Interdisciplinary Studies, B.I.S.

Core Areas A-E: 42 Hours

Individualized BIS Pathway

The Individualized Pathway allows the student to design a major field around a particular theme and grounded in at least two disciplines. A degree plan specifies this thematic program of study and is developed by the student in consultation with a BIS advising committee. The BIS advising committee consists of an Interdisciplinary Studies advisor and two disciplinary mentors, each representing one of the selected grounding disciplines. Both the student and the committee sign the degree plan as well as any subsequent revisions of it. Any BIS major with at least 60 hours must have a signed degree plan.

The elements of the degree plan are described in more detail as follows:

• Degree topic–A theme, question, problem, etc. around which the degree is organized.
• Learning outcomes -Specification of knowledge, skills, and experiences the student aims to develop or achieve through academic and co-curricular activities beyond the following, which apply to all BIS majors:

1. Describe the defining elements of interdisciplinarity.
2. Distinguish between two or more disciplines in how they produce knowledge.
3. Demonstrate the ability to engage in perspective-taking.
4. Develop structural knowledge pertaining to a problem or theme.
5. Integrate knowledge and modes of thinking drawn from two or more disciplines.
6. Produce an interdisciplinary understanding of a complex problem or intellectual question.

• Long-term goals-What the student hopes to achieve after graduating from UWG (e.g.graduate degree, career path, etc.). As the student progresses, these goals, as well as learning outcomes, will be revisited and, as warranted, revised during advising appointments and through reflective writing in the academic portfolio.
• Specific courses, including

Courses from the grounding disciplines–At least nine credit hours (and no more than 18) of 3000/4000-level coursework from at least two disciplines. Disciplinary grounding is essential in integrative learning.

The XIDS course sequence–XIDS 2000 Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies à XIDS 3000 Interdisciplinary Methods à XIDS 4000 Interdisciplinary Capstone

Courses from additional disciplines, and/or a minor, and/or electives–Selected in accordance with the degree theme, learning outcomes, goals, and capstone project.

• Capstone project idea–A brief (1-2 paragraph) description of a self-directed project. The description will be refined during advising appointments and through reflective writing for the academic portfolio. A proposal for the project will be developed in XIDS 3000 and the final project will be submitted and presented in XIDS 4000.

BIS in Film Pathway

This pathway offers students an interdisciplinary approach to the study of Film. Each BIS in Film student develops a degree plan as detailed above, selecting courses from at least two of the following film-related disciplines: Critical Studies, Screenwriting, Art and Lens-Based Media, Production Design and Mise-En-Scene, Performance, and Production.  For more information on this pathway, please see the College of Arts and Humanities section of this catalog.