Who We Are
The School of Interdisciplinary Studies (SIS) incorporates various interdisciplinary units in the College of Liberal Arts ranging from area studies, ethnic studies, to comparative studies. While each of our programs of study share the value of interdisciplinarity, our approaches range from multidisciplinary—in which people from different disciplines collaborate, interdisciplinary—in which knowledge and methods from different disciplines are integrated, to transdisciplinary—in which a new unity of intellectual frameworks are created beyond the originating disciplines. Despite this variation in approach, our units all recognize the need and value of interdisciplinary approaches to integrate and synthesize knowledge to provide a fuller understanding of a topic. The School of Interdisciplinary Studies is a community of faculty and students enjoying an environment of rigorous and innovative intellectual inquiry.
Elena Coda
Interim Head, School of Interdisciplinary Studies
What We Offer
We offer majors and minors in the following areas: African American Studies, American Studies, Global Studies, Jewish Studies, Linguistics, Religious Studies, and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Students may also minor in Asian American Studies, Critical Disability Studies, Islamic Studies, Latin American and Latino Studies, LGBTQ Studies, and Native American and Indigenous Studies.
The School of Interdisciplinary Studies is offers two graduate degrees and two graduate concentrations/certificates. American Studies and Linguistics offer MAs and PhDs. African American Studies and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies both offer graduate concentrations/certificates.
The School of Interdisciplinary Studies faculty include faculty housed within the school, jointly appointed with the school, and affiliated with programs within the school. Please visit our research page for more information regarding faculty expertise and our program pages for more information regarding particular interdisciplinary programs.
Our History
In February 2014, the Board of Trustees approved the new School of Interdisciplinary Studies in the College of Liberal Arts. Interdisciplinary programs included 442 under-graduate majors and minors and 119 graduate students, making it one of the college's largest academic areas.
The School of Interdisciplinary Studies (SIS) began with 15 interdisciplinary programs: African American Studies, American Studies, Asian Studies, Asian American Studies, Comparative Literature, Film & Video Studies, Global Studies, Jewish Studies, Latin American and Latino Studies, Linguistics, Medieval & Renaissance Studies, Peace Studies, Philosophy & Literature Ph.D. Program, Religious Studies, and Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies.
Three programs - American Studies, Comparative Literature, and Linguistics - offer Ph.D., M.A., and B.A. degrees. Eleven programs offer the undergraduate major or minor. In addition to the eleven programs a minor in Native American and Indigenous Studies was offered.
With the creation of the School, Associate Dean for Interdisciplinary Studies and Engagement, JoAnn Miller, assumed the role of head. Associate Dean Miller had envisioned a new unit encompassing all of the interdisciplinary studies programs in the College of Liberal Arts and worked doggedly to make that vision a reality. We lost her leadership, when she died suddenly on December 25, 2014. Susan Curtis, a previous Associate Dean for Interdisciplinary Studies and Engagement, served as interim head until January 2016 when Venetria Patton was selected to serve as head.
Since the school’s creation, we have continued to grow with the addition of Native American and Indigenous Studies and Critical Disability Studies as new programs as of fall 2016