INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES Contact: Eric G. Dinmore INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES 101. (3) INTRODUCTION TO LEADERSHIP. This course provides an introduction to leadership through a study of history, theory, and current events. Through case and biographical studies students will explore historical leaders and examine how their lessons in leadership may or may not be applicable to current leadership issues. This study will help students gain an understanding of the leadership process required to meet personal, professional, and civic challenges today. Prerequisite: none. Offered: fall semester. INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES 210. (1) INTRODUCTION TO RACE AND ETHNICITY STUDIES. This interdisciplinary one-hour course introduces students to foundational theories and concepts for understanding the role of race and ethnicity as a category of analysis in a variety of disciplinary contexts, including but not limited to history, literature, religion, psychology, culture, political science, science and technology, and economics. The course will be taught by professors from across departments, each bringing a different set of analytical tools to the study of race and ethnicity. The course is required for students who plan to complete the Race and Ethnicity Studies minor but is open to all students. Offered: spring semester. INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES 275. (3) UNITED STATES MILITARY AND AMERICAN SOCIETY: IDEALS, INSTITUTIONS, AND ISSUES. A seminar primarily for sophomores enrolled in the Military Leadership track of the James Madison Public Service Certificate Program, but open to any interested student, the course combines lecture/ conference instruction with student oral and written reports based on research assignments on such topics as the constitutional ideals undergirding our national military establishment; the relationship between the military and key national institutions, law enforcement agencies, and the media; and historical and contemporary legal, social, political, and cultural issues that both support and complicate the military’s place in American society. Prerequisite: none. Offered: spring semester.
INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES 320. (3) PHILANTHROPY IN THEORY AND PRACTICE. Through the lenses of philosophy, classics, religion, history, and economics, students learn how western ideas about philanthropy have changed over time and how philanthropy is practiced today in an effort to improve the living conditions of people locally, nationally, and globally. The class includes a service learning component with a local non-profit organization. Prerequisite: Rhetoric 102 and junior or senior standing. INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES 372. (3) SEMINAR IN ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES. A topical capstone experience for students in the Environmental Studies Minor, designed to integrate the various courses taken by the students (or by other students who have completed an appropriate subset of the designated courses required in the Minor but not officially enrolled in the program) and to allow reflection on and engagement with significant issues that arise in the study of the environment. Students are expected to apply the concepts and materials of related courses to meta-themes discussed in the seminar. Topics may include issues in ecology, the economics of environmentalism, and bioethics, as well as other scientific, social science, and humanistic concerns. Prerequisite: at least four courses required for the Environmental Studies Minor. Offered: spring semester. INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES 375. (3) LEADERSHIP AND PUBLIC SERVICE IN CONSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT. Beginning with an examination of the major historical developments that have shaped the place and role of administrative-class officials in the United States, this course provides students with a general introduction to significant legal and political dimensions of public-sector employment. Consideration is given to the general subject of public-service ethics, including such topics as conflict of interest regulations, and to the complexities of intergovernmental and inter-branch relations. The first segment of the course focuses on historical, ethical, and political themes, while the second part is devoted to management-related matters and legal issues. Prerequisites: junior standing and consent of the instructor. Offered: fall semester.
