IDS 102 Art and Culture (4)
A study of the ways that the arts represent major cultural changes focusing on non-western cultures. Several art forms (literature, performing, or visual arts) will be studied as they mirror social history. Emphasis falls on the appreciation and understanding of each art and its cultural context, with some comparison of the traditions of other-World and West. Students may also engage in some hands-on experience with these art forms. Specific topics may vary. A reading and writing intensive seminar course; meets the Other World Civilization SUNY General Education Requirement.
IDS 103 Science, Technology, and Human Values (4)
An exploration of the interrelationships between science and technology and their social and cultural contexts. This course is a topics-based investigation that introduces students to a multi-disciplinary examination of a specific topic with the goal of developing an integrated, coherent, and well-rounded understanding of both that topic and the value of interdisciplinary inquiry. Possible topics include health and illness, food, transportation, energy, information, and other subjects. A reading and writing intensive seminar class; meets the Humanities SUNY General Education Requirement.
IDS 201 Perspectives on Knowledge (4)
A critical and comparative analysis of different ways of knowing focusing on the western tradition with some cross-cultural comparisons. Begins by analyzing different ways humans have sought to know the truth, and by comparing and contrasting formal, universal ways of knowing with practical, experience-based, problem-oriented ways of knowing. The resulting understanding of knowledge provides the foundation for students to develop their own perspectives on knowledge. A reading and writing intensive seminar class; meets the Western Civilization SUNY General Education Requirement.
IDS 203 Introduction to Science, Technology, and Society (4)
Explores the humanistic and social dimensions of science and technology by looking at the interactions and interrelationships among science, technology, and society. We will explore: 1) the practice of science and technology to understand how scientific and technological work are conducted as creative and human enterprises; 2) how science and technology are shaped by different social and economic forces; 3) the impact of science and technology on society; 4) ethical issues related to science and technology.
IDS 204 Understanding Human Nature (4)
Examines human nature from a wide variety of disciplinary perspectives including philosophy, religion, psychology, sociology, biology, and literature. It also includes an examination of the implications of the relationships between humans and technology for our understanding of human nature. Meets the General Education Humanities requirement.
IDS 220 Creativity and Culture (4)
An introduction to the concepts and practices of creative activity in contemporary society. The course will explore both ideas and processes of creativity across multiple contexts, domains, and genres (e.g. fine arts, folk and popular arts, craft, design) with a focus on understanding the cultural contexts and processes of creativity. Students will engage in hands-on creative activities in different genres as well as reflect upon the aesthetic and practical dimensions of these experiences in order to appreciate and critically engage the goals, purposes, and processes of creative activities. Meets The Arts SUNY General Education Requirement.
IDS 301 Monsters, Robots, Cyborgs (4)
What is the significance of the troubling figures – the monsters, robots, and cyborgs – that haunt our collective imagination? In this course students will examine the monstrous figures and technological bodies that populate the cultural landscape, interpreting them within their social, historical, cultural, political, and intellectual contexts. Approached in this manner, we will explore how these figures reveal our anxieties about the world—anxieties about the social, political, moral, and technological orders that organize our world—and how we fit (and do not fit) within these structures and systems. Meets the General Education Humanities requirement.
IDS 302 Postmodernism and Popular Culture (4)
Begins with a foundational overview of major theories of Postmodernism from interdisciplinary perspectives (e.g. philosophy, sociology, psychology, history, anthropology, literary studies, political science). Students will then read, discuss and apply knowledge from more specialized scholarship that discusses some popular cultural practices and artifacts. Assignments include readings, discussion, quizzes, formal and informal writing, presentations, and a midterm and/or final exam. Topics may include: film, television, celebrity, technology, social networking, and self-publishing (blogs, wikis, etc.). Fulfills the General Education Humanities requirement.
IDS 303 The Body in Western Thought and Culture (4)
An examination of how the human body is conceptualized and represented in western thought and culture. Whereas the role of mind and intellect holds the privileged position in the western tradition, the human body, in its corporeality, materiality and mortality is the source of vexing problems. Yet it is impossible to understand either human existence or human experience without addressing our existence as embodied beings. This course will explore how the body and its problems are thought, addressed, and represented in western thought and culture. Topics may include the mind/body dualism, society and the body, and intersections of sex, gender, class, and race as they converge over the body.
IDS 304 Technology in American History (4)
A lecture and reading and writing intensive course in American History organized around the theme of technology. History is the understanding of change over time. As such, this course focuses on technology as a central organizing theme to study changes that have happened in America. We will do so by exploring the interrelationships and interactions among technology and the changing political, economic, social, intellectual and cultural contexts in America. As a result, students can become thoughtful analysts of technology in context. Cross-listed with HIS 304.
IDS 306 Science and Technology in World History (4)
An analysis of the histories of science and technology in the context of the broad outlines of world history and the history of western civilization. As such, this course is an exploration of the interrelationships and interactions among technology, different forms of knowledge about nature, and their political, economic, social, intellectual, and cultural contexts. That exploration will lay the foundation for a cross-cultural comparison of science and technology in the West and in other civilizations to analyze the significance of western science and technology’s dominance. Lectures will supplement the text, and will cover themes and issues important to understand the changes that occurred in the histories of science and technology. May not be taken for credit by students who previously took and passed HIS 307. Meets new General Education Western Civilization and Other World Civilizations requirements, or can be used to meet Humanities requirement. Cross-listed with HIS 306.
IDS 311 Humor and Comedy in Society (4)
Beyond being funny, the ways we generate, receive and consume comedy affects the way we view and participate in the world around us. Comedy helps us function in the world, and it shapes the way we perceive things on personal, political and social levels. Laughing at others and ourselves allows us to gain and withhold power, and as such a study of comedy is valuable to understanding aspects of the genre such as aggression, compliance, and transgression. IDS 311 offers a study of comedy from a variety of perspectives (e.g. philosophy, sociology, psychology, history, anthropology, literary studies, political science, and linguistics). Artifacts of study may include film, television, written texts, and radio. Topics of study may include gender and sexuality, ethnicity, political satire, and religious humor. Meets the General Education Humanities requirement. For IDS majors, this course partially fulfills the Cultural Analysis and Interpretation Area of Inquiry.
IDS 375 Gender Issues in World History (4)
An examination of how gender roles have shaped the experiences of diverse men and women in a range of human societies worldwide, and how those roles have affected experiences of cultural interaction among societies in modern and recent history. Using historical monographs and primary sources, students will employ critical reading and writing skills to gain in-depth knowledge of these experiences and of trends in the field of gender history that can guide independent inquiry. Fulfills the SUNY General Education requirement in Other World Civilizations. Cross-listed with HIS 375.
IDS 380 Critical Perspectives on Digital Society (4)
Exposes students to a range of critical/cultural theories and approaches to the study of new media, including those allied to medium theory, cultural studies, political economy of communication, ideological inquiry, globalization and commercialism. Students will explore multiple theorists/theoretical positions in depth. Cross-listed with COM 380.
IDS 390 Selected Topics in Interdisciplinary Studies (Variable 4)
A selected topic explored in depth from an interdisciplinary perspective. Students may receive credit for taking the course more than once provided the course has a different topic.
IDS 400 Prominent Themes in Western Civilization Since the Renaissance (4)
A reading and writing intensive course that examines the central themes, issues, and ideas in western civilization in the modern and postmodern eras in an interdisciplinary fashion. It incorporates knowledge from a variety of intellectual fields, including physics, biology, social science, philosophy, political science, and literature. In this course, students will read primarily original sources as well as some secondary sources. Meets the General Education Western Civilization requirement.
IDS 401 Contemporary Worldviews (4)
A reading and writing intensive course that studies a dominant characteristic of Western thought in the twentieth century through interdisciplinary readings. Students will read primary sources in history, philosophy, science, literature, the visual arts, or social sciences, and will study and compare the nature of the core idea in each discipline. Possible issues to be examined include the crisis of authority, the ecological consciousness, technology and culture. Meets the General Education Western Civilization requirement.
IDS 410 Research and Critical Methods (4)
Introduction to various modes of analyzing subjects in the humanities and social sciences. Students will gain an understanding of the techniques, methodologies, and vocabularies of research methods and will become familiar with debates regarding those research methods. Students will employ several research methods to assess their preferences for approaches to subject matter, and will design and carry out an interdisciplinary final project. Topics of study include: critical theory, film and visual arts criticism, historiography, literary criticism, and social science research issues.
IDS 435 Art and Technology (4)
A study of the interaction between technological change and artistic expression. Early historical examples will be used to establish fundamental principles of art and technology as sources of cultural value. The course will emphasize twentieth century developments in imaging, including film and digital art. Students will produce their own examples of traditional and electronically mediated art.
IDS 492 Interdisciplinary Studies Internship (2-4)
Intended for Interdisciplinary Studies majors to gain practical and/or professional experience in an area related to their individual program of study. Student will work with a qualified specialist in the relevant area and will be responsible for reporting to both that specialist and to a faculty supervisor. Students wishing to enroll must have filed their program of study and completed a minimum of 12 credits in their chosen area of concentration.
IDS 499 Interdisciplinary Studies Project (4)
A capstone seminar in which students design and complete an individual project demonstrating their mastery and integration of their individual Area of Concentration and the Interdisciplinary Studies core. Projects may take a range of forms appropriate to the student’s concentration and future goals, e.g. a research essay, marketing study, computer program or curriculum design. Projects must be approved by the student’s project supervisors. Students will participate in a seminar addressing research issues and will present their projects to their faculty supervisors at the end of the course.