The MA in interdisciplinary studies is for students who seek a master's degree that integrates knowledge from several disciplines. It addresses the rapidly evolving demand for unique graduate study by promoting advanced scholarship that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries. Students can pursue one of the following structured interdisciplinary concentrations and also have the opportunity to design an individualized concentration to meet the special needs of their careers.
The MAIS in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Energy and Sustainability is a Green Leaf program.
The University Catalog is the authoritative source for information on program requirements and courses. The Schedule of Classes is the authoritative source for information on classes scheduled for this semester. See the Schedule for the most up-to-date information and see Patriot web to register for classes. Requirements may be different for earlier catalog years. See the University Catalog archives.
Total credits: 36
This is a Green Leaf program.
Students should be aware of the specific policies associated with this program, located on the Admissions & Policies tab.
Students pursuing this degree must successfully complete 36 credits of graduate coursework in one of the concentrations which follow. Students must submit a curriculum worksheet that has been approved by their concentration head and the director. All students complete their work in the program with a project or thesis.
The social justice and human rights concentration is designed to cultivate a deep theoretical understanding of the social, political, cultural, historical, and economic implications of a wide array of social injustices and human rights issues. Students are engaged in the applied process of imagining and actualizing holistic and complex strategies for creating and sustaining a more equitable, just, and humane world.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MAIS 796 | MAIS ProSeminar | 1 |
| Total Credits | 1 | |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Foundational Course | ||
| INTS 540 | Contemporary Issues in Social Justice Human Rights | 3 |
| Social Justice and Human Rights Courses | ||
| INTS 537 | Critical Race Studies | 3 |
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
|
WMST 602
|
Queer Theory | |
| Feminist Theories across the Disciplines | ||
| Social Justice and Human Rights Issues and Movements | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3 | |
|
EDUC 892
|
Social Justice and Equity in International Education | |
| Access and Social Justice | ||
| Animal Rights: Issues and Movements | ||
|
INTS 538
|
Representations of Race | |
| Racial and Ethnic Relations: American and Selected Global Perspectives | ||
| Gender, Sexuality, and Disability | ||
|
WMST 508
|
Gender, Sexuality, and Human Rights | |
|
other relevant course chosen in consultation with the concentration head
|
||
| Total Credits | 12 | |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select 6 credits of courses with an emphasis on a specific social justice or human rights issue or context or a specific region, chosen in consultation with the concentration head. The theme of the emphasis courses should be reflected in the student's experiential learning project. 1 | 6 | |
| Total Credits | 6 | |
| 1 |
Examples of issue emphases include racial justice, human trafficking, or children's rights. Context emphases examples include the education, corporate, or government sector. Regional emphases examples include the Middle East, Latin America, or Southeast Asia. |
Students will seek out and/or create an opportunity for experiential learning that deepens their understanding of social justice and/or human rights. Experiential learning opportunities can include internships, service-learning, consulting projects, and field studies or research (including overseas). The experiential learning requirement should be met through an opportunity that advances the student's understanding of their chosen emphasis. Because the intention is to develop and apply newly acquired skills, students may not use work done previously or their current employment to fulfill this requirement. All experiential learning projects must be approved by the social justice and human rights concentration head in the semester before registering for the course. Students may register for an individualized section of MAIS 795 Experiential Learning or another graduate-level internship or practicum course to fulfill this requirement.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MAIS 795 | Experiential Learning | 3 |
| Total Credits | 3 | |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Students complete 6 or 9 elective credits from the following or other relevant courses chosen in consultation with the concentration head. Students who do a project for the capstone will complete 9 credits. Students who do a thesis for their capstone will complete 6 credits. | 6-9 | |
| Culture, Power, and Conflict | ||
| Climate Change and Sustainability Communication Campaigns | ||
| Special Topics in Communication 1 | ||
|
CONF 658
|
Diversity and Difference in Conflict Analysis and Resolution | |
|
CONF 682
|
Principles of Environmental Conflict Resolution | |
|
CONF 702
|
Peace Studies | |
|
CONF 707
|
Gender and Violence | |
|
CONF 708
|
Identity and Conflict | |
|
CONF 720
|
Ethnic and Cultural Factors in Conflict Resolution | |
|
CONF 721
|
Conflict and Race | |
|
CONF 723
|
Conflict and Gender | |
|
CONF 728
|
Human Rights Theory and Practice in Comparative Perspective | |
|
CONF 730
|
Structural Sources of Conflict | |
|
EDUC 537
|
Introduction to Culturally Linguistically Diverse Learners | |
|
EDUC 606
|
Education and Culture | |
|
EDUC 797
|
Advanced Topics in Education 2 | |
|
EDUC 874
|
The Achievement Gap | |
|
EDUC 886
|
School Reform in the United States: Politics and Policies | |
|
EDUC 887
|
Neighborhood, Community, Education Policy | |
|
EDUC 892
|
Social Justice and Equity in International Education | |
|
EDUC 894
|
Seminar in Multicultural Education | |
| Special Topics in the History and Criticism of Children's Literature 3 | ||
|
EVPP 637
|
Human Dimensions of Climate Change | |
|
GOVT 727
|
Restorative Justice | |
| Diversity in Higher Education | ||
| Access and Social Justice | ||
| Special Topics in Higher Education 4 | ||
| Problems in American History 5 | ||
| Animal Rights: Issues and Movements | ||
|
INTS 538
|
Representations of Race | |
| Experiential Learning 6 | ||
|
NUTR 594
|
Special Topics in Nutrition and Food Studies 7 | |
| Environmental Ethics | ||
|
PUAD 642
|
Environmental Policy | |
|
PUAD 649
|
Advocacy and Lobbying | |
|
PUBP 762
|
Social Institutions and Public Policy | |
|
PUBP 765
|
Human Smuggling and Trafficking | |
| Islam and Human Rights | ||
| Racial and Ethnic Relations: American and Selected Global Perspectives | ||
| International Migration in the Age of Globalization | ||
| Special Topics in Sociology 8 | ||
| Social Networks, New Media, and Inequality | ||
| Institutions and Inequality | ||
| Sociology of Human Rights | ||
|
SOCW 652
|
Influencing Social Policy | |
|
SOCW 654
|
Social Policy for Children and Youth | |
|
SOCW 663
|
Global Human Rights Policy | |
|
SOCW 687
|
Empowering Communities for Change | |
| Gender, Sexuality, and Disability | ||
| Gender and Violence in Social Institutions | ||
|
WMST 507
|
Transnational Sexualities | |
|
WMST 508
|
Gender, Sexuality, and Human Rights | |
|
WMST 509
|
Gender, Sexuality, and International Migration | |
| Policing Black Bodies | ||
| Current Topics in Women and Gender Studies 9 | ||
| Special Topics 10 | ||
| Feminist Theories across the Disciplines | ||
| Transnational and Global Feminisms | ||
| Total Credits | 6-9 | |
| 1 |
When topic is New Media and Democracy. |
| 2 |
When topic is Gender, Education, and Schooling |
| 3 |
When topic is Disability in Children's Literature. |
| 4 |
When topic is Contemporary and Critical Social Theories. |
| 5 |
When topic is Gender and Racial Ideology in Jim Crow. |
| 6 |
Chosen in consultation with concentration head. |
| 7 |
When topic is Urban Agriculture. |
| 8 |
When topic is Women and Global Issues. |
| 9 |
When topic is Women, Law, and Justice. |
| 10 |
When topic is Narratives of Human Rights: Violations Against Women and Girls. |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select one course from the following | 3 | |
| Interdisciplinary Research Methods | ||
| Research Designs in Higher Education | ||
| Feminist Approaches to Social Research | ||
| Feminist Research Practice | ||
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MAIS 797 | Interdisciplinary Studies Proposal | 1 |
| Total Credits | 1 | |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select one from the following: | 1-4 | |
| Interdisciplinary Studies Project (take 1 credit) | ||
| Interdisciplinary Studies Thesis (take 4 credits) | ||
| Total Credits | 1-4 | |