The Collaborative for Interdisciplinary/Integrative Studies provides students with opportunities—through advising, coursework and fieldwork—to put into practice the relevance and value of the arts and sciences for their everyday lives. The Collaborative oversees the administration of interdisciplinary programs, supports the development of interdisciplinary curricula and initiatives, and promotes collaboration among faculty in teaching and research. It houses the Interdisciplinary Studies major, the Environmental Science major, the Environmental Studies co-major, the Health, Medicine, and Society major, the Sustainability and Environmental Policy major, the Individualized major, and ten interdisciplinary minors (Asian Studies, Global Public Health, Forensic ScienceHistory and Philosophy of Science, IndividualizedInternational Studies, Irish Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, Sports Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies). The Collaborative also includes the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion certificate and a Gender and Society micro-credential. The Collaborative sponsors interdisciplinary initiatives, as well as programs and events that are open to and benefit the entire university community.

The Collaborative for Interdisciplinary/Integrative Studies is a signature program of the College of Arts and Sciences at Quinnipiac University, launched in 2016 with generous support from the Davis Educational Foundation. Its mission is to afford students and faculty opportunities to put into practice the relevance and value of the arts and sciences for their everyday lives. The Collaborative oversees the administration of interdisciplinary programs, supports the development of interdisciplinary curricula and initiatives, and promotes collaboration among faculty in teaching and research.

IDS 200. Rise of Disciplinarity.3 Credits.

In this course, students draw on what they have learned in and about academic disciplines up to this point in their studies to explore the foundations and perspectives of traditional academic disciplines. Students evaluate the insights and methods of individual disciplines as they relate to a topic or issue of interest. This course prepares students to apply disciplinary insights, methods and other characteristics from multiple fields to form a more complex understanding of a current topic or issue. Restricted to IDS majors.

Prerequisites: At least junior standing required.
Offered: Every year, Fall and Spring

IDS 203. Practicing Stylistics.3 Credits.

Students review and practice the fundamental rules governing language, focusing specifically on grammar and syntax. They analyze and practice their own emerging style through imitation and revision exercises across a variety of poetic, fictional and nonfictional models. Required reading includes "The Art of Styling Sentences," "Exercises in Style" and "Stylish Academic Writing." The class culminates with a deeply revised portfolio of original efforts and a final referenced essay on what style means--and how to achieve it.

Prerequisites: None
Offered: Every year, All

IDS 215. Introduction to Language Studies.3 Credits.

Human language involves much more than vocabulary and grammar. It is a dynamic, complex system for conveying meaning via sound, images/text, and gestures. In this interdisciplinary course, students will explore the structural components of language, including sound patterns, word formation, syntax, and semantics, and understand how these phenomena evolve over time. Regional, social, and cultural impact on language development will also be covered. Based on this foundation, students will pursue individual projects on linguistic topics of their choice, such as language acquisition, neurolinguistics, computational linguistics, or forensic linguistics. This course assumes no prior study of linguistics or foreign languages. All reading and discussion will be in English. This course does not fulfill a foreign language requirement.

Prerequisites: None
Offered: As needed
UC: Breadth Elective

IDS 300. Special Topics in Interdisciplinary Studies.3 Credits.

Students explore a given topic from multiple disciplinary perspectives, with the goal of integrating or synthesizing those disciplinary perspectives to form a deeper understanding of the topic. Emphasis is on active reading, research, discussion and analysis, and practice. This practice may take the form of a community project, a position paper or another major project that demonstrates synthesis or integration resulting in innovative/unconventional thinking or a plausible course of action. Prerequisite: At least sophomore standing; specific prerequisites vary depending on the focus of the course.

Prerequisites: None
Offered: As needed

IDS 399. Interdisciplinary Independent Study.1-6 Credits.

Prerequisites: None
Offered: As needed

IDS 400. Transdisciplinary Project.3 Credits.

This seminar is the capstone course of the Interdisciplinary Studies major. Students design an individual integrative project using a transdisciplinary lens. The project can be creative, empirical, theoretical and/or professionally focused. Restricted to IDS majors.

Prerequisites: Take ED 380. Senior standing and prior completion of research methods component in concentration.
Offered: Every year, Spring