INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES (IDS)

This course challenges students to develop critical judgment about complex global justice issues like migration and climate change. Students will take advantage of the expertise and resources of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) as they learn more generally about a challenging social problem, and then consider how Catholic social teaching can help individuals and organizations formulate and implement potential solutions. Course content will be drawn from the annual CRS Faculty Learning Commons core theme and associated resources and will require students to gain a deep understanding of that year’s theme and the relevant humanitarian efforts of CRS. Students will work together on a major public advocacy project to education the campus and/or local community about the global issue and the work of Catholic Relief Services.

Thee capstone course for CSL minors, IDS 425, an independent study course, combines interdisciplinary readings, critical thinking and analysis, and community service. Students are encouraged to explore the connections between text and experience, between ideas and lived events. Students are engaged in 45 hours of community service throughout the semester. They pursue a research project of their choice. The culmination of the seminar is a research paper and a formal presentation.