Approach
Students come to interdisciplinary coursework once they have received rigorous training within a specific discipline and are seeking a challenge to bring different ways of thinking together. In problem-based classes that encourage students to tackle high-level questions combining the approach of two distinct disciplines, students practice achieving a unique understanding of a problem that would be impossible to gain through the lens of a single perspective.
Focus
Students will learn to identify overlaps or contrasts between different disciplines, build skills in collaboration, and synthesize elements of specific disciplines to approach complex issues. They become facilitators of change in realistic ways by considering not just diverse perspectives, but the foundational problem-solving methodologies of different academic fields. Problem- and project-based interdisciplinary learning is a natural analogy for the interdisciplinary collaboration in professional life.
Experience
Instructors of interdisciplinary coursework are faculty who develop passion projects that bring multiple disciplines together. Many interdisciplinary courses include regular offsite visits or field trips to give students experiential learning opportunities.
A unique element of the interdisciplinary program is the Fifth Form Capstone Course. The course brings a series of speakers to campus during spring term for lectures in lieu of a class period. After reading and exploring ideas about a topic, students are often invited to enjoy dinner with speakers who intentionally represent opposing viewpoints as much as possible in order to promote interdisciplinary thinking and discussion.
