which allows them to pursue separate interests. This particular aspect was quite important for me, as
I found it difficult to channel myself into one major area of study, eliminating all others. More important, however, is that
the program design leads the student to the awareness that the interests are not separate, but rather are interrelated in
ways she may not have appreciated before. And that’s just the beginning, since students from a wide range of concentrations
interact with one another throughout the four required core courses. By this means, many disciplines are brought to bear on
a specific problem. This process offers opportunity to find multiple solutions and provides insight into many disciplines
besides one’s own. This concept that drives Interdisciplinary Studies is exceptionally attractive to me. I have long
been interested in what I suppose could be termed the mass marketing of history. My own areas of history and psychology have
proved invaluable, yet input provided by classmates from other concentration areas, including communication, business administration,
leisure activities, marketing, English, and sociology has greatly expanded my mental “tool box”. It is unlikely
that any other undergraduate major would have provided the same benefits. To gain more specific insights into the foundations
of the Interdisciplinary Studies program at Arizona State University, the four core courses are
described below.
BIS301: Foundations of Interdisciplinary Studies
This course provides an introduction
to the concepts of Interdisciplinary Studies. It examines investigative methods the student can use to make critical analyses
of 21st century trends. The goal of the BIS301 course is to open the student’s mind to other possible ways
to view and solve problems that involve knowledge of many disciplines. The assumption is that an open mind, combined with
knowledge, will produce better solutions to problems.
BIS302: Interdisciplinary Inquiry
This is a methods course,
instructing students in various methods of interdisciplinary inquiry, ways in which to discover new knowledge. These can include
surveys, questionnaires, and various kinds of studies. Students are shown how to detect trends and produce valid and reliable
information using non-empirical—but nevertheless useful—tests.
BIS401: Applied Interdisciplinary Studies
Students are required to
find an applied study site for the duration of the semester in which BIS401 is taken. Because the student seeks out the mentor
and the opportunity she is able to design the experience to effectively match her concentrations and her abilities. This is
the student’s opportunity to practice her interdisciplinary skills in a real world setting. At least 125 hours of work
is required under the guidance and tutelage of a mentor who reports on the student’s abilities and progress at the end
of the experience. In addition, there is an online component to this class in which students are required to chronicle their
experiences in a series of essays.
BIS402: Senior Seminar
These are capstone courses
that offer a variety of courses profiling interdisciplinary approaches in regard to several issues. Students have the option
to choose from among them. In my case, the Money and Meaning explorations appealed to me because of its exploration of how
we individually and collectively think of money in terms of both value and values. This particular seminar is conducted as
an online class, but the opportunity for interacting with class mates through groups and in general discussions actually exceeds
opportunities I’ve encountered in the regular classroom setting.
