This is archival data. This system was retired as of August 21, 2023 and the information on this page has not been updated since then. For current information, visit catalogs.umn.edu.
Requirements for this program are current for
Fall 2012
Required credits to graduate with this
degree: 120
Required credits within the major: 47
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
The B.A. in interdisciplinary studies is for students whose educational objectives can best be met by integrating courses from three or more departments. The program provides the framework for study in selected interdisciplinary areas.
Unlike many UMD majors, interdisciplinary studies is available only by formal application and committee approval. Students cannot apply for a change of major until their program has been approved.
Program Delivery
This program is available:
via classroom (the majority of instruction is face-to-face)
Admission Requirements
Freshman and transfer students are usually admitted to pre-major status
before admission to this major.
A GPA above 2.0 is preferred for the following:
2.50 already admitted to the degree-granting
college
2.50 transferring from another University of
Minnesota college
2.50 transferring from outside the University
This major is unique because it is individually designed; students work with faculty advisers to create a field of study involving courses from several departments. It may encompass the natural sciences, social sciences, cultural studies, fine arts, technical and professional fields, or a combination of these.
The program admission application should be thought through carefully (contact the CLA director for referral to specific faculty who can consult on students' proposed programs). Students who select this major must submit a statement of their educational objectives and a list of proposed courses to the committee for approval before they complete 70 credits with a cumulative GPA of 2.50. The list of courses for the major and a statement of purpose explains the student's rationale for the proposed program. Upon approval by the Interdisciplinary Studies Committee, it becomes an individualized program. A current transcript must be submitted with the application.
Transfer students with 24 or more credits and current UMD students who change colleges to CLA are exempt from this requirement. New first-year students with 24 or more PSEO credits may request to be waived from this requirement.
Students must meet all course and credit requirements of the departments and
colleges or schools in which they are enrolled including an advanced writing course. Students
seeking two degrees must fulfill the requirements of both degrees. However, two degrees cannot be
awarded for the same major.
Students must complete all requirements of the Liberal
Education Program or its approved equivalent.
Students must complete a minimum of 120 semester credits completed in
compliance with University of Minnesota Duluth academic policies with credit limits (e.g.,
Satisfactory/Non-Satisfactory Grading Policy, Credit for Prior Learning, etc).
At least 30 semester credits must be earned through UMD, and 15 of the last 30
credits earned immediately before graduation must be awarded by UMD.
At least half of upper-division (3xxx-level or higher) credits that satisfy
major requirements (major requirements includes all courses required for the major, including
courses in a subplan) through UMD.
If a minor is required, students must take at least three upper division
credits in their minor field from UMD.
For certificate programs, at least 3 upper-division credits that satisfy
requirements for the certificate must be taken through UMD. If the program does not require upper
division credits students must take at least one course from the certificate program from UMD.
The minimum cumulative University of Minnesota (UMN) GPA required for
graduation is 2.00 and includes only University of Minnesota coursework. A minimum UMN GPA of 2.00
is required in each UMD undergraduate major, minor, and certificate. No academic unit may impose a
higher GPA standard to graduate.
Diploma, transcripts, licensure, and certification will be withheld until all
financial obligations to the University have been met.
Program Requirements
Requirements for the B.A. in interdisciplinary studies include:
* Before completing 70 credits, applicants submit a statement of their educational objectives and a list of proposed courses to the Interdisciplinary Studies Committee for approval. Proposals are reviewed once a term at the end of the eighth week.
* Within the proposal, at least 12 credits must be from CLA course offerings.
Methods Course (3-4 cr)
All students are required to complete one research methods course appropriate to their final project before they register for IS 3099. Options include COMM 2025, 2030, ECON 3030, ENGL 3115, 3121, 3906, ES 2002, GEOG 2552, 3532, POL 2700, PSY 3020, 3021, 3022, SOC 2155, 3155, 3156, or courses more appropriate to the student's specific research needs.
Complete one research methods course appropriate to final project before registration for IS 3099.
Final Project (1 - 10 cr)
IS 3099--Senior Project usually results in an academic paper of 15-30 pages. The project may be an internship, portfolio, exhibit, tour, or field study (up to 10 credits). The project includes a bibliography of library resources showing general knowledge of the topic and a written paper, report, journal, or analysis of how the program has affected one's personal and intellectual development. A copy of the project must be filed with the program director.
One Stop for tuition, course registration, financial aid, academic calendars, and more
UST 1000 - Learning in Community
Credits:
1.0
-2.0
[max 2.0]
Course Equivalencies:
EHS 1000/UST 1000/ ES 1000
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Spring
Facilitates the successful transition into college learning and student life at UMD.
Credit will not be granted if already received for EHS 1000.
IS 3093 - Senior Project
Credits:
1.0
-10.0
[max 10.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall, Spring & Summer
An agreement that specifies nature of the project, amount of work, and number of credits must be approved by two advisers and filed with director of interdisciplinary studies.
prereq: instructor consent; credit will not be granted if already received for IS 3099
FR 1101 - Beginning French I
(LE CAT3, COMM & LAN)
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Fall & Summer
Conversation and communicative course for students with little or no previous study of French. Emphasis on oral and aural skills; some grammar. Taught in French and English.
prereq: Little or no prior formal study of this language, or instructor consent
FR 1102 - Beginning French II
(LE CAT3, COMM & LAN)
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring & Summer
Conversation and communicative course for students with limited previous study of French. Emphasis on oral and aural skills; some grammar. Taught in French and English.
prereq: 1-2 yrs high school French or 1101 or instructor consent
FR 1201 - Intermediate French I
(LE CAT3, COMM & LAN)
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Fall
Consolidation and enrichment of previously acquired abilities speaking and understanding French, set within introduction to written French and survey of contemporary culture of French-speaking societies. Emphasis on oral, aural, and reading skills; vocabulary building; some writing. Taught in French.
prereq: 3-4 yrs high school French or 1102 or instructor consent
FR 1202 - Intermediate French II
(LE CAT3, LEIP CAT03, COMM & LAN)
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
Consolidation and enrichment of previously acquired abilities speaking and understanding French, set within introduction to written French and survey of contemporary culture of French-speaking societies. Emphasis on oral, aural, and reading skills; vocabulary building; some writing. Taught in French.
prereq: 4 years high school french or 1201 or instructor consent
FR 2315 - French Cinema
(LE CAT9, LEIP CAT09, HUMANITIES)
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Spring
Images of human diversity in French cinema. Films with English subtitles; class discussion in English.
ARTH 2300 - The City as a Work of Art
(LE CAT, HUMANITIES)
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F only
Typically offered:
Every Spring
The city as a work of art and center of culture. A study of artistic representations combined with references to primary texts. Use of case studies of particular urban centers to explore the rise of the city and the history of urban planning around the globe.
ARTH 3340 - Baroque and Rococo: European Art & Architecture 1550 - 1750
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Fall Odd Year
Explores the art and architecture produced in Europe during the Early Modern Period c. 1550 - c. 1750 (periods often referred to as the Baroque and Rococo). IOncludes study of canonical works and the artists that produced them; analysis of primary and secondary source materials, introduction to art historical methodologies; and consideration of the regional variations of the "baroque."
ARTH 3360 - Art and Social Change in Europe, Russia, and the United States
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
What is the relationship between artistic practice and polities? How do artists and their audiences engage with the visual in times of great social change? How do art and visual culture help us to engage with, understand, and change the world? This seminar offers weekly units that offer close examinations of major cultural moments of the modern and contemporary era, and range from the experimental and autonomous to the coervice and fascist. Topics will traverse Europe, Russia, and the United States from the 19th and into the 21st centuries. The exact content of the seminar may vary annually.
ARTH 3361 - Being and Becoming Modern: European Art 1855 - 1955
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Fall Even Year
This seminar traces a history of art practice from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century across the European continent. It follows key movements and figures of modern art, while emphasizing the social, political, and philosophical events that inform them. Beginning with Realism, and ending at the beginning of the Cold War, this course is bracketed by important questions pertaining to the role of the artist in reflecting upon, critiquing, and influencing national and global culture, writ large. Throughout the term we will also look beyond the limited scope of the fine arts canon to the larger visual cultures that inform and disrupt its boundaries. The exact content of the seminar, including its time period, may vary annually.
ARTH 3370 - Dreamworld and Catastrophe: Art and Visual Culture in the Cold War
Credits:
3.0
[max 3.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Spring
The Cold War marked a period of nearly five-decades of intense ideological, political, and economic division, which impacted all areas of the glove. This course examines art and visual culture across the period's two major world powers to demonstrate both fundamental discords as well as shared preoccupations. More than a study of the traditional geographies of the capitalist West and the communist East, this course offers insight into how the Cold War's globalization reached all ares of the glove, from the African continent to Latin America to Southeast Asia. A particular emphasis will be placed on experimental forms of culture, particularly in the late Cold War era.
HIST 3243 - Europe in Crisis in the 20th Century
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall & Spring
This course focuses on the turbulent history of Europe in the 20th century, particularly the causes, development, and consequences of the First and Second World Wars. It will explore the world wars as global phenomena and consider the ways in which these events have shaped contemporary geopolitics and the international world order. The course will address the political, military, cultural, economic and social transformations that characterized this period and influence our society today.
HIST 3615 - Modern Africa
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Every Fall, Spring & Summer
Africa, 1800 to present. Colonial conquest and domination, African resistance, nationalism, and problems of independence.
prereq: credit will not be granted if already received for HIST 3515
HIST 3091 - Independent Study
Credits:
1.0
-4.0
[max 8.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F only
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall, Spring & Summer
Advanced study and research under supervision of a faculty member. Students must consult with a faculty member prior to registration with that faculty member.
prereq: instructor consent
repeatable: allow up to 2 repetitions totalling up to 8 credits
HIST 3095 - Special Topics: (various titles to be assigned)
Credits:
4.0
[max 16.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall, Spring & Summer
Special topics in history not offered within the regular curriculum.
POL 3517 - Western European Political Systems
Credits:
4.0
[max 4.0]
Grading Basis:
A-F or Aud
Typically offered:
Periodic Fall
Comparative analysis of development and operation of political-governmental institutions and processes in selected Western European countries: political and ideological patterns and trends; problems of democratic politics; policy issues in advanced industrial societies; and the future of the "welfare state."
prereq: 30 earned or in-progress credits or instructor consent
