Note: Today’s post features the School of Interdisciplinary Studies and comes to us from Dr. Francyne Huckaby, Associate Dean for the SIS.
TCU’s School of Interdisciplinary Studies is now one years old!
Constituted in the summer of 2018, the School of Interdisciplinary Studies includes departments of Women and Gender Studies and Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies, as well as the IdeaFactory, Intensive English Program, and Integrative Learning Initiatives. Inherently problem based, Interdisciplinary Studies connects diverse experts and methods to address complex social challenges. It invariably contains an integrative element (for example, race, gender, sexuality, class) that brings together and benefits from traditional disciplinary knowledge and tools. Some of the key outcomes of interdisciplinary studies include new discoveries, knowledge, and approaches; critical, analytical, and creative thinking; better workforce preparations; and opportunities for collaboration.
Students of the School of Interdisciplinary Studies may pursue undergraduate majors or minors in a variety of areas: Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies (CRES), Women and Gender Studies (WGST), Interdisciplinary Inquiry (IINQ), African American and Africana Studies (AAAS), and Latinx Studies (LTNX), as well as Graduate Certificates offered in CRES and WGST. Undergraduates pursuing any TCU major may also benefit from coursework and training through the Intensive English Program, the IdeaFactory, or Integrative Learning Initiatives.
The academic studies and support programs in the School of Interdisciplinary Studies uniquely prepare students to be “ethical leaders and responsible citizens in the global community.” While interdisciplinary studies provides the skills needed for 21st century problems and careers, it offers students more in terms of developing their human potential, understanding the world more globally, and living more ethically. In earlier centuries, when education was not about employability and income generation, it sought to develop good human beings. TCU’s School of Interdisciplinary Studies resurrects such a purpose of education with the mission:
To empower change agents to tackle big questions by integrating diverse perspectives, disciplines, and methods of inquiry to promote empathy, respect, and justice.
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