Academic Catalog

Interdisciplinary Studies

(413) 662-5017
www.mcla.edu/idst
Chairperson: Hannah Noel Haynes, PhD
Email: Hannah.Haynes@mcla.edu

Interdisciplinary Studies Major

In the Communication and Intercultural Studies (CICS) Program at MCLA, we educate our students to become effective, adaptable critics and creators of a variety of human discourses. CICS offers three Bachelor of Arts programs: Communication, Interdisciplinary Studies, and Global and Intercultural Studies. We also offer a series of minors in Critical Ethnic Studies, Cross-Cultural and Social Justice Studies, Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, and Spanish for Professionals.

MCLA’s most flexible major is a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies, an attractive choice to transfer students and students who want to work closely with a faculty mentor to design their own degree path. Students majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies can pursue one of the following options:

B.A. Interdisciplinary Studies (Self-Designed Program)

MCLA’s unique B.A. Interdisciplinary Studies (Self-Designed) program offers motivated students the option to create their own, self-designed degree, for example by focusing on a thematic area of interest, a geographic region, a complex issue, or by combining two or more academic fields into a multidisciplinary major. Examples of a self-designed program could include, but are not limited to: European Studies, Film & Theatre, Psychology & Business, Arts & Psychology, Science & Communication, etc.

B.A. Interdisciplinary Studies (for Educators)

MCLA students can combine an education major at the early childhood or elementary school level with a program in interdisciplinary studies that will prepare them for teaching across the curriculum. At the middle school level (5-8), we offer programs in general science, math and science, as well as humanities in conjunction with an education licensure program.

B.A. Interdisciplinary Studies (Pre-designed Programs)

Students may opt to pursue a predesigned interdisciplinary program. This interdisciplinary program is based on pre-structured study plans in American Studies.

Students graduating with a major in Interdisciplinary Studies will be able to:

  • Demonstrate advanced critical thinking, academic research, writing, and oral presentation skills;

  • Have an understanding of how knowledge is created within different fields of inquiry;

  • Study important issues in societies past and present in local and global contexts from the vantage point of different disciplines and through interdisciplinary frameworks;

  • Study complex issues in society from ethical perspectives;

  • Analyze texts in cultural, social, and historical contexts:

  • Apply methods, approaches, and insights from different disciplines and interdisciplinary frameworks to the analysis of a given theme/issue and to the development of creative solutions to complex problems;

  • Have developed skills for lifelong learning;

  • Have acquired extensive knowledge of human societies and cultures, and will have developed an intercultural competence and awareness of global cultural diversity;

  • Assume an informed, critical, and responsible position as citizens of our increasingly interconnected world.

Interdisciplinary Studies Programs

Interdisciplinary Studies Courses

IDST 150 Introduction to Cross-Cultural & Social Justice Studies3 cr
Opens up a perspective on culture diversity in local and global contexts. Takes an interdisciplinary approach to consider how historically shaped intersections of race, class, gender, and ethnicity inform the contemporary and past experiences of individuals and groups in society. Considers social justice and (in)equality by studying themes such as racism; classism; migration; globalization and labor rights; human trafficking; Islamophobia; and environmental justice.
Attributes: Cross-Cultural and Social Justice (CCSJ), Core Human Heritage (CHH)  
IDST 150H Honors: Introduction to Cross-Cultural and Social Justice3 cr
Opens up a perspective on cultural diversity in local and global contexts. Takes an interdisciplinary approach to consider how historically shaped intersections of race, class, gender, and ethnicity inform the contemporary and post experiences of individuals and groups in society. Considers social justice and (in)equality by studying themes such as racism; classism; migration; globalization and labor rights; human trafficking; Islamophobia; and environmental justice.
Attributes: Core Human Heritage (CHH), Honors Program (HONR)  
IDST 205 Youth Social Movements3 cr
Studies youth-lead social movements from around the world as we develop essential skills for college success. Discusses social movements and social justice as well as examples of social movements like Black Lives Matter; H.I.J.O.s, UndocuQueer, 1960's Civil Rights movements and organizing on college campuses more generally. Topics that are difficult to talk about, like race, class, gender, sexuality, racism, and systemic injustice will be discussed.
Attributes: Core Human Heritage (CHH)  
IDST 250 Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies3 cr
Introduces students to the world of Interdisciplinary Studies. Draws on selected academic disciplines (such as sociology, history, political science, psychology, and cultural studies) to develop interdisciplinary frameworks applied to the study of complex issues in society that cannot be understood or solved through the lens of a single academic discipline. Course topic is identified by subtitle.
Attributes: Core Self & Society (CSS)  
Repeatable: Unlimited Credits  
IDST 251 Introduction to Urban Studies3 cr
Traces cities back to their origins and ends with the present day where urbanization is happening faster than ever. Following a chronological order, we will examine how global forces and local communities are intimately connected. The course draws from various academic disciplines and introduces students to basic concepts such as density, zoning, gentrification, and urban renewal. The goal is to help students become informed thinkers critical or urban designs and suburban lifestyle.
Attributes: Core Self & Society (CSS)  
IDST 251H Honors: Introduction to Urban Studies3 cr
Traces cities back to their origins and ends with the present day where urbanization is happening faster than ever. Following a chronological order, we will examine how global forces and local communities are intimately connected. The course draws from various academic disciplines and introduces students to basic concepts such as density, zoning, gentrification, and urban renewal. The goal is to help students become informed thinkers critical of urban designs and suburban lifestyle.
Attributes: Core Self & Society (CSS), Honors Program (HONR)  
IDST 252 Introduction to Critical Ethnic Studies3 cr
Applies interdisciplinary critical race and ethnic studies approaches to investigate how society is culturally and institutionally constituted by ideas like race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class, and nation.
Attributes: Cross-Cultural and Social Justice (CCSJ), Core Human Heritage (CHH)  
IDST 252H Honors: Introduction to Critical Ethnic Studies3 cr
Applies interdisciplinary critical race and ethnic studies approaches to investigate how society is culturally and institutionally constituted by ideas like race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class, and nation.
Attributes: Core Human Heritage (CHH), Honors Program (HONR)  
IDST 280 Introduction to the Interdisciplinary Studies Major and Degree Plan1 cr
Provides beginning interdisciplinary majors with the opportunity to develop a sense of agency and ownership of their educational pathway through the creation of an individualized degree plan. Students will familiarize themselves with the IDST program at MCLA and engage with themes such as: conceptualizations and definitions of interdisciplinarity; the history of academic disciplines and the emergence of interdisciplinary studies; the interdisciplinary research process.
Prerequisite: IDST 150 or IDST 250-259  
IDST 320 Methods in Interdisciplinary Studies3 cr
Provides students with competencies in interdisciplinary research methods. Students will be introduced to the interdisciplinary research process and engage in research projects, applying disciplinary and interdisciplinary methods, theories, and concepts to the study of complex themes that cannot be understood through the lens of a single disciplinary lens. Course topics vary and are identified by subtitle (e.g. City & Social Space; Global Refugees of the 21st Century).
Prerequisite: Junior status  
Repeatable: Unlimited Credits  
IDST 321 Human Trafficking3 cr
Familiarizes students with methods in interdisciplinary and global studies. In an increasingly interconnected world, human trafficking and forced labor constitute a significant global issue. Students will learn to apply disciplinary and interdisciplinary methods to analyze the multidimensionality of human trafficking into sexual exploitation, forced labor, and organ trade, and will explore possible approaches and solutions to these issues.
Prerequisite: Junior status  
IDST 322 Refugees and Global Mobility3 cr
Applies disciplinary and interdisciplinary methods to analyze the multilayered challenges faced by global refugees of the 21st century, while also considering durable, people-centered solutions. Studies how interdisciplinary approached can not only be employed to research the many challenges that refugees face but may also contribute to configuring pathways to address some of the issues.
Prerequisite: Junior status  
IDST 350 World History in Contexts3 cr
Studies themes related to a geographic area, nation, epoch, or selected social group in historical contexts. Students will critically engage with a variety of sources, such as written historical documents, oral histories, literary texts, music and cinematic representations of past and present human experience in local and global (particularly non-Western) contexts. Course topic identified by subtitle.
Prerequisite: Junior status  
Repeatable: Unlimited Credits  
IDST 351 Race and Racism from a Global Perspective3 cr
Deconstructs the global construct of race by focusing on the tangled connections between state, race, culture, and identity. Relying on materials from across disciplines, the course aims to deepen students' understanding of the complexity of race and racism and the importance of interdisciplinary approaches. After a theoretical section, the course will explore the global dissemination of race and formations of racial identities, and will end with a case study on Sino-Africa engagement.
Prerequisite: Junior status  
IDST 352 Environmental Justice3 cr
Explores the concept of environmental justice through interdisciplinary lenses, including historical, sociological, scientific, literacy, and philosophical perspectives. Examines the history of the EJ movement as a response to environmentalist movements that failed to consider differentiated impacts on people based on race, gender, and economic status. Historic and current case studies from around the world serve as concrete examples to enable us to grasp patterns and economic connections.
Prerequisite: Junior status  
IDST 353 Representing Migration3 cr
Explores ways that diverse immigrant groups, legality, citizenship, and immigration are represented in journalism, popular culture, and academic writing. Analyzes how immigrants, those presumed to be immigrants, and immigration are represented in contemporary TV, radio, film, and digital and print media. Focuses on how ideas about immigration are formed through our exposure to repeated and mediated tropes about immigrants and immigration.
Prerequisite: Junior status  
IDST 360 Topics in Culture and Society3 cr
Explores complex and controversial topics in culture and society from the vantage point of at least two different academic disciplines (such as sociology, history, psychology, literature, and cultural studies) and through interdisciplinary perspectives. Course topic identified by subtitle.
Prerequisite: Junior status  
Repeatable: Unlimited Credits  
IDST 361 Madness and Society3 cr
Studies how understandings of mental health and illness are inextricably linked to society, culture, space, and time. Draws on theories, concepts, and insights from history, sociology, psychology, cultural anthropology, and media studies to study topics such as the history of mental illness; the influence of gender and social class on mental well-being; mental illness across cultures; and media representations of mental illness.
Prerequisite: Junior status  
IDST 363 Decolonizing Healthcare in the U.S.3 cr
Using interdisciplinary approaches that borrow from intercultural communication, history and social sciences, consider the intersections of access to patient care, administrative efficiency, equity, and healthcare outcomes in the United States from cross-cultural perspectives. Focuses and critically studies the US Healthcare system from the vantage points of historically marginalized communities to consider how healthcare professionals can equitably care for our increasingly diverse population.
Prerequisite: Junior status  
IDST 401 Senior Seminar3 cr
Available only to senior interdisciplinary studies majors, this seminar requires students to carry out supervised research projects within their areas of study and to share the progress and results of their research with seminar participants.
Prerequisite: IDST major, senior status  
IDST 500 Directed Independent Study1-3 cr
Open to junior and senior IDST majors who wish to read in a given area or to study a topic in depth. Written reports and frequent conferences with the advisor are required.
Prerequisite: Junior status, department approval  
Repeatable: Maximum of 12 credits  
IDST 540 Interdisciplinary Internship1-6 cr
Offers seniors field experience that actively and extensively draws upon the concepts, principles, and skills of at least two different disciplines. The internship must include a strong writing component in which the student interprets his/her field experience with reference to key ideas and themes of the relevant disciplines.
Prerequisite: Senior status, department approval  
Repeatable: Maximum of 15 credits  

INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES: TEACHER LICENSURE

Students majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies (with a liberal arts area of study) may opt to pursue initial teacher licensure as an early childhood teacher or elementary education teacher.  Also, Interdisciplinary majors may pursue initial licensure as a middle school teacher of humanities, general science or math and science.  Please see Education major for more details.