Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus
The B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies aligns with Cal Poly’s “Learn by Doing” mission and reflects a core value of the university by promoting interdisciplinary inquiry. The major is designed to empower students and challenges them to think critically about the assumptions and strategies underlying disciplines as part of developing their own interdisciplinary research or creative projects. Interdisciplinarity is about making creative links across boundaries, synthesizing wide-ranging perspectives, and challenging rigid classifications. The curricular structure for the IS degree provides an integrated, interdisciplinary, and individualized approach to student education. The program features a small number of core courses within the major. The goal of these core courses is to challenge students to be self-conscious and reflective about the integration of their disciplinary and interdisciplinary learning experiences. The bulk of the IS curriculum requires students to take courses across more than one discipline from multiple departments. But the structure of their course choices asks them to analyze, synthesize and harmonize links between disciplines, as opposed to staying within the boundaries of each discipline. This approach to curricular structure emphasizes a truly interdisciplinary, rather than multidisciplinary, educational experience. It also leads to a more individualized course of study that values an intentional, student-driven path through the program’s curriculum.
Concentrations
Ethics, Law, and Social Justice
Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus
This concentration is designed to foster critical inquiry into the dynamic interrelationships between ethics, legal institutions and social justice. Students will examine how historical and contemporary social forces influence the legal system and how law affects society. They will analyze and evaluate how personal and societal value systems, as well as identities and their intersections shape attitudes towards and treatment within the legal and judiciary systems.
Global Citizenship and Social Sustainability
Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus
Students in this concentration are challenged to conceptualize, understand and analyze issues of sustainability from social, cultural, and environmental perspectives in an increasingly globalized and interconnected world. The concentration asks students to reflect on the idea that long-term sustainability requires attention to social equity, cultural preservation, and economic development as well as to environmental stewardship.
Health and Society
Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus
Students pursuing this concentration will examine the social and societal dimensions of mental and physical health. They will investigate how gender, race, social class, sexuality and ethnicity shape health in both national and global contexts, as well as the political, ethical, environmental, cultural, and social influences on health and health institutions.
Science, Technology, and Society
Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus
In this concentration students investigate and analyze the complex relationships between science, technology, and society in an increasingly technical world. Students will identify, assess and develop solutions to complex problems transcending the traditional divide between the humanities and social sciences and scientific, technical and professional fields.
Visual, Media, and Cultural Studies
Offered at: San Luis Obispo Campus
Students pursuing this concentration will enhance their critical grasp of how art, media, and related forms of cultural production simultaneously shape and are shaped by our social and political worlds. They will apply interdisciplinary approaches to articulate, contextualize, and analyze how historical and contemporary developments in visual, media, and cultural studies have not only transformed individual experiences but also social relations and systems of power, privilege, and oppression. Gaining critical understanding of these complex and rapidly changing contexts requires the integration of history, theory, and practice with critical engagement from humanistic and social scientific perspectives.
Program Learning Objectives
- Identify and think critically about the assumptions, strategies, and potential biases underlying discipline-based and interdisciplinary inquiries.
- Conduct interdisciplinary research and/or engage in creative activities that incorporate and synthesize information, theory, and methodological approaches from more than one discipline in a culturally-competent way.
- Apply interdisciplinary approaches to understand, contextualize, and propose solutions to complex issues or problems, especially those relating to students’ emphasis areas.
- Communicate effectively both in writing and orally.
- Collaborate productively in pluralistic settings and with people of diverse experiences, identities, and worldviews.
- Make reasoned, ethical, and socially responsible decisions.
- Engage in self-motivated and self-directed learning, in order to become life-long learners.
- Employ the intellectual and practical skills necessary to create and engage with a more inclusive, just and equitable world.
Degree Requirements and Curriculum
In addition to the program requirements listed on this page, students must also satisfy requirements outlined in more detail in the Minimum Requirements for Graduation section of this catalog, including:
- 40 units of upper-division courses
- 2.0 GPA
- Graduation Writing Requirements (GWR)
- U.S. Cultural Pluralism (USCP)
Note: No Major or Support courses may be selected as credit/no credit. In addition, no more than 12 units of cooperative or internship courses can count towards your degree requirements
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| MAJOR COURSES | ||
| ISLA 1101 | Interdisciplinary Studies Major First Year Seminar | 1 |
| ISLA 2201 | Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies | 3 |
| ISLA 2255 | Introduction to Interdisciplinary Theory and Methods | 3 |
| ISLA 3355 | Interdisciplinary Research Methods | 4 |
| ISLA 4440 | Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies Seminar | 3 |
| ISLA 4460 & ISLA 4461 | Senior Project Seminar and Senior Project | 4 |
| ISLA 4480 | Career Preparation for Interdisciplinary Studies Majors | 1 |
| Introductory-level Interdisciplinary Course | ||
| Select from the following: | 3 | |
| Race, Culture, and Politics in the United States | ||
| United States Cultures | ||
| Comparative Social Movements | ||
| Introduction to Science, Technology, and Society | ||
| Introduction to Media Arts and Technologies | ||
| Mass Media in a Cross-Cultural Society | ||
| Media, Self and Society | ||
| Religion, Dialogue, and Society | ||
| Gender and Sexuality in US Society and Politics | ||
| Gender and Sexuality in Visual and Popular Culture | ||
| Upper-Division ISLA Courses | ||
| Select from the following: 1 | 6-8 | |
| Science Communication | ||
| Values and Technology | ||
| Public Engagements with STEM | ||
| Issues in Values, Media and Culture | ||
| Feminist Studies of Popular Culture and Whiteness | ||
| Media Arts and Technologies: Storytelling | ||
| Media Arts and Technologies: Cinematic Process | ||
| Independent Cinema and Film Festivals | ||
| The Global Environment | ||
| Community and Meaning-Filled Design | ||
| Advanced Project-Based Learning in Science, Technology & Society | ||
| Concentration | ||
| (See list of Concentrations below) 1 | 18 | |
| GENERAL EDUCATION (GE) | ||
| (See GE program requirements below) | 43 | |
| FREE ELECTIVES | ||
| Free Electives 2 | 29-31 | |
| Total Units | 120 | |
- 1
If a course is taken to meet a Major or Support requirement, it cannot be double-counted as an Elective for the concentration.
- 2
If a General Education (GE) course is used to satisfy a Major or Support requirement, additional units of Free Electives may be needed to complete the total units required for the degree.
Concentrations
Ethics, Law, and Social Justice
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| REQUIRED COURSES | ||
| Ethics | ||
| Select from the following: | 6 | |
| Technologies and Ethics of Warfare | ||
| Ethics | ||
| History of Ethics | ||
| Feminist Ethics, Gender, Sexuality and Society | ||
| Power, Alienation, and Political Life | ||
| Topics in Ethics and Political Philosophy | ||
| Law | ||
| Select from the following: | 6-8 | |
| Indigenous Peoples, International Law, and Policy | ||
| Copyright, Trademark, Patent, and Commercial Speech in Digital Media | ||
| Philosophy of Law | ||
| Jurisprudence | ||
| U.S. Constitutional Law | ||
| Feminist Legal Theory | ||
| Voting Rights and Representation | ||
| Forensic Psychology | ||
| Religion and Violence | ||
| Religion and Contemporary Values | ||
| Gender, Crime, and Violence | ||
| Social Justice | ||
| Select from the following: | 6-8 | |
| African American Genders and Sexualities | ||
| Critical Race Theory | ||
| Social Constructions of Whiteness | ||
| Civil Rights in the U.S. | ||
| Civil Liberties | ||
| Social Movements and Political Protest | ||
| U.S. Reproductive Politics | ||
| The Politics of Poverty | ||
| Religion, Gender, and Society | ||
| Contemporary Issues in Women's and Gender Studies | ||
| Contemporary Issues in Queer Studies | ||
| Total Units | 18 | |
Global Citizenship and Social Sustainability
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| REQUIRED COURSES | ||
| Ethnicity and Culture | ||
| Select from the following: | 3-4 | |
| Indigeneity and the Land | ||
| Cultures of the African Diaspora | ||
| Modern Middle East | ||
| Modern East Asia | ||
| A Cultural History of Southeast Asia | ||
| Modern Europe since 1914 | ||
| Modern Latin America | ||
| Global Race and Ethnic Relations | ||
| Humanities in Chicanx/Latinx Cultures | ||
| Global and Cross-Cultural Communication | ||
| Select from the following: | 3-4 | |
| Intercultural Communication | ||
| Intergroup Communication | ||
| Environmental Communication | ||
| Multilingual/Multimodal: Writing Transnational Spaces | ||
| Global Communication | ||
Select any 3000-4000 level CHIN, FR, GER, ITAL, JPNS, SPAN, or WLC courses | ||
| Global Political Economy | ||
| Select from the following: | 3 | |
| Political Violence and Conflict Resolution | ||
| Politics of Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality in the U.S. | ||
| Comparative Political Culture | ||
| Global Political Issues | ||
| Politics of Developing Areas | ||
| World Food Systems | ||
| Authoritarian and Democratic Rule | ||
| Technology and International Development | ||
| The Politics of Poverty | ||
| Sustainability and Global Environment | ||
| Select from the following: 1 | 3-4 | |
| Energy for a Sustainable Society | ||
| Geography of International Development | ||
| The Global Environment | ||
| Human Dimensions in Natural Resources Management | ||
| Social Dimensions of Sustainable Food Systems | ||
| Environmental Ethics | ||
| Energy, Society, and the Environment | ||
| Global Citizenship and Social Sustainability Electives | ||
| Select from the following: 1 | 6-8 | |
| Cities in a Global World | ||
| Gender, Race, Class, Nation: Critical Computing and Engineering Studies | ||
| Global Geography | ||
| East Asian Cultures and Civilizations | ||
| Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies Seminar | ||
| Indian Philosophy | ||
| Chinese and East Asian Philosophy | ||
| Environmental Psychology | ||
| Psychology of Conflict and Justice | ||
| Religions of Asia | ||
| Abrahamic Religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam | ||
| Religion and Politics in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict | ||
| Social Work, Social Advocacy, and Social Service Agencies | ||
| Social Movements | ||
| Social Stratification | ||
| Social Change | ||
| Feminist/Queer Transnational Studies | ||
| Humanities in World Cultures | ||
Select any course that was not taken to satisfy a requirement above | ||
| Total Units | 18 | |
- 1
If a course is taken to meet a Major or Support requirement, it cannot be double-counted as an Elective for the concentration.
Health and Society
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| REQUIRED COURSES | ||
| Environmental Health | ||
| Select from the following: 1 | 3-4 | |
| The Global Environment | ||
| Environmental Ethics | ||
| Indigeneity and the Land | ||
| Ethnicity, Culture, and the Environment in the United States | ||
| Environmental Psychology | ||
| Sociology of the Environment | ||
| Contemporary Issues in Women's and Gender Studies 2 | ||
| Gender, Race, Culture, and Health | ||
| Select from the following: 1 | 3-4 | |
| Queer Anthropology | ||
| Gender, Race, Culture, Science, and Technology | ||
| Issues in Values, Media and Culture | ||
| Psychology of Gender | ||
| Multicultural Psychology | ||
| Sociology of Gender and Sexuality | ||
| Contemporary Issues in Queer Studies | ||
| Feminist Theory | ||
| Health Systems | ||
| Select from the following: | 3-4 | |
| Genetic Engineering Technology | ||
| Drugs in Society | ||
| World Food Systems | ||
| U.S. Reproductive Politics | ||
| Medical Anthropology | ||
| Select from the following: | 3-4 | |
| Culture and Health | ||
| Sociology of the Life Course | ||
| Special Advanced Topics | ||
| Health and Society Electives | ||
| Select from the following: 1 | 6-8 | |
| Human Behavioral Ecology | ||
| Human Genetics | ||
| Biology of Cancer | ||
| Rhetorics of Science, Technology, and Medicine | ||
| Health Communication | ||
| Humanistic Perspectives in Technical and Professional Editing | ||
| Public Engagements with STEM | ||
| Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies Seminar | ||
| Biomedical Ethics | ||
| Psychology of Death | ||
| Psychology of Aging | ||
| Health Psychology | ||
| Behavioral Genetics | ||
| Cross-Cultural International Psychology | ||
| Cognitive Neuroscience | ||
| Spiritual Extremism: Asceticism, Mysticism, and Madness | ||
| Sociology of the Life Course | ||
Select any course that was not taken to satisfy a requirement above | ||
| Total Units | 18 | |
- 1
If a course is taken to meet a Major or Support requirement, it cannot be double-counted as an Elective for the concentration.
- 2
Topic courses require department approval. Please contact department for a list of approved topics.
Science, Technology, and Society
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| REQUIRED COURSES | ||
| Gender, Race, Culture, Science, and Technology | ||
| Select from the following: 1 | 3-4 | |
| Meaning, Gender, and Identity in Anthropological Theory | ||
| Gender, Race, Culture, Science, and Technology | ||
| Gender, Race, Class, Nation: Critical Computing and Engineering Studies | ||
| Issues in Values, Media and Culture | ||
| Community and Meaning-Filled Design | ||
| Sociology of the Environment | ||
| Contemporary Issues in Women's and Gender Studies | ||
| Contemporary Issues in Queer Studies | ||
| Philosophy of Science and Technology | ||
| Select from the following: | 3 | |
| Philosophy of Science | ||
| Philosophy of Technology | ||
| Ethics, Science, and Technology | ||
| Robot Ethics | ||
| Technologies and Ethics of Warfare | ||
| Environmental Ethics | ||
| Science Communication | ||
| Select from the following: 1 | 3-4 | |
| Technology and Human Communication | ||
| Environmental Communication | ||
| Science Communication | ||
| Rhetorics of Science, Technology, and Medicine | ||
| Health Communication | ||
| Humanistic Perspectives in Technical and Professional Editing | ||
| Public Engagements with STEM | ||
| Communicating Ocean Sciences to Informal Audiences | ||
| Science, Technology, and Society Electives | ||
| Select from the following: 1 | 9-12 | |
| The Global Environment | ||
| Energy for a Sustainable Society | ||
| Climate and Humanity | ||
| The Scientific Revolution: 1500-1800 | ||
| History of Network and Information Technologies | ||
| Science and Society in the Cold War United States | ||
| Values and Technology | ||
| Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies Seminar | ||
| Advanced Project-Based Learning in Science, Technology & Society | ||
| Technology and Public Policy | ||
| Energy, Society, and the Environment | ||
| Language, Technology and Society | ||
Select any course that was not taken to satisfy a requirement above | ||
| Total Units | 18 | |
- 1
If a course is taken to meet a Major or Support requirement, it cannot be double-counted as an Elective for the concentration.
Visual, Media, and Cultural Studies
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| REQUIRED COURSES | ||
| Art, Dance, Music, and Theatre | ||
| Select from the following: | 3 | |
| History and Contemporary Practices of Photography | ||
| Intersectional Feminist Art Histories | ||
| Cultural Influence on Dance in the United States | ||
| Music and Society | ||
| Diversity in U.S. Theatre | ||
| Global Theatre and Performance | ||
| Literature | ||
| Select from the following: | 3 | |
| Women Writers of the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries | ||
| Multiethnic Literature of the U.S. | ||
| African American Literature | ||
| Asian American Literature | ||
| Trans Literatures | ||
| Topics in Diversity in Twentieth- and Twenty-First Century US Literature | ||
| French Literature in English Translation | ||
| German Literature | ||
| German Literature in English Translation | ||
| Literary Works in Spanish | ||
| Chicanx/Latinx Works in Spanish | ||
| Hispanic Literature in English Translation | ||
| Chicanx/Latinx Works in English | ||
| Advanced Literary Studies in Spanish | ||
| Don Quijote | ||
| Literatures in World Cultures | ||
| Popular Culture | ||
| Select from the following: 1 | 3-4 | |
| Critical Cultural Studies and Communication | ||
| Media Effects | ||
| Media Criticism | ||
| Film Styles and Genres | ||
| Film Directors | ||
| Topics on Gender Representations in Film | ||
| World Cinema | ||
| Hip-Hop, Poetics, and Politics | ||
| Beyonce: Race, Feminism, and Politics | ||
| Cultural Production and Ethnicity | ||
| Issues in Values, Media and Culture | ||
| Sports, Media, and United States Popular Culture | ||
| Spanish and Latin American Film | ||
| Contemporary Issues in Women's and Gender Studies | ||
| Contemporary Issues in Queer Studies | ||
| Seminar in Women's, Gender, and Queer Studies | ||
| World Cultures through Film | ||
| Technology and Human Expression | ||
| Select from the following: 1 | 3-4 | |
| Technology and Human Communication | ||
| History of Network and Information Technologies | ||
| Values and Technology | ||
| Media Arts and Technologies: Storytelling | ||
| Media Arts and Technologies: Cinematic Process | ||
| Introduction to Music Technology and Composition | ||
| Sound Art and Advanced Production Techniques | ||
| Language, Technology and Society | ||
| Visual, Media, and Cultural Studies Electives | ||
| Select from the following: 1 | 6-8 | |
| Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies Seminar | ||
Select any course that was not taken to satisfy a requirement listed above | ||
| Total Units | 18 | |
- 1
If a course is taken to meet a Major or Support requirement, it cannot be double-counted as an Elective for the concentration.
General Education (GE) Requirements
- 43 units required.
- See the complete GE course listing.
- A grade of C- or better is required in one course in each of the following GE Areas: 1A (English Composition), 1B (Critical Thinking), 1C (Oral Communication), and 2 (Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning).
| Lower-Division General Education | ||
| Area 1 | English Communication and Critical Thinking | |
| 1A | Written Communication | 3 |
| 1B | Critical Thinking | 3 |
| 1C | Oral Communication | 3 |
| Area 2 | Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning | |
| 2 | Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning | 3 |
| Area 3 | Arts and Humanities | |
| 3A | Arts | 3 |
| 3B | Humanities: Literature, Philosophy, Languages other than English | 3 |
| Area 4 | Social and Behavioral Sciences (Area 4 courses must come from at least two different course prefixes.) | |
| 4A | American Institutions (Title 5, Section 40404 Requirement) | 3 |
| 4B | Social and Behavioral Sciences | 3 |
| Area 5 | Physical and Life Sciences | |
| 5A | Physical Sciences | 3 |
| 5B | Life Sciences | 3 |
| 5C | Laboratory (may be embedded in a 5A or 5B course) | 1 |
| Area 6 | Ethnic Studies | |
| 6 | Ethnic Studies | 3 |
| Upper-Division General Education | ||
| Upper-Division 2/5 | Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning or Physical and Life Sciences | 3 |
| Upper-Division 3 | Arts and Humanities | 3 |
| Upper-Division 4 | Social and Behavioral Sciences (Area 4 courses must come from at least two different course prefixes.) | 3 |
| Total Units | 43 | |