Erasing Boundaries, By Design: Interdisciplinary Teaching

Liberal arts education is characterized by study that integrates multiple perspectives. Interdisciplinary studies are a response to the ideal of liberal education and the dramatic expansion of information in the digital age. Neuroscience, engineering, public policy, landscape studies all cross boundaries to provide a broader context for study and research.

Smith students are introduced to interdisciplinary study immediately on arrival. In First-Year Seminars such as The Work of Repair, The Idea of Decline from the Romans to the Computer Age, Literature and Medicine, and Of Minds and Molecules, students develop skills in writing, speaking, researching, working in small groups, participating in discussion, quantitative reasoning, and critical thinking.

Applying this intensive, interdisciplinary approach to many subjects requires increased collaboration among professors to develop and teach courses that draw on many disciplines and incorporate emerging research. Faculty and student participation in conferences and collaborative projects, internships, and field study also must be supported. The benefits are seen in the broadened perspective of students and the leadership demonstrated by alumnae.