Interdisciplinary Studies Program

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The Interdisciplinary Studies Program provides for individualized interdisciplinary majors and offers two majors (see separate listings): American studies  and peace studies ; and six minors (see separate listings): Africana studies , cognitive studies , environmental studies , European studies , Judaic studies  and peace studies ; as well as four interdisciplinary studies under the general heading of “Theory, Culture, and Interpretation:” philosophy and literature philosophy and literature philosophy and literature , social and political theory social and political theory social and political theory , creative structures , and interpreting cultures .

The Division of Interdisciplinary Studies is home to a number of ongoing curricular projects created by faculty from diverse divisions, departments, and programs. Interdisciplinary studies at Goucher carry on the tradition of developing, integrating, and synthesizing the perspectives of various disciplines. Areas such as global politics, world peace, intercultural awareness, environmental concerns, advances in science and technology, the growing sophistication in interpretive practices, and the nature and diversity of knowledge and consciousness speak to the need for academic programs that cross, integrate, and transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries. The curricular projects include both the development of completely new disciplines and the meeting of traditional disciplines in new theoretical and practical areas of common intellectual interest.

Program Faculty

Professors

Kelly Brown Douglas (director, Africana Studies), Marianne Githens (director, European studies), Gail Husch (co-director, American Studies)

Associate Professors

Mary V. Marchand (director, individualized interdisciplinary major; co-director, American studies), German Mora (director, environmental studies), Charles Seltzer (director, cognitive studies)

Assistant Professors

Jerome Copulsky (director, Judaic studies), Seble Dawit (director, peace studies)

Individualized Interdisciplinary Majors

The individualized interdisciplinary major is intended for those students whose intellectual interests converge in an activity that is not directly addressed by any existing program, double major, or combination of major and minor. Students must complete 45 credits in courses that focus on the methods and content of three or more disciplines and balance the contributions of each discipline. The interdisciplinary major will have a primary faculty sponsor and must be approved by the chair of the Interdisciplinary Studies Division and a committee of faculty from the departments or programs from which the courses for the major are taken. The same committee will review the updated proposal in the semester before its completion.

Applicants should have a 3.0 GPA overall. Exceptions will be made if the student has a 3.0 in the semester before the application is made and the GPA is reasonably close to 3.0. The student must initiate the process for declaring the major before the registration period for second semester of sophomore year. Contact Program Director Mary Marchand for the complete guidelines.

Interdisciplinary Minors in Theory, Culture, and Interpretation

The minors in theory, culture, and interpretation are designed for students who major in any of the traditional disciplines and would like to organize their electives around issues in critical theory and the interpretation of art, culture, and texts. Each minor is based on the intersection of two or more disciplines—philosophy and literature, social and political structures, creative structures, and interpretation of cultures—enabling faculty and students to consider their research in a larger context of systematic inquiry than is framed by a single discipline. Each discipline employs the methods of the other to evoke new perspectives and test the traditional findings of that specialty. As a result, each discipline is richer for the interaction. Students who select one of these minors will enjoy a fascinating intellectual challenge as well as find it helpful in applying to graduate school in any of the related areas. Each minor consists of a minimum of seven courses from at least three disciplines. Of these courses, two are core, three are intermediate electives, and two are 300-level capstone courses.

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