Time Schedule:
Johanna Crane
BIS 300
Bothell Campus
Introduction to advanced work in interdisciplinary studies centered on broadly based questions and problems. Stresses the skills necessary to engage in upper-division research and learning in the Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences Program.
Class description
The purpose of BIS 300 is to introduce and orient students to upper-division work in the Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences program. It encourages students to take intellectual risks with the goal of improving their abilities to read closely, write and think critically, communicate clearly and creatively, research effectively, and work collaboratively. We will work closely with the staff in the library and the Writing Center. By doing so students will conclude the course acclimated to the rich variety of resources and support services available to them at UWB. Students should leave this course with a new awareness of their own role as not only consumers but also producers of knowledge.
In this section of BIS 300, we will use a use a variety of readings and films centered around the theme of "The Boundaries of the Human" as a springboard for motivating our own interdisciplinary research projects. Working in research clusters, students collaborate on a research agenda of their choosing and have the opportunity to present their findings several times throughout the quarter. Additional formal and informal writing assignments are required.
Student learning goals
To understand the concept of interdisciplinary knowledge production and the ways in which it underwrites all aspects of the IAS Program.
To become a better critical thinker and writer--one who is capable of posing, answering and reposing a variety of critical questions.
To become a better researcher--one who is able to use the resources at UWB and elsewhere both efficiently and effectively.
To become a better speaker--one who is able to communicate clearly and engagingly about complicated topics, arguments and issues.
To learn how to work well collaboratively, as both a learner and a researcher.
General method of instruction
The method of instruction for this course includes lecture, films, in-class student discussion and small group work.
Recommended preparation
There are no prerequisites. A curiosity about research and the ways in which knowledge is made is recommended. Also, due to the theme of this particular section, I recommend you have some interest in the concept of the human -- for example, how we define human vs. nonhuman; the boundary between human and animal or human and machine; questions of human rights and dehumanization, etc.
Class assignments and grading
The nature of assignments include formal and informal written assignments, class participation and student presentations. A final portfolio consisting of all assignments for the course is required.
