| Office: | 252 Elkins |
| Phone: | 985-448-4459 |
| Professor: | R. Alexander (Head). |
| Associate Professor: | K. Allemand, Giguette. |
| Assistant Professors: | Amy Hebert, L. Richard. |
Mission
The Department of Interdisciplinary Studies coordinates and fosters cross-disciplinary connections across all disciplines to help students realize their academic, personal, and professional aspirations. For those students who wish to design their own course of study, the department offers the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (B.I.S.), an interdisciplinary degree that provides a flexible course of study with a strong foundation in the liberal arts. Because students are required to demonstrate depth in an academic area and to take courses in oral and written communication and the humanities, the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies provides an interdisciplinary emphasis that prepares students for entry into postgraduate studies and the professional world with a new global focus. The department also cultivates greater opportunities for service learning and leadership initiatives across all disciplines and coordinates campus-wide development of interdisciplinary minors and activities available to all majors.
DEGREES AWARDED
The university awards two degrees in Interdisciplinary Studies: the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies and the Associate of General Studies. Students seeking to earn either degree must complete all degree program requirements and satisfy the minimum requirements of the university and the specific requirements for the degree.
Minors
The Department of Interdisciplinary Studies offers five minors in a variety of subject matters. Any baccalaureate degree seeking student is able to obtain a minor listed below upon graduation if specified course requirements are met.
Bayou Studies Minor
The University offers a minor in Bayou Studies after successful completion of 18 hours of courses that include content about local or regional history, literature, culture, language and geography. Nine hours must include IDST 201 (Bayou Region Field Explorations) and ENGL 426 (Bayou Culture) as well as either ENGL 427 or HIST 371. The remaining nine hours can be chosen from the following list, with at least three of those hours coming from GEOG 375, SOCI 204, or SOCI 395:
| BIOL 215: Pirogue Biology | FREN 102: Elementary French II |
| CULA 401: Culinary History of the South | GEOG 375: Geography of Louisiana |
| CULA 279: Cajun and Creole Cuisine | HIST 371: Louisiana History |
| ENGL 326: Intro to Folklore | HUMA 303: French Literature in Translation |
| ENGL 427: Louisiana Literature | SOCI 204: Cultural Diversity of America |
| ENGL 490: Language and Culture | SOCI 395: Racial and Cultural Minorities |
| FREN 101: Elementary French I |
Students may substitute up to six hours of other special topics or themed courses that have a main focus or theme that addresses bayou studies or, more broadly, Louisiana. Approval of department head of Interdisciplinary Studies required for substitutions.
Humanities (HUMA)
The University offers a minor in the Humanities upon the successful completion of at least 18 hours above GENED requirements in the following curricula:
| ART (non-performance) | HUMA (any course) |
| CULA 101, 401 | IDST 420 (depending on topic) |
| EDUC 339 | MACO 101, 355 |
| ENGL (literature, film studies) | MUS (non-performance) |
| FNAR (non-performance) | PHIL (any course) |
| Foreign Languages | PSYC 303 |
| GEOG 104, 340 | PSYC 480 |
| GOVT 355 | SOCI 204, 372 (depending on topic), 395 |
| HIST (any course) | SPCH (non-performance) |
The total hours in the humanities minor (18) must include courses in at least three areas of the humanities outside the student’s major with a minimum of 9 hours in courses numbered 300 or above. Students must earn a C or better in all courses counted toward the minor.
Social Sciences (SSCI)
The University offers a minor in the Social Sciences upon the successful completion of at least 18 hours above General Education requirements in the following curricula:
| Criminal Justice | Mass Communication |
| Economics | Psychology |
| Geography | Sociology |
| Government |
The total hours in the social sciences minor (18) must include courses in at least three areas of the social sciences outside the student’s major with a minimum of 9 hours in courses numbered 300 or above. Students must earn a C or better in all courses counted toward the minor.
