Research predicts you will change your career five times in the next twenty years. But you’re only a college undergraduate once. Plus, your interests lie in more than one area, and you’re smart enough to realize that the more diverse your experiences, the more marketable you will be when it’s time to find a job.

INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDY: COLLEGE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY.
Some questions are just too big for a single subject to handle. That’s where interdisciplinary study comes in. Through this kind of study you learn to approach questions, problem-solve, and integrate insights from two or more disciplines to achieve a better understanding of complex topics.

HELPING YOU GAIN AN EDGE
Our three interdisciplinary majors in Humanities, Social Sciences, and Creative Writing help you develop the flexibility of thought and action necessary for 21st century careers. Course sequencing is designed so that you practice integrated thinking from the start.

WHY PUT LIMITS ON YOUR COLLEGE EDUCATION?
In the School of Liberal Studies you will have opportunities to:

• Study history, writing, literature, anthropology, religious studies, art, philosophy and more.
• Use your interdisciplinary knowledge to develop innovative approaches to contemporary global issues.
• Engage your creative intellect.
• Explore many different cultures – for example, through field work and film studies.
• Think imaginatively, originally, and unconventionally.

Interdisciplinary Humanities Degree

A degree in Interdisciplinary Humanities offers the appropriate background to pursue a career in the fine arts, art therapy (with a psychology minor), education, editing, marketing, law, medicine (with the appropriate science courses), church work and, if you would like to pursue graduate study in any one discipline, enough courses can be taken to fulfill admission requirements of graduate programs. In fact, your interdisciplinary perspective would give you an edge over other applicants seeking scholarships, fellowships, and assistantships. Faculty advisors work closely with you as you choose your courses, choose an internship site, and plan your future.

The degree in Interdisciplinary Humanities focuses on ideas and subjects drawn from Art, Linguistics, Literature, Philosophy, and Religion. It is designed to develop and enhance creativity, understanding and insights in all of these disciplines by emphasizing:

• Interrelations among cultural practices
• A global approach to thinking about culture
• Conceptual, methodological and problem-solving abilities
• Research skills
• Adaptability, flexibility, creativity

Through a first-year and a final-year seminar, a required internship that best reflects your career aspirations, and the study of annually designated topics examined from each disciplinary perspective, majors develop the capacity to integrate knowledge across disciplines, an ability that increases self-confidence and a sense of purpose in all areas of your life.

Interdisciplinary Social Sciences Degree

The degree provides the self-enrichment and cross-cultural understanding important for students seeking careers in such professions as law, business, education, criminal justice, social work, politics, and public administration. For those wishing to pursue advanced study in one discipline, enough courses can be taken to be admitted to graduate school. In fact, your interdisciplinary perspective would give you the edge over other applicants seeking admission, scholarships, and assistantships. Faculty advisors work closely with you as you select your courses, choose your internship site, and plan your future.

The degree in Interdisciplinary Social Sciences integrates the disciplines of Anthropology, History, Sociology, and Psychology, offering in-depth study of cultural issues, historical circumstances, and psychological welfare as they relate to contemporary societies.

Upon graduation, you will have developed:

• Strong conceptual, methodological and problem-solving abilities
• Exceptional research skills
• A capacity for adaptability, flexibility, and creativity

Through a first-year and a final-year integrating seminar, a required internship at a site that best reflects your career aspirations, and the study of annually designated topics examined from each disciplinary perspective, you will develop the capacity to integrate knowledge across disciplines, an ability that increases self-confidence and a sense of purpose in all areas of your life.

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing

The interdisciplinary BFA in Creative Writing emphasizes the study of writing and literature, in addition to studies across disciplines such as art, history, religious studies, and anthropology.  Students have extensive opportunities for reading, writing, evaluating, and producing a variety of written texts reflecting their studies in literary history and across disciplines, as well as their creative writing practice.  The faculty of the creative writing degree program are committed to the interconnectedness of disciplinary areas and methods and the development of research skills as well as fostering of creativity that is grounded in the rich cultural, historical, and natural resources of Louisville and the Ohio River Valley.  They provide mentoring and direction to students interested in a liberal education that focuses on the development of skill in many genres of writing.

The interdisciplinary BFA in Creative Writing develops an advanced level of competence in the use of language and the exercise of the creative intellect, providing a basis for a variety of career options and professional choices.  Each member of the English faculty serves as an advisor to help students successfully complete their degree program to accomplish their goals, and each member participates in the teaching of HUM101 and BFA450.

Certificates

Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL)
To meet the increasing demands for professionals to teach English as a second language in the US and overseas, the School of Liberal Studies offers a certificate program in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL). The TESL Certificate Program consists of 12 credit hour courses, which provide theoretical foundations, student-centered methodologies, teaching experiences, and interdisciplinary applications for teaching English to speakers of other languages. This TESL Certificate program for undergraduate students is unique in the Louisville area. (*NOTE: The certificate does not license students to teach in public schools.)

Pastoral Ministries
In order to meet the increasing demand for lay people trained in ministry, the School of Liberal Studies, in conjunction with the Archdiocese of Louisville, offers a certificate program in Pastoral Ministry. The program consists of 8 weekend courses over a two-year period. Each weekend course is worth 1.5 credits for a total of a 12-credit Certificate Program. The courses can be taken for graduate credit, undergraduate credit, or certificate credit. Tuition for certificate credit is 1/3 the tuition for undergraduate credit. People from all Christian denominations are welcome to attend.

For more information or to schedule a campus tour, call (502) 585-7111 or toll free at (800) 896-8941, ext 2111 or email us at admissions@spalding.edu.