Interdisciplinary Courses

Interdisciplinary courses are offered to bridge the gaps which sometimes exist between differing, but related, academic areas. Each semester a variety of interdisciplinary courses are included in the curriculum. Students in these courses are exposed to a broad range of ideas and concepts which have been integrated to make them intellectually exciting. These courses may be team-taught by two or more faculty members or be problem-oriented courses which, by their nature, do not fit into existing departmental offerings.

ENVN 102 Introduction to the Environment (1) Spring
Explores the interconnected web of earth's natural systems including the atmosphere, biological communities, oceans and continents, as well as humankind's interactions with and dependence on them. Major topics include global climate and problems of global warming and desertification; resources and problems of world hunger and population growth; and pollution and problems of ecosystem destruction. Staff.

ENVN 201 Ecology and Environmental Field Trip (1/2) Spring
Prerequisites: Membership in the Institute for the Study of the Environment and permission of the instructor.
Demonstrates, in seminars and a one-two week field trip to a selected region of the United States, how ecosystems have been shaped by the interplay of biological, geological and human history and are thus both adapted to, and susceptible to changes in, modern landscape, climate and human practices. Examines environmental issues of both local and national significance related to these ecosystems. Staff.

ENVN 206 Sustainable Living Seminar (1/2) Fall
Residents of the College's E-house and other students explore, through practice, the relationship between their daily actions and the earth's ecosystems. Several models of sustainability are discussed, and students are asked to articulate the view they believe appropriate for their own lives. Students cooperatively develop a significant improvement in the house or its grounds and monitor the environmental footprint of their actions. Staff.

ENVN 220 Economics, Ethics, and Environmental Policy (1) Fall
Examines decisions affecting environmental quality made by individuals, businesses and other organizations, the moral foundations upon which group objectives are based and how policies are designed to incorporate moral considerations. Focuses on current national and local environmental policies and environmental ethics, with comparisons to practices in other cultures and eras. Hakes.

HUSV 101 Introduction to Human Services (1) Fall
Acquaints the beginning student with the human services field, including the philosophy, values, directions and broad scope of the human services, and a clarification of the student's motivation and values in relation to a career in a helping field. An interdisciplinary course designed specifically for the human services concentration. Keyes, J. Walter.

IDY 100 Academic Success (1)
Utilizes lecture, discussion, readings and experience-based learning to provide students with an intellectual and practical understanding of psychological theories and concepts related to academic success. Focuses on constructs related to motivation, effort, personal insight, metacognition, self-regulation, the process of change and emotional intelligence. Staff.

IDY 198 Holocaust Studies (1/2) Spring
Reviews the history of genocide, the history of the Jewish communities in Poland and the history of the Nazi extermination of Jews in Poland during the Second World War. Required for, and restricted to, students selected to participate in the spring Holocaust Studies Service-Learning Project in Poland. Offered in alternate years. Staff.

LWJS 101 Introduction to Law, Justice, and Society (1) Spring
Explores the basic issues of law's relationship to contemporary society. Topics include the nature as well as historical and social functions of law; the culture and role of major legal actors in the legal system (e.g., lawyers, judges, juries, police, technology); the tension between ideals and realities in law; and the role of law in addressing contemporary social problems. Fosters analytical and critical skills. Serves as the gateway class to the concentration in law, justice, and society; however, registration is open to all interested students. W. Rose.

NEUR 241 Neuroscience I: Brain Structure and Function (1) Fall
Prerequisite: Psychology 101 or permission of instructor.
An introduction to brain structure and function. Emphasis on the way the nervous system is organized to process information, construct representation of the world and generate adaptive behavior. Lecture, discussion, dissection. Neuroscience I is required for the neuroscience concentration. Same as Psychology 241. Garvin, Keyes, Schmitter, Wilson.

NEUR 242 Neuroscience II: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience (1) Spring
Prerequisites: Neuroscience 241 and Biology 195, or permission of instructor.
An introduction to neuroscience with emphasis at the cellular and molecular levels. Covers structure and function of neurons and glial cells, electrical and chemical synapses, neurotransmitters, the visual system, spine and brain control of movement, brain mechanisms of emotion, wiring of the brain and mechanisms of memory systems. Neuroscience II is required for the neuroscience concentration. Schmitter.

PALN 209 Dinosaurs (1)
An interdisciplinary examination of the paleontology and biology of dinosaurs and their role in the history of science, popular culture and religion. Lectures, discussions, demonstrations, documentaries and popular films are included. Bartels.

PBSV 101 Introduction to Public Service (1) Fall
Prerequisite: Membership in the Gerald R. Ford Institute for Public Policy and Service.
Introduces new Ford Institute students to public policy and public service issues. Examines a broad range of themes including ethics, civic engagement, the history of public service in the United States and contemporary public policy concerns. Staff.

PBSV 397 Senior Colloquium (1/2) Spring
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
Analysis of selected public policy issues. Colloquium includes discussion of the economics, politics, social and ethical factors that go into the making of public policy. Staff.

SCI 205 Women and Ethnic Minorities in Science (1)
Prerequisite: One 100-level science course.
An examination of both the history of women and other traditionally excluded persons in science, and the way science has looked at them. The course considers such questions as: Why are there so few members of these groups in science? What contributions have these scientists made? Would science be different if more members of these groups were scientists? Staff.