Interdisciplinary Studies (IDST)

IDST 101. Interdisciplinary Explorations. 1 Hour.

Semester course; 1 lecture hour (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 1 credit. Enrollment is restricted to students in the interdisciplinary studies major. The course is designed to help first-year students in the interdisciplinary studies program learn about interdisciplinarity as an academic approach, determine their own individualized interdisciplinary field and work toward finalizing a path of study. The course affords students the opportunity to explore both the interdisciplinary tools available at VCU, and what they want to accomplish through their education.

IDST 160. Introduction to Mixed and Immersive Reality Studies. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. This course will familiarize students with the interdisciplinary history, theory, practice and future of mixed, immersive, virtual and augmented realities. It will examine how various disciplines integrate to understand and create mixed reality, including arts, technology, humanities and social sciences. The course will help students articulate how mixed reality applies to their lives, majors, chosen careers and communities, and it will help them to navigate the fundamental questions and technical literacy of the emerging field. Students will gain hands-on, collaborative experience building virtual, interactive environments. No previous technical experience is necessary.

IDST 191. Interdisciplinary Special Topics. 1-3 Hours.

Semester course; 1-3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 1-3 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of nine credits. An introductory, detailed study of a selected interdisciplinary topic unavailable as an existing course. If multiple topics are offered, students may elect to take more than one.

IDST 291. Interdisciplinary Special Topics. 1-3 Hours.

Semester course; 1-3 lecture hours- (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 1-3 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of nine credits. A detailed study of a selected interdisciplinary topic unavailable as an existing course. If multiple topics are offered, students may elect to take more than one.

IDST 301. Interdisciplinary Theory and Practice. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. Enrollment is restricted to students in the University College's Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies program. This course will familiarize students with the history, theory and practice of interdisciplinarity. It is a core component of the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies curriculum and provides an overview of the integrative intellectual pursuit that is interdisciplinary studies. This course immerses students in the breadth of interdisciplinary synthesis and integration of research methods appropriate to their area of interdisciplinary study.

IDST 303. Interdisciplinarity in the Professional World. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. This course provides an overview of strategies for academic success and career-readiness within the context of interdisciplinarity in the 21st-century university and professional world. Students will leverage the work they are doing in their focus areas as they begin to explore or refine their pre-professional interests and goals. Students will research specific interdisciplinary intellectual preparation and professional skills and expectations aligned with the goals.

IDST 305. Interdisciplinary Social Innovation. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. This course provides students with the opportunity to learn about community issues through service to and partnerships with organizations that further social causes. Students will form interdisciplinary teams to design projects for these organizations to bring sustainable change to the community. The course emphasizes design thinking and leadership development and foregrounds skills for collaborative problem-solving and project management.

IDST 307. ENGAGING RICHMOND. 3 Hours.

IDSY 307 Engaging Richmond Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. The course will guide students in exploring the history, geography, demographics, community assets, and community-identified needs of the city of Richmond as foundational for effective civic and community engagement in Richmond. Using the concept of transgenerational trauma, students will examine significant events in Richmond’s history and connect those events to current social issues in areas such as education, housing, healthcare and poverty. The course also encourages and requires students to visit significant sites in the Richmond community.

IDST 360. Mixed and Immersive Reality Studies Synthesis. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: IDST 160. Enrollment is restricted to students in the mixed and immersive reality studies minor. This course is designed to help students in the minor evaluate and synthesize distinct conceptual, methodological and disciplinary approaches to mixed, immersive, virtual and augmented realities. Through the guided, process-driven creation of a project, students will collaborate to apply learning and skills acquired in the minor’s course work to produce new knowledge or solutions in studying, utilizing or designing mixed and immersive reality. This course will help students apply interdisciplinary thinking, collaboration and problem-solving to XR spaces, components, capabilities and technologies, emphasizing their work’s relationship to their lives, majors, chosen careers and communities.

IDST 370. Practical AI Synthesis. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Enrollment is restricted to students in the practical AI minor. The course is designed to help students in the practical AI minor evaluate and synthesize distinct conceptual, methodological and disciplinary approaches to artificial intelligence. Through the guided, process-driven creation of a project, students will collaborate to apply learning and skills acquired in the minor’s coursework to produce new knowledge or solutions in studying, utilizing or designing artificial intelligence. The course will help students apply interdisciplinary thinking, collaboration and problem solving to AI applications, components, capabilities and technologies, emphasizing their work’s relationship to their lives, majors, chosen careers and communities.

IDST 391. Interdisciplinary Special Topics. 1-3 Hours.

Semester course; 1-3 lecture hours. 1-3 credits. May be repeated with different topics for a maximum of 12 credits. Specialized topics in interdisciplinary subjects not provided by an existing course or program.

IDST 450. Career Readiness Synthesis. 1 Hour.

Semester course; 1 lecture hour. 1 credit. Enrollment is restricted to students who have completed 14 hours of course work required for the interdisciplinary career readiness skills minor, who are enrolled in the interdisciplinary studies major or by permission of the program. This course enables students to reflect upon the courses and co-curricular experiences they have completed through the ICRS minor and serves as the capstone course for the minor. Students will explore how those courses and experiences have helped them develop the skills and competencies needed for post-graduation employment, and they will synthesize evidence of those skills into an eportfolio to share with potential employers and graduate/professional programs.

IDST 452. Interdisciplinary Career Learning Synthesis. 1 Hour.

Semester course; 1 lecture hour (delivered online). 1 credit. Enrollment is restricted to students in the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies program. This course will help students in the B.I.S. program reflect on how their career and prior learning experiences have led to skill development worthy of college credit. They will study: principles and methods related to assessing college-level study outside of the classroom and in interdisciplinary spaces; NACE career competencies and their relationship to interdisciplinary learning and work; and portfolio development, including reflection and argumentation. Students will use this knowledge to develop a portfolio that demonstrates proficiency in 1-6 NACE career competencies of their choosing. This portfolio may then be sent to a panel of interdisciplinary faculty who may approve the student for 1-6 credits in IDST 455 based on their successful demonstration of proficiency. Students may not use credit for this course toward their interdisciplinary studies focus area. Credit earned through the subsequent portfolio evaluation course may, however, be considered for focus area inclusion.

IDST 455. Interdisciplinary Career Learning. 1-6 Hours.

Semester course; 0 contact hours. 1-6 credits. Prerequisite: IDST 452. Enrollment is restricted to students in the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies program. This course will enable students in the B.I.S. program to receive college credit for prior learning experiences and interdisciplinary career skills. Students who have completed the prerequisite may submit their portfolio to a panel of interdisciplinary faculty. Based on the successful demonstration of competencies (one successfully demonstrated competency equals one credit hour, and so on), students may earn 1-6 credits. If the panel does not approve credit(s), students may appeal the decision. Credit earned through this course may be considered for focus area inclusion.

IDST 492. Independent Study. 1-3 Hours.

Semester course; 1-3 independent study hours. 1-3 credits. May be repeated for credit. This course is designed to provide upper-level B.I.S. students the opportunity to explore and investigate a complex interdisciplinary problem or area of research beyond available curricular offerings. Students must discuss their specific interest with the interdisciplinary studies faculty adviser, secure an approved faculty mentor and complete the independent study proposal form (with their faculty mentor) prior to receiving an override for course registration.

IDST 493. Internship. 1-3 Hours.

Semester course; 1-3 field experience hours. 1-3 credits (50 field site contact hours per credit). May be repeated for credit with different internships for a maximum of nine credits. Enrollment is restricted to interdisciplinary studies students who have completed 24 credits in their focus areas, earned junior or senior status and obtained approval of placement site from their faculty adviser. The internship is designed to help B.I.S. students have a real-world learning experience that will help move them in the direction of their desired future career. It is intended to provide opportunities for the student to apply classroom knowledge and acquire professional skills. The internship site(s) selected must be compatible with one or more of the focus areas of the student’s major and should help to build skills toward a future professional or academic path of interest to them.

IDST 499. BIS Senior Capstone. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. Concurrent prerequisite: IDST 301. Enrollment is restricted to students in the BIS-INS program who have senior standing and have completed 18 hours in their focus area. The course is designed to help students in the interdisciplinary studies program evaluate and synthesize the theoretical, methodological and substantive issues discovered during the coursework in their chosen academic areas of focus. Through the guided creation of a comprehensive senior capstone project, students will synthesize and apply their interdisciplinary knowledge in innovative ways, employing the modes of communication essential to their chosen fields. Activities are designed to aid in the application of interdisciplinary theory to complex problems and to build an intellectual community among interdisciplinary students. The individual projects aim to clarify each student’s unique field, both for the student and for future employers, graduate schools and/or stakeholders.

IDST 597. Interdisciplinary Research Methods. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Enrollment is restricted to students enrolled in the Master of Interdisciplinary Studies program and by permission of the graduate program director. An exploration of interdisciplinary research methodologies and the theories that undergird integrative graduate research work. The course culminates in the creation of a proposal for the student’s final research project.

IDST 697. Directed Study. 3,6 Hours.

Semester course; 3 or 6 independent study hours. 3 or 6 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of six credits. Prerequisite: IDST 597. Enrollment is restricted to students enrolled in the Master of Interdisciplinary Studies program and by permission of the graduate program director. A final directed research study for the M.I.S. capstone project culminating in a synthesis of the academic focus areas of the student's M.I.S. curriculum plan. Students must receive a grade of A or B.