Interdisciplinary Core
Course Descriptions
The Freshman Seminar courses are designed to engage students, at the very start of their university careers, in serious academic inquiry with an interdisciplinary focus. Within the content framework of investigating a significant topic or issue, the primary focus of Freshman Seminar courses is to help students begin to achieve a set of skills/abilities required for success at the university level and beyond. The topics of Freshman Seminar are set by the individual instructors and reflect a wide range of interdisciplinary concerns. Students are required to practice both critical and creative approaches to the individual seminar topic and to develop essential university-level abilities in oral and written communication.
These courses are designed to focus on an important issue connected with the history and nature of U.S. culture. Each course offering is studied through approaches provided by more than one discipline of thought. For example, a course on the American Family might involve working from a combination of sociological, psychological, and literary perspectives; a course on the U.S. Constitution might include the philosophical, political, and historical factors that contributed to its writing and character; and a course on the American Space Program might combine scientific and historical approaches. This course builds on and further develops the set of skills/abilities introduced in IDC.101, in part, by culminating with a final project that combines research and critical analysis and emphasizes the research component of the project.
This course may not be taken for elective credit by junior and senior level students. (Prerequisite: IDC.101 and sophomore status.)These courses are designed to provide students with strong interdisciplinary study of cultures beyond that of the United States. Each course offering is studied through approaches provided by more than one discipline of thought. For example, a course on Latin American Culture and Civilization might approach its subject through art, music, and history; another might combine the disciplines of theology, history, and art in studying the lives of St. Francis and St. Robert Bellarmine and the Italian culture that frames their work. This course builds on and further develops the set of skills/abilities introduced in IDC.101/200, culminating with a final project that combines research and critical analysis, emphasizing the critical analysis component of the project. (Prerequisite: IDC. 200 and junior status.)
The Senior Seminar is the capstone experience in the general education of a Bellarmine student. It has as its primary focus the development of students’ abilities to examine contemporary issues in a comprehensive and integrated way within a Catholic social justice perspective and a liberal arts and sciences context. Seniors from various disciplines come together in small groups with a faculty member to reflect on critical issues facing contemporary society, such as racism, economic and social justice, environmental concerns, national and international crises, and ethical issues arising from developments in science, medicine, and technology. Students are also expected to bring the knowledge and skills gained in their major fields of study and their other general education courses to the seminar as appropriate. (Prerequisite: IDC.301 and senior status.)