Interdisciplinary Studies
In the spirit of the liberal arts tradition, study across the disciplines is at the core of an Augustana education. Thus, every student at Augustana University will be empowered to deal with the complex issues and problems facing us from a broad perspective. Many students will experience this by combining multiple majors and minors with their general education; others, however, may wish to explore a customized curriculum based on their unique vocational goal or a complex problem we face locally or globally. A major in Interdisciplinary Studies (INDP) provides the opportunity for highly motivated and independently minded students to craft, in consultation with academic advisors and the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, a program of study that integrates multiple disciplines using a collaborative methodology to obtain their educational goals not satisfied by an established major currently offered on campus. Students will undertake a mix of introductory, intermediate, and advanced coursework from up to three departments, culminating with a capstone project (to include but not be limited to, for example, an internship or thesis paper) that serves to bridge their academic pursuits with real world experiences and expectations.
Learning Objectives and Assessment
Students who complete this major will be able to:
- Demonstrate interdisciplinary approaches to uniquely complex issues, questions, or problems. (connections to discipline - and problem solving)
- Utilize metacognitive approaches to synthesizing and analyzing ideas within and across disciplines. (reflections and self-assessment)
- Communicate effectively across multiple disciplines. (integrated communication)
- Illustrate connections between disciplines studied and how they speak to problems encountered in the real world(transfer)