History Of Interdisciplinary Studies Assignment
Your textbook discusses the history of interdisciplinary studies in the university environment. In doing so, it illustrates how cultural and educational challenges drive the need to become more disciplinary or more interdisciplinary over time.
What is true of universities in general is also true of specific universities such as Oakland University. The cultural, political, and educational events occurring in the United States also occur in Michigan and affect the policy decisions and curriculum of Michigan universities.
For this homework assignment, you will use the information in your assigned readings and lecture material to examine how the history of interdisciplinary studies at Oakland University reflects cultural/societal influences and pressures on higher education.
Because Oakland University is a relatively young university (founded in 1959), your assignment will focus on the historical influences in the latter half of the twentieth century.
Because the purpose of LBS 100 course is to introduce you to the various disciplinary areas, perspectives and methods, your homework assignments are designed to give your practice taking various disciplinary perspectives on an issue.
The first disciplinary area we are exploring is the Visual and Performing Arts, so your first homework assignment requires you to view a problem from the perspective of the Visual and Performing Arts by using the methods of that area to respond to the assignment.
Assignment Specifics and Illustrative Examples
For your assignment, you will explain how the programs, departments, majors/minors and concentrations offered at Oakland University from 1959 to the present reflect the societal and cultural pressures on interdisciplinary education.
For example, after WWII, interdisciplinary activity flourished which was reflected in the creation of interdisciplinary education programs (e.g., Inter-Arts program at San Francisco State University) and hybrid science majors (e.g., biophysics) in the 1950’s.
Oakland University was founded in 1959. Did the course catalog and the first departments and programs in the College of Arts and Sciences reflect the increase in interdisciplinary activity in the rest of the United States?
Your response for this assignment needs to take the form of a product of the Visual and Performing Arts.
For example, you could:
Explain the correspondences in a song (or even create lyrics to the tune of an existing song) and turn in your song or the lyrics to the song as your assignment.
Create a Prezi presentation.
Dance (or have others dance) your response.
Draw or paint a picture (analog or digital).
Write a short script for a play.
Create cartoons or a comic.
Guidelines and Resources
Feel free to be creative with how you complete this assignment and don’t become overly concerned about your execution of the assignment. I realize that you will have had little practice completing assignments in this way and will grade accordingly. The most important component of your assignment is that you identify how the development of the curriculum at OU over the last 40 years reflects the societal pressures and educational philosophy of the time.
Because you may choose to complete your assignment using a medium that is not necessarily verbal, it is perfectly acceptable to incorporate enough words into your response that I understand the connections you are making. Alternately, you could provide me with a written/recorded explanation of how to interpret the connections you symbolized in your assignment.
The following resources can be used to help you complete your assignment:
Readings & Lecture:
OU History Resources
Please come to me with any questions you have about how to complete the assignment, implement the assignment, the level of detail or components needed to include in the assignment or how to turn in the assignment.