ASU’s Interdisciplinary Program 

Arizona State University (ASU) has unique program that allows students to have a combination of discipline in one degree program. The Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (BIS) degree program can only be described after first defining what a discipline is which is a scholarly communities that define which problem should be studied and refer to a particular branch of learning or a body of knowledge. The program provides students the intellectual tools needed to integrate their concentration areas, engage in interdisciplinary problem solving. Students pick two concentration areas in addition to the four core classes to the (BIS) program.  

 

 

 

My Explanation Interdisciplinary in BIS

 

The metaphor for interdisciplinary I came up is the color purple because it takes the two colors red and blue to combine and make the pretty color purple. If someone never mixed those two colors together we would have never came up with such a beautiful result. In interdisciplinary studies if we never mixed two disciplines we would be able to have a new way of applying two disciplines together in BIS.

 

 

 

BIS Core Classes 

 

BIS 301 Foundation of Interdisciplinary Studies

I have learned that with this major you can combine two areas of interest and apply them into one major and if there are two areas that are a real interest to you don’t have to choose, you can combine and integrate the two.  In learning the basic skills of integration this course helped me to find direction what I want to do with a degree in sociology and communication and how two integrate the two to apply it in the work force. I now have a better understanding and appreciate these major called BIS.

 

 

BIS 302 Inter disciplinary Inquiry

 This course teaches you the methods of interdisciplinary inquiry qualitative and quantitative methods and how two apply those methods and show you different ways of discovering information. Assignments in this course are applied to simulated research and in working in teams groups discuss and present the findings of their collective work in a combined interdisciplinary effort. I have learned the importance of research and how it relates to the to my two concentrations and I feel that this course helped me with my research skills and showed me how to become a better in writing and reading research.

 

 

 

BIS 401 Applied Interdisciplinary Studies

This course offers students to apply their interdisciplinary skills and knowledge in an applied setting, and more thoroughly integrate your concentration areas. In this you need to have an internship where you will do writing assignments and log work hour from a supervisor. This course is designed to guide you through interdisciplinary analysis of your applied site. I hope to gain practical experience and make connections between my course work and current workplace environments.

 

 

 

BIS 402 Senior Seminar

This class is Capstone course helps students integrate their classroom and experiential learning. Students can choose among course topics that address their interests. There are a number if interesting courses to choose from and I choose A Self Constructed Life. This is one of the best course I have taken in a long time because it helped me to take a good look at myself and find what my passions are as well as my likes and dislike. I took this course in the summer 2010 and it was intense course I had to read four books during the course but each book opened up my eyes to new ideas and now I have a clearer picture of what I want to do in my life. This course let me explore various example of successful entrepreneurs, and other business leaders with an eye to the interdisciplinary nature of their paths to their vocations. This is an excellent course for people who are looking for more direction in their life.

 

 

I Choose BIS because..... 

 I find that the BIS major is very valuable to me because I have always been interested in both sociology and communications and this program  allows two examine both disciplines and analyses the core ideas of each. Sociology is study of human social behavior, origins, organization, institutions, and how human society develops. Communications study the use and importance of the exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech, signals, writing, and behavior. I believe that the BIS major is very valuable to all college students because it sets in motion a way for people to start thinking in an integrative way, regardless if the areas of study are related or not, by making connections between ideas and concepts centered on a superior range of knowledge. The Interdisciplinary program allows me to have the best of both worlds and integrate the two disciplines, by learning and understanding how to integrate many different perspectives and questioning general assumptions to come up with new initiative ways of thinking. I now have a whole new respect for this field of study because it not limiting in how to solve problems. A Interdisciplinary program applies more vast insightful ideas to solving problems.