MULTIDISCIPLINARY STUDIES

Calvin Mercer, Director, A-440 Brewster Building

Multidisciplinary studies is a university-wide program administered by the College of Arts and Sciences.  The multidisciplinary studies degree is designed for the student who has clear interests and objectives that overlap  schools, departments, degrees, or concentrations and cannot be achieved through established majors.  The goals of the degree are to foster multidisciplinary study among the various schools and departments of the university; to enable motivated students to pursue degrees in specialized or new fields of their own design; and to encourage undergraduates to pursue research interests while working closely with faculty.

A course of study should be identified and developed by the student in consultation with faculty in the appropriate disciplines and the director of multidisciplinary studies.  The student and a faculty mentor then submit a formal proposal to the multidisciplinary advisory committee, including a list of faculty who might supervise the proposed course of study.  If the proposal is approved, the multidisciplinary advisory committee appoints an adviser and a student program advisory committee to assist the student in completing the program and to ensure the high quality of the student's work.  Then the student declares a major.  As part of the requirements for the major, all students must complete MULT 3500 and 4999.  MULT 3500 is thesis/creative project research supervised by the faculty mentor(s); MULT 4999 is a senior seminar in which students present their theses/creative projects to fellow students.  Both courses are writing intensive (WI) and satisfy part of the university writing requirement.  Multidisciplinary majors are available as BA or BS degrees.  Degree proposals must total 126 s.h. and contain a minimum of 18 s.h. above the 2999 level.  Proposed curricula may encompass not only a major but also a minor course of study as well as cognates to satisfy general education, foreign language, or elective requirements for the appropriate degree.  Honors are awarded to students who earn a 3.5 GPA in approved major courses.  Upon completion of the degree, the student's transcript will read as follows:  Multidisciplinary plus area of study or thesis/creative project topic.

Admission

Interested students should contact the director of multidisciplinary studies as early as possible in their academic program for advice and referral to faculty in appropriate disciplines. A proposed course of study must be approved by the multidisciplinary advisory committee; copies of transcripts of all collegiate work must be submitted with the proposal.  To declare a major, students must have completed 30 s.h. with a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA.

BA IN MULTIDISCIPLINARY STUDIES

Minimum degree requirement is 126 s.h. of credit as follows:

BS IN MULTIDISCIPLINARY STUDIES

Minimum degree requirement is 126 s.h. of credit as follows:

MULTIDISCIPLINARY MINOR

The multidisciplinary minor, designed for students who have interests not met by existing minors, requires 24 s.h. credit, 9 s.h. of which must be above 2999.  The theme-focused minor should normally comprise courses from three to five disciplines and should not reproduce existing disciplinary or other multidisciplinary minors.  Courses should exclude the student's major.  A declared major who is interested in the multidisciplinary minor and who has completed a minimum of 30 s.h. should discuss with his or her adviser the theme around which the minor will be developed and submit a written plan to the faculty member assigned by the student's major department to oversee the multidisciplinary minor and to that department's chair.  Criteria for the plan include thematic unity and coherence and clarity of educational objectives.  The plan must be approved before the student has completed 80 s.h. and before submission of the senior summary, to which a copy of the approved plan will be attached.  The student will complete the course of study under the supervision of his or her adviser.

NEUROSCIENCE MINOR

Larry W. Means, Director, 133 Rawl Building

The neuroscience minor is designed to provide students with an introduction to the study of neuroscience at the various structural and functional levels of analysis, including molecular, cellular, integrative, and behavioral.  (Students interested in a neuroscience major, should see multidisciplinary studies, described above, and contact the neuroscience program director.)  The minor requires completion of core courses (20 s.h.), a laboratory course (2 or 3 s.h.), and an elective course (2-5 s.h.).  In the event that courses required for the minor are also required for the student’s major, neuroscience elective courses should be taken so that a minimum of 24 s.h. of unique neuroscience courses are completed for the minor.  Any interested student should contact the program director for information.  The major adviser should send a potential minor to the director for advising.  The minumum requirements for the minor are 24 s.h. as follows:

NORTH CAROLINA STUDIES

Director (Vacant)

The minor in North Carolina studies is an interdisciplinary program that requires 24 s.h. credit and provides students with a comprehensive natural and cultural history of North Carolina and a knowledge of the contemporary conditions and issues that history has created.  The program requires an introductory course, a senior research seminar, a series of core courses, and electives drawn from the following disciplines: anthropology, biology, English, geography, geology, history, and political science.  Courses taken to meet general education requirements cannot be used to satisfy the requirements of the North Carolina studies minor.  The student’s minor program must be approved by the director of the North Carolina studies program.

RELIGIOUS STUDIES

Calvin Mercer, Director, A-440 Brewster Building

Religious studies is a nonsectarian and interdisciplinary program designed to provide students with an understanding of the religions of the world as historical and cultural phenomena.  (Students interested in a religious studies major, should see Multidisciplinary Studies, above.)  The religious studies minor requires 24 s.h. credit and courses offered explore religion in its various dimensions–aesthetic, anthropological, ethical, historical, literary, philosophical, political, psychological, and sociological.  Any interested student should contact the director for information.  The major adviser should send a potential minor to the director for advising.  The student's minor program must be approved by the director of religious studies.  A maximum of 6 s.h. may be used to satisfy general education requirements and requirements for the religious studies minor.  No course work in the student's major field of study will be accepted for credit toward the minor.  Study-abroad programs  having the prior approval of the director will be accepted for a maximum 6 s.h. of credit toward the minor.  Additional courses beyond those listed above will be accepted if they significantly further the student's understanding of religious studies; prior approval by the director is required for additional courses.  Departmental prerequisites may be waived in special cases by the department offering the course.

WOMEN'S STUDIES

Cheryl Dudasik-Wiggs, Co-Director, 2108 Bate Building
Christa Reiser, Co-Director, A-407 Brewster Building

BA IN WOMEN’S STUDIES

The women’s studies major is an interdisciplinary degree program that includes courses on women and gender offered by the Women’s Studies program as well as through traditional disciplines and departments. The purpose of women's studies is to offer a contemporary as well as a historical perspective on women's contributions to selfhood, family, and society; identify, critically examine, and evaluate the assumptions made about women by tradition; and discover, acquire, and accumulate knowledge about women in order to empower understanding of their lives, their roles, and their humanity.  Women's studies balances traditional western cultural assumptions with international women's perspectives, including those of minorities, the disabled, and the economically deprived. The requirements for the major include an introductory women’s studies course; electives chosen from the arts, humanities, natural and social sciences, and professional schools; and a core of women’s studies courses including a capstone experience of a senior seminar and internship or directed readings.  Women’s studies majors are encouraged to combine women’s studies with another major.  Minimum degree requirement is 126 s.h. of credit as follows:

WOMEN’S STUDIES MINOR

The minor in women's studies is an interdisciplinary academic program with courses designed to complement and enrich students' work in their major fields.  To ensure flexibility in each student's 24 s.h. program and thus assure the possibility of coordinating with the major, the women's studies minor includes both a 6 s.h. core, composed of a course which introduces the student to the discipline and a senior seminar which helps the student synthesize what she or he has learned, and 18 s.h. of electives.  A course may not count toward the student's major degree and the women's studies minor.