Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies – INDS 500

CG • Section 8WK • 11/08/2019 to 04/16/2020 • Modified 09/05/2023

Course Description

This course is designed to provide a comprehensive introduction to graduate interdisciplinary studies and writing skills. It is intended for those with limited exposure in the area of graduate interdisciplinary studies and to provide a foundation for cross-disciplinary analysis and application. This course will examine interdisciplinary studies knowledge, research methods, and writing techniques.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Rationale

This course equips students to perform work at the graduate level. Preparation and skill development in interdisciplinary research and writing are necessary to ensure subsequent program success. Students need an awareness of the challenges and opportunities made available through interdisciplinary study. An introduction to scholarship across disciplines and graduate writing styles will prepare the student to pursue an interdisciplinary degree.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and presentations

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in Module/Week 1.

Discussion Board Forums (4)

Discussion Boards are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will participate in 4 Discussion Board Forums that will consist of a thread and 2 replies in response to the provided prompt for each forum. Each thread must be 400–600 words and cite 1 scholarly source. Each reply must be a minimum of 200 words and cite 1 scholarly source.

Formatting and Style Guide Assignment

In academic writing, a student needs to properly understand and put forth individual work that meets criteria established by the following formatting and style guides: current APA, MLA, Turabian, and AMA. This requires proper citing, quoting, formatting, and referencing of sources when writing a paper or completing an assignment. An interdisciplinary studies student is faced with varying formatting and style guides across disciplines during their course of study. This assignment will introduce and prepare the student for a cross-discipline approach to graduate writing.

Interdisciplinary Plan of Study Assignment

Students will define and outline their plan of study by identifying their chosen areas of study, graduate electives, and relevant coursework. The interdisciplinary background provided in this course will help students structure their degree more effectively as they prepare a plan of study and statement of purpose. Students will utilize this assignment to develop their course sequencing and present how an interdisciplinary degree will prepare them to meet personal and professional goals.

Research Question

The student will develop a quality research question related to a specific theory in interdisciplinarity upon which he/she can build an annotated bibliography. The instructor will evaluate and comment on the student’s submitted question to help ensure its quality and usability.

Interdisciplinary Annotated Bibliography

The candidate will create an annotated bibliography in the current format of their Area of Study I that includes at least 10 current, empirical, and scholarly sources. Each source citation must be followed by an annotation of at least 150 words. This bibliography may be used as a foundation for future research in interdisciplinary studies.

Quizzes (2)

Each quiz will cover the Reading & Study material for the assigned module/week. The quizzes will be open-book/open-notes, contain true/false, multiple-choice questions, and have a time limit of 30 minutes.