Student-Designed Majors and Minors

A student-designed multidisciplinary major or minor must be liberal arts in spirit and content, must be comprised of at least three different departments and/or disciplines, must not duplicate an existing program, and must fall within the competence of the College faculty. The student prepares a formal application (available on the CIS website), in consultation with a relevant faculty advisor, demonstrating a coherent progression of study. The application must include a statement of intellectual rationale for the proposed field of study, an outline of courses already taken, and a complete plan of proposed courses. Students must consult with the Director of CIS and faculty sponsors based in departments related to the proposed major/minor. If the application is approved, the faculty sponsors and the CIS Director serve as an advisory committee responsible for approving changes in the major plan and giving guidance to the student undertaking the program. Students may design their major/minor from scratch, or use the faculty-designed plan that is required in certain programs. Multidisciplinary majors and minors require that integration of knowledge be an essential curricular goal. It is the responsibility of students and their faculty advisers to state explicitly how this goal will be met and how the student will demonstrate that it has been met.

Following are examples of student-designed majors or minors.  For additional examples, please visit the CIS website here.

Catholic Studies

Students plan a sequence of courses to develop an understanding of the intellectual tradition and social teaching of Catholicism. Towards this end they may take courses in philosophy, theology, history, art, literature, sociology, and other appropriate offerings. Such multidisciplinary study offers an opportunity to engage Catholicism comprehensively as a living faith expressed in a wide diversity of contexts and cultures. Major or minor.

Ethics, Society, and the Institution of Business (formerly Business, Ethics, and Society)

Explore the institution of business through an interdisciplinary lens. Building from a foundation in economics, accounting, and values, the minor in Ethics, Society, and the Institution of Business will guide you through coursework in a broad range of social science and humanities disciplines to address central questions about the role of business in a just and flourishing society.  

Business is one of the dominant institutions in contemporary society. Regardless of whether you will participate in business or simply live in a society deeply shaped by it, the interdisciplinary minor in Ethics, Society, and the Institution of Business will help you gain a deeper understanding of what it is, what it does, and what it could – and should – become. Minor only.

Medieval and Renaissance Studies

Students may focus a program of study on the cultural and political life of the pre-modern and early modern world. Spanning a period from the fourth to 17th centuries in Europe and the Mediterranean basin, an interdisciplinary study of this historical epoch offers a foundation for understanding the interaction of cultures and religious traditions. Major or minor.

Middle Eastern Studies

Middle Eastern Studies focuses on historical developments, political systems, cultural traditions, religious diversity, and domestic and foreign policy issues related to the region. Major or minor.

Rhetoric and Composition

The Rhetoric and Composition multidisciplinary minor has a faculty-designed template and supports students in developing effective communication in writing, speaking, and visual media, which will be beneficial throughout their academic career and beyond. Minor only.

Russian and Eastern European Studies

Guided by a faculty-designed template, students take courses in history, language, literature, and political science, in an attempt to analyze the distinctive traits of Russia and its people and/or the Eastern European countries that were formerly part of the Soviet Union or the Soviet sphere of influence. Major or minor.