Themes for IDEA 3100

The Nature of Interdisciplinarity

Definitions and principles. Clarifications of common misunderstandings about interdisciplinary approaches and practices. An introduction to interdisciplinarity as a mode of inquiry in the arts and sciences.

Traditions and Practices

Consideration of interdisciplinary practices as effective vehicles for the transmission of sacred, social, political, artistic, and scientific information. Examination of interdisciplinarity as a fundamental and necessary function of human nature and inquiry.

Developments and Milestones

Consideration of the development of interdisciplinarity and its role in the contemporary world. Examination of the relationship between interdisciplinary practices and traditional, faculty-based inquiry in the academic environment.

Themes and Philosophies

Introduction to the historical background of interdisciplinary philosophy and practice in science and literature. Explication of ancient world views, with particular emphasis on spirituality, science, mythological concepts, and approaches to the imagination.

Hermetic Threads

Reading of excerpts from core Egyptian, alchemical, and early scientific texts, with particular emphasis on foundational interdisciplinary ideas. Examination of the ways in which the sciences and the arts were entwined in the practices and perspectives of all peoples until the twentieth century. Exploration of the transmission of interdisciplinary ideas into the contemporary world.

Interdisciplinarity in the Expressive Arts

Exploration of the transmission of interdisciplinary philosophies and practices by way of the expressive arts. Examination of practices and structures within the interdisciplinary expressive arts (writing, storytelling, dance, movement, ritual, religious practice, music, philosophy, etc.), with emphasis on the traditions of psychology and mythology. Reading of selected texts within the interdisciplinary expressive arts. Examination of the ways in which texts within the interdisciplinary expressive arts have influenced the development of the arts and sciences.

Multicultural Principles

Introduction to the interdisciplinary contributions made by Asian mythology, literature, and science. Explication of ancient Asian world views, with particular emphasis on interdisciplinary spirituality, mythological concepts, and approaches to knowledge. Reading of excerpts from Asian texts, with particular emphasis on the synthesis of interdisciplinary expressive arts within those traditions.

Other Stuff (that we'll think up as we go along)

Much of the course content will be generated by students.