Interdisciplinary Programs and Courses

Community Based Learning

Community-Based Learning (CBL) is experiential education that promotes student learning and meets Catalog Copy for CBL Designation community needs. Courses with a "CBL" notation include the intention of equipping students with the skills, knowledge and experience to exercise influence toward social, cultural, environmental or civic outcomes that benefit the common good. This applies whether the impact is immediate or deferred. Please contact the faculty member listed to learn more about the CBL component of this course.

  • AN/FG 239 Women, Men, and "Others" (Hautzinger)
  • AN321 Rio Grande-Culture, History, and Region (Montaño)
  • AN380 Community-Based Filed Course in Anthropology (Hautzinger)
  • ED120/100 College Aides in the Colorado Springs Schools (Gortner)
  • ED150 Contemporary Issues in Education (Mendoza)
  • ED203/EV250 Environmental Education (Francis)
  • ED275 Mentoring At-Risk Youth (Department)
  • ED202 Teaching English as a Second Language (Emmer with Hurley)
  • ED220 Power of the Arts in Education (Stanec)
  • ED320 Teaching through the Arts (Stanec)
  • EV212 Energy and the Environment (Whitten and Meyer)
  • EV311 Water: Hydrology, Aquatic, Chemistry and Ecology (Kummel)
  • FG215/EV277 Ecofeminism (Whitten)
  • FG410 Practicum in Feminist and Gender Studies (Victoria)
  • FYE/GS204 Spirit & Nature, Religion & Science (Kester)
  • SO/FG235 Sociology of Family (Murphy-Geiss)

Departmental Major/International Affairs Option

Advisers — Professors KAPURIA-FOREMAN (Economics), Lybecker (Economics), GOULD (Political Science), Price-Smith (Political Science)

The departmental major/international affairs option is designed to allow students the advantage of a traditional major along with development of an understanding of international affairs. It assumes that such an understanding begins to develop through study of a foreign language, an extended experience outside one’s own country, and a familiarity with approaches that address the affairs of nations and peoples.

The requirements of the departmental major/international affairs option are as follows:

THE MAJOR — REQUIREMENTS:

•  At least three units of credit for study outside the United States.
•  Proficiency in a foreign language: For languages that are taught at the college, through 305; for other languages through the intermediate level. Students may meet this requirement through placement exams.
•  Three units of credit in courses that cover in a substantial way the foundations used by a discipline to understand and compare the social affairs of nations and peoples and interaction among nations and peoples. See an international affairs adviser for a list of approved courses.

Liberal Arts and Sciences

Associate Dean of the College NELSON-CISNEROS

Some students may wish to pursue a major other than an existing disciplinary or interdisciplinary major. Such students may petition to major in liberal arts and sciences (LAS) and should submit their LAS major application to the committee by the end of their second year. This option permits students with the help of two faculty advisers from different departments to design special interdisciplinary concentrations according to particular interests and needs. It is assumed that the liberal arts and sciences major is interdisciplinary in its conception and is at least as rigorous as any departmental major.

  1. Students selecting the liberal arts and sciences major must fulfill the appropriate college degree requirements as listed in the catalog. A minimum of nine units or a maximum of 14 units may be counted toward this major.
  2. Only two units at the 100 course level can be counted toward the major (language courses at the 100 and 200 level cannot be counted as part of the major). At least seven and no more than 12 of the units, designated as constituting this major, must be above the 100 course number level. One or two of these units may be General Studies 400 and General Studies 401 (Thesis).
  3. Thesis Proposal: A student declaring an LAS major should outline his or her thesis topic and the courses that will prepare the student to write the thesis. In particular the student should address which courses will provide the methodological and theoretical skills to write a successful thesis on the anticipated topic. A written thesis proposal must be submitted to the principal adviser no later than the end of the junior year. The thesis must be completed and turned in to the principal adviser no later than Block 7 of the senior year.
  4. Courses, which constitute the major in liberal arts and sciences, are designated on the transcript by two asterisks.
  5. A student must submit the application for a liberal arts and sciences major to the Dean’s Advisory Committee during the second semester of the sophomore year. A student wishing to apply for this major after the sophomore year, or to change from another major to the major in liberal arts and sciences, must present persuasive evidence that such a proposal is educationally advisable and that circumstances make it possible to achieve a satisfactory major. The student must also submit a written statement explaining why the proposed goals of the major cannot be achieved through a departmental major, a major and a minor, a double major, an interdisciplinary major, or through outside courses taken in addition to the requirement of a departmental major.
  6. The principal adviser works closely with the student in constructing the initial proposal, reviews and approves changes to the original proposed major, helps the student to conceptualize and complete the thesis and turns in the final grade. The associate adviser reviews the initial proposal providing criticism and suggestions, acts as a reader of the final draft of the thesis and recommends a final grade to the principal adviser. Each faculty adviser is expected to write a letter of support for the student’s proposed program.
  7. The program of courses should be accompanied by a typewritten description of the concentration proposed in the major — that is, a rationale demonstrating the cohesiveness of the proposed program of courses. Each course in the proposed program should be listed by course number and title, along with a statement as to how it relates to the written description of the major. The original application for the major should contain some indication of what this final project or theses will be. (See point 3 above.)
  8. At the end of the senior year, the faculty advisers will submit a report to the Dean’s Advisory Committee, evaluating what the student has accomplished in the major.

North American Studies

Adviser — Professor LINDAU (Political Science)

The North American studies program is designed to create an understanding of the complex regional forces shaping North America. Political, social, cultural, and economic ties among Mexico, the United States, and Canada are transforming all three countries, creating a region which is ever more closely related and interdependent.

The North American studies program includes:

  1. A thematic minor.
  2. Block visitors from Mexico, Canada, and the United States.
  3. A North American institute during the Summer Session. This first part of this course is taught at Colorado College, followed by travel to Canada and Mexico. In order to help students interested in North American studies to locate courses of interest, we have cross-listed those departmental courses which deal with North America under the course heading, North American studies. They are listed below
  • ANTHROPOLOGY 204 Prehistory: North America, 211 The Culture Area: Eskimos, 242 The Anthropology of Food; 290 American Indian Music.
  • ART HISTORY 180 Native American Art, 200 Topics: Art of Mexico;
  • HISTORY 105 Civilization in the West: The Atlantic World, 203 Native American History (Canada); 267 History of the Southwest under Spain and Mexico;.
  • MUSIC 290 American Indian Music.
  • POLITICAL SCIENCE 103 Western Political Tradition; 341 International History of North America, 1754–1867; 410 Tutorial in International Relations.
  • ROMANCE LANGUAGES: SPANISH 338 Latino Literature in the United States;
  • SOCIOLOGY 234 Sociology of 20th-Century Mexico.
  • SOUTHWEST STUDIES 275 The American Southwest: The Heritage and the Variety.
  • SPANISH 339 Chicano Literature.

Race and Ethnic Studies

Advisers — Associate Professor MONTAÑO (director), Professors HYDE, SEWARD

The race and ethnic studies program encourages student interest in and understanding of the historical and current relationships between cultural groups in the United States. The program coordinates courses cross-listed from other departments in order to provide critical interdisciplinary perspectives and methodologies for the study of issues such as identity, race, immigration, public policy, and cultural expression. The program also offers a thematic minor. Courses offered for race and ethnic studies (ES) credit are included in the list below. This list is not exhaustive. Each year the program may offer additional courses taught by regular or visiting faculty. Students who are interested in the minor must consult the program director, or one of the advisers..

View Race and ethnic studies courses