About Us
Welcome to the Office of Interdisciplinary Programs. Many years ago, Abraham Joshua Heschel claimed that "Wonder, rather than doubt, is the root of all knowledge," and he was certainly right. Sometimes the wonder we experience leads us to very particular academic pursuits; sometimes the wonder we experience leads us to questions or challenges that seem to transcend any one particular disciplinary approach. And, if that is you, then the Office of Interdisciplinary Programs in the College of Arts & Sciences exists for you -- as someone who wonders about the big questions and challenges that require insight or approaches from multiple disciplines. This is the place where the disciplines meet, converse, collaborate, and occasionally even argue.
The Office of Interdisciplinary Programs was created as part of the College of Arts & Sciences strategic plan, A&Spire, to providing learning opportunities that are “interdisciplinary, research-driven, and combine curricular and co-curricular experiences.” To that end, the Office of Interdisciplinary Programs provides opportunities for students and faculty across the College to explore and imagine new programs and projects that necessarily engage multiple academic disciplines. In essence, we exist to energize and support those programs that would not otherwise have an academic or disciplinary home.
So, whether you are exploring our undergraduate majors, minors, or certificates, our public events, or ongoing and potential interdisciplinary research opportunities in Arts & Sciences, I hope that you find the wonder of which Heschel speaks.
Sincerely,
Paul Martens
Director of Interdisciplinary Programs, College of Arts & Sciences
Associate Professor of Ethics, Department of Religion