INTERDISCIPLINARY MINORS
MULTIDISCIPLINARY MINORS
CATALOGUE
Besides its traditional majors and minors, Allegheny offers an array
of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary minors which, along with
majors like Women's Studies and Environmental Studies, provide students
with the chance to pursue an integrative approach to their education.
In the best Liberal Arts tradition, interdisciplinary minors -- such
as American Studies, Arts and the Environment, and Health Studies --
feature a "synthesis" course, generally taken in the junior year. Such
courses encourage students to think more self-consciously and systematically
about how to interrelate various aspects of their overall course of
study. These seminars lead students to question their underlying theoretical
assumptions while gaining perspective on the various modes of thought
which constitute the Humanities, Social Sciences and Natural Sciences.
They also employ the various methods and techniques for making connections
among disciplines as diverse as literature, political science, medicine
and art.
Multidisciplinary minors such as Latin American and Caribbean Studies,
Medieval and Renaissance Studies, or Media Studies, though not anchored
by synthesis courses, nevertheless give students channels by which to
link classes with complementary subject matter from different departments.
Both sets of minors respond to the growing call, on the part of graduate
schools, professional schools, and employers for applicants who can
demonstrate not only a grounding in a particular discipline but the
ability to enter the larger conversation, and to relate their immediate
concerns to an increasingly complex and challenging information society.
Interdisciplinary minors help students choose and prepare for career
paths not projected by traditional majors or minors. A case in point
is Health Studies, which might lead a student toward a career in medical
ethics, health care law, or medical journalism.
