Interdisciplinary programs at major universities: structures and approaches

Interdisciplinary Studies College Programs Research

Interdisciplinary programs: A Range of Institutions

Interdisciplinary programs are alluring to a range of students who have a wide range of interests and passions and who have a vested interest in seeing how those interests overlap and impact on each other. Universities have long been cognizant to this and intellectual powerhouses like the University of Chicago, Brown, Columbia and Stanford have been quick to forge interdisciplinary programs that cater to the range of courses of study that their students are interested in pursuing. Even so, distinctions exist between these programs. For example, while some colleges will allow students to simply major in "interdisciplinary studies" at the University of Chicago, that's not a major, but a course of study. The university offers interdisciplinary programs which combine courses in astronomy and astrophysics, big problems, Chicago studies, computational neuroscience, creative writing, human rights, and education (uchicago.edu). At the University of Chicago, these courses exist to be conglomerated in "…areas where the University has the resources and faculty expertise that allow students to explore these areas at the undergraduate level. Some students pursue these fields through their major while others use their electives. At Columbia on the other hand, one truly can major in interdisciplinary studies, combining work in two or more areas of study and connecting two or more departments (Columbia.edu).

Stanford on the other hand, has a tremendously long list of concentrations that one can combine to make an interdisciplinary major from subjects like African-American studies to Chicano studies to financial mathematics, to urban studies the neurosciences program (college.columbia.edu). At Columbia, there is also the possibility of combining other, unlisted departments to create one's ideal interdisciplinary concentration. All in all, the program at the University of Chicago is most similar to Arizona State's BIS program, as both institutions have a select list of courses that one can combine to form this concentration. However, Arizona State's program is similar to Columbia and Stanford in that all these institutions will allow a student to major in Interdisciplinary Studies, whereas the University of Chicago will not.

Interdisciplinary Projects

The University of North Carolina has green lit a range of interdisciplinary projects involving the Galapagos Islands. For example, a UNC political scientist scrutinizes how tourism impacts economic development of the Galapagos Islands through a range of business leaders and developers, examining the challenges and obstacles to sustainable growth (college.unc.edu). On the other hand, "UNC researchers Margaret E. Bentley and Marci Campbell (nutrition) and Gabriela Valdivia (geography) will evaluate current nutritional status and food security as well as the determinants of health on San Cristobal Island. The project includes an assessment of local agricultural practices and food production for local consumption, which may impact food security among residents" (college.unc.edu).

A contemporary artist who is known for his interdisciplinary work is William Kentridge, the South African artist. "A truly interdisciplinary artist with a background in political science, philosophy, theatre and fine art, Kentridge funnels the conceptual and aesthetic concerns of these disciplines into his installations, which combine the projected and drawn image" (ago.net, 2000). Kentridge's work has been said to have the backdrop of apartheid in them, which is understandable as that's the reality from which Kentridge originates. However, as a white South African, one can only assume that he grew up in a state of comfort and privilege. These two opposing forces create a palpable sense of tension in his work, and probably attribute to his need for an interdisciplinary means of expressing it. His projects are considered interdisciplinary because even though he's considered a fine artist, his projects combine a range of art forms all for one means of combined expression

Issues in the World Today

Unfortunately, our flawed world has a host of issues and problems that interdisciplinary research could effectively addresses and forseeably shed a range of light on the topic. For example, the phenomenon of child sex trafficking is one of the saddest evils of our day. This is a problem that interdisciplinary research could provide a more comprehensive understanding of and hopefully via this better comprehension allow researchers, lawmakers and human rights activists to better combat it. For instance, this problem could be adequately addressed through the interdisciplinary lens of economics, child abuse (for the sex workers and those who seek out their services), political science and human rights.

As stated earlier, the problem of eating disorders is a major issue afflicting the world today and is something that can be better understood through the combination of programs like communication and women's studies. However, other interdisciplinary combinations would equally shed light on this issue such as media studies, advertising, art, psychology, and photography. These disciplines could provide insight into how the female form is viewed aesthetically in art and the media and how that has changed over time; psychology can demonstrate how an eating disorder is a negative manifestation of what's going on inside of a trouble psyche.

The high divorce rate is another trend that could benefit from interdisciplinary research. Disciplines like economics, gender studies, and psychology could tremendously illuminate this issue. Economics could demonstrate how marriage is no longer a necessity for women as it was in the past -- women are no longer dependent on men to be breadwinners. Gender studies can demonstrate how gender roles between men and women have changed over time and how that has impact marriages. Psychology can demonstrate how people's expectations of marriage and their ability or lack of ability to problem solve can impact whether or not they have a happy union.