This section contains the descriptions of those courses housed in Interdisciplinary Programs. Such courses are identified by an INTDS acronym. These are non-departmental, non-divisional courses.
INTDS 130 Language, Culture and Society of Costa Rica
A component of the SFS Costa Rica Semester Field Studies program with two distinct but integrated modules. The Spanish language module offers listening, oral and written practice of the Spanish language at beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels of proficiency. Students engage grammar and vocabulary exercises, both oral and written. They develop Spanish language skills and tools required for their research projects. The socio-culture module helps students develop a more refined understanding of Costa Rican culture and the various communities with which they work. Students participate in lectures, field exercises, and other activities including a homestay. Credits: Two semester hours.
INTDS 160 Introduction to Values, Ethics & Social Action
An introduction to the theories and ethics of social action, with a focus on community service. Theories of social dynamics and ethical systems will be explored as a way to understand how social action can be useful to a community as well as the problems that can arise in implementing social action plans. Students will participate in a service learning component, which they will reflect upon in writing and discussion, so as to better understand how the theories apply and where they may fall short. Attention will also be paid to the ways in which class, race and gender shape the processes and outcomes of social action. Prerequisites: freshman, sophomore or junior standing.
INTDS 180 Topics in Medieval and Renaissance Studies
An introduction to Medieval and Renaissance Studies that focuses on a particular year of historical significance. Students study a closely defined period in the past by examining texts and artwork in their historical, religious, and social context. This team-taught course adopts varied approaches to the study of the past based in the disciplines of Art, English, History, Philosophy, and Religious Studies. Possible focus years include 1381, 1492, and 1600. May be repeated for credit.
INTDS 201 Service Learning: Theory and Practice I
A seminar focusing on the use of service and community engage-ment as a pedagogy for higher education. Students study the definitions, theories, and assessments of community-based service-learning as “text.” The role of reflection in fostering student learn-ing is explored in depth. This is the first of a two-part sequence on service-learning theory and practice and culminates in the design of a service learning component for an existing course. Credit: Two semester hours. Prerequisite: One service-learning course.
INTDS 202 Service Learning: Theory and Practice II
A seminar and practicum focusing on the use of service and com-munity engagement as a pedagogy for higher education. Students carry out the service-learning plan designed in the preceding course and serve as peer mentors for students in INTDS 201. This is the second of a two-part sequence on service-learning theory and practice and culminates in a formal presentation on the service-learning project undertaken. Credit: Two semester hours. Prerequisite: INTDS 201.
INTDS 207 Human Sexual Identity
An examination of the psychological and biological factors that influence human sexual development and identity. Concepts and expressions of human sexuality are considered from psychological and anthropological perspectives. The biological (e.g. evolutionary, physiological, neurobiological, and genetic) influences on human sexual development and function will also be addressed.
INTDS 220 Asian Studies
An overview of some of the issues pertinent to encounters between Asia and the “West.” In particular, the course examines the history and development of such encounters, from colonialistic notions of “Orientalism” to postcolonial critiques to contemporary visions of Asian-Americans. To this end, varying ideas of Asia as the “Other” are contrasted with ideas that Asia has had important influences on the “West.” Specific topics vary from year to year, and could emphasize environmental, political, literary or religious aspects. Course materi-als might include classic texts, scholarly works, memoirs, fiction and films.
INTDS 301 Envisioning Environmental Futures
A team-taught interdisciplinary exploration of solutions to contem-porary environmental problems. Drawing from the literature on a specific environmental problem, students working in teams will ana-lyze the problem from various vantage points, such as the artistic or literary, ethical, political and economic, scientific or spiritual and will evaluate the social and individual actions prescribed by one or more of their vantage points. Students will create a project—artistic or scientific—that demonstrates their command of course material and provokes discussion of and reflection about possible environmental solutions. Instructors and topics will vary. Prerequisite: Completion of the other course work for the “Art and the Environment” minor or permission of the instructor.
INTDS 306 Cultural Construction of Sexuality
An introduction to the cultural construction of sexuality. Assuming that culture is one of the lenses through which we view the world, this class provides a basic understanding of interdisciplinary cultural theories that focus on how sexuality, gender and identity are con-structed in scientific texts, the media, and other social texts. We will pay particular attention to the construction of a variety of sexual identities: heterosexual, gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer. Prerequisite: LS 206 or permission of the instructor.
INTDS 310 The Neuroscience of Music Comprehension
An exploration of various processes employed in the comprehen-sion and appreciation of music from an interdisciplinary perspective using various methods. Theoretical perspectives to be examined include a traditional music appreciation perspective, a psychological/perceptual perspective, and a neuropsychological perspective. The music appreciation perspective will emphasize the identification/recognition of various aspects of music such as rhythm, harmony, and theme in music composition, performance and listening. The perceptual aspects of music comprehension will be explored with classroom and laboratory demonstrations. Neural processing theo-ries will be explored and demonstrated in the Music Department’s new Niche Lab and through the use of electroencephalographic recordings from the brains of students as they listen to specific pieces of music presented in four different formats. The periodic sampling of brain activity during the presentation of specific musical pieces will be used to introduce neuropsychological concepts and theories about the importance of attention, hemispheric specialization and lateralization in music processing and memory in music compre-hension.
INTDS 311 Neuroscience and the Visual Arts
An interdisciplinary course that explores relationships between the visual arts and the nervous system. Contemporary neurologi-cal theories of visual perception that address phenomena such as color, depth, size, and movement are compared to elements used by visual artists (line, shape, color, space, perspective, motion, etc.). Experiments measure neurological activity stimulated by selected elements of visual form (line, shape, color). Other laboratory exercises measure viewers’ brain activity to compare similarities and differences between artists and non-artists in the perception and creation of works of visual art. Information from these experiments may then be used in the creation of original works of visual art. Prerequisites: Neuroscience 200, FSNeuro 201, Art 285, or Communi-cation Arts 290.
INTDS 312 Neuroscience of Dance and Movement
An interdisciplinary exploration of the various processes engaged during the experience and appreciation of dance practice and performance. This investigation focuses on neural processes underlying the psychosocial, kinesthetic, and expressive dimensions of dance. Neural processing theories are explored in both neuroscience laboratories and dance studios using electrophysiological and digital imagery analysis. Dances are experienced and created with neural processing theories in mind. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. INTDS 313 Neuroscience of Language and Communication An interdisciplinary examination of the relationships between brain function and language acquisition, comprehension, and production. Contemporary neurological and linguistic theories of language development, production, and processing are applied to topics such as neural processing of multiple languages, manual languages, and neural events associated with spoken and sung words. Sex and age influences on language acquisition, comprehen-sion, and production are explored. The organization and operation of the brain’s communication systems are studied through clinical neurology cases as well as laboratory experiments to measure neural activity associated with production and comprehension of speech. The brain activity of multiple language speakers is com-pared to those with single-language competence. Laboratory experiences may also explore the neural events associated with second language acquisition.
INTDS 315 History of Neuroscience
A historical examination of the major advances made in under-standing the brain and nervous system. The impact of important technical and theoretical breakthroughs in neuroscience research is explored from a cultural, historical, ethical, and health-related perspective. These factors are also examined in relation to current and future directions in neuroscience research, such as brain imaging techniques and research investigating the mechanisms and treat-ment of neurodegenerative diseases. Prerequisites: Neuroscience 200, FS Neu 201, or History 380.
INTDS 320 Science and the Transformation of American Life
An investigation of the ways science has been used to achieve social and political goals through an exploration of illustrative case studies. The cases used each year will challenge the assumption of “scientific objectivity” while increasing awareness of both shared and divergent modes of thought in the humanities and sciences. Ef-forts will be made to place these cases within a broad historical and interdisciplinary context that helps students interrelate them. Case studies may include the medical category of neurasthenia and the interaction between male doctors and female patients; the emer-gence of scientific racism; the influence of Darwinism on literature, philosophy, and social thought; the social construction of nature in the Jeffersonian concept of natural history; and the transformation of American life through technology.
INTDS 550 VESA Capstone Seminar
Selected topics relating to the study and application of social ac-tion and ethics from multi-disciplinary perspectives. The class is discussion-oriented with emphasis on primary sources. Students complete and present a broadly integrative community based research and activism project. Prerequisites: Completion of INTDS 160 with a grade of C or better, two courses from the Core Course Requirement, a course from the Methods Course Requirement, and at least one term of a service leadership position. (Topic for 2005-06: Nonviolence and Social Change.)
INTDS 580 Junior Seminar: Values, Ethics, and Social Action
Selected topics relating to the study and application of social ac-tion and ethics from multidisciplinary perspectives. The class is discussion-oriented with emphasis on primary sources. Students complete and present a broadly integrative community based research and activism project. Prerequisites: VESA 100 [or LS/INTDS 160], two courses from the Core Course Requirement, a course from the Methods Course Requirement, and at least one term of a service leadership position.
INTDS 592 Independent Study: Teaching in the Elementary or Secondary Schools
A field experience in education during which students work with teachers and students in local elementary or secondary schools. Relevant readings on child development, educational theories, and general and content-specific pedagogies, as well as discussions with the instructor and the supervising teacher, provide the background and context for the fieldwork. Students are required to keep a reflective journal and to complete a culminating project based on their experiences in the classroom. Credit: Two to four semester hours. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.
