Program Description

The Interdisciplinary Studies Programs at CSUB allow students to examine concepts, issues, and perspectives that cross traditional boundaries of study, and to combine elements of distinct disciplines in a unique way. CSUB offers three Interdisciplinary Studies concentrations:

1. General Studies where students create their own program of study drawing on at least two different departments;
2. Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies;
3. Ethnic and Area Studies.

Interdisciplinary Studies, BA Program Goals and Objectives

Goal I: Students will develop broad, integrative knowledge.

1. Students will analyze complex issues, which integrate foundational knowledge, values, and methods from two or more disciplines.

Goal II: Students will develop cross-disciplinary skills.

1. Students will communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, in and across disciplinary styles and for various audiences and contexts.
2. Students will, as individual researchers/scholars as well as in collaboration with others, solve or creatively respond to a current complex problem drawing on two or more disciplinary approaches.

Goal III: Students in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies or Ethnic and Area Studies will apply an interdisciplinary approach.

1. Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies students will apply feminist and other critical perspectives to examine the ways that gender intersects with race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, nationality, disability, and other facets of embodiment.
2. Ethnic and Area Studies students will apply an interdisciplinary approach to the comparative, intersectional, and relational study of African Americans, Asian Americans, Chicana/os-Latinas/os, and American Indians within local, regional, (trans)-national, and global contexts.

In addition to university education requirements, Interdisciplinary Studies students with a concentration in Women’s Gender, and Sexuality Studies complete a minimum of 33 semester units in their chosen track specialization as part of their degree. Students work closely with INST advisors to map out the courses and paths that best align with their goals of study, and include, at minimum, the following elements:

Course List

Code	Title	Units
General Education Requirements
First-Year Seminar (FYS)		2
Lower Division Area A: Foundational Skills		9
Lower Division Area B: Natural Sciences		9
Lower Division Area C: Arts and Humanities		6
Lower Division Area D: Social and Behavioral Sciences		3
Lower Division Area E: Student Enrichment and Lifelong Learning (SELF) 3		0-3
Lower Division Area F: Ethnic Studies		3
American Institutions: Government and History		6
Junior Year Diversity & Reflection (JYDR) 4		0-3
Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR)		3
Upper Division Thematic Area B, C, and D 5		0-9
General Education Capstone 6		0-3
General Education Subtotal		41-59
Major Requirements
Required Course
INST 3128	Gender and Sexuality	3
Arts and Humanities Courses
Select three of the following:		9
ART 3650	Women in Visual Arts
COMM 3088	Gender and Communication
ENGL 3250	Literature by Women of Color
ENGL 3410	Gender in Literature and Film
HIST 3630	Women and Gender in the Modern Transatlantic World
HIST 4410	Gender in East Asia
PHIL/INST 2329	Sexual Ethics
PHIL 3548	Race, Class, Gender, Sexuality
PHIL 4550	Feminist Philosophy
RS 3368	Women, Religion and Sexuality
THTR 3138	Women Playwrights
Social Sciences and Education
Select three of the following:		9
ANTH 4310	Anthropology of Gender
CAFS 3200	Individual and Family Development in Diverse Cultures
CRJU 3318	Women and the Criminal Justice System
CRJU 4638	Victims and the Criminal Justice System
KINE 3338	Women, Sport and Physical Activity
PLSI 3248	Women in Politics
PSYC 3620	Psychological Aspect of Human Sexuality
PSYC 3638	The Psychology of Sexual Orientation
PSYC 4610	Psychology of Women
SOC 2400	Sex and Gender Issues
SOC 3408	Gender and Society
SOC 3420	Chicana Experiences
SOC 3500	Family and Society
SOC 4310	The Latin American Experience
SOC 4400	The LGBTQ Experience in the U.S.
Electives
Select six units of the following: 1		6
ECON 3008	Gender and Diversity in Workplace
ETHS 4410	Black Feminist and Womanist Perspectives
INST 3210	Feminist Critiques
NURS 3010	Women's Health
Applied Coursework
INST 4860	Interdisciplinary Internship 2	3
Senior Seminar
INST 4908	Senior Seminar	3
Major Subtotal		33
Additional Units Needed Towards Graduation		25-46
Total Units		99-138

¹

Select from the approved courses listed above, additional courses listed below, or courses approved by director of Interdisciplinary Studies

²

Interdisciplinary Internship or other approved similar course that allows students to gain relevant first-hand experience.

³

SELF may double count with B, C, or D.    

⁴

JYDR may be satisfied in major, minor or other university requirement.

⁵

Students are waived from UD area of their program. Area of program determined on individual basis depending on approved program of study.

⁶

Capstone may be satisfied within the senior seminar.