Pathways and Programs

Good learning is always moving toward interdisciplinary study because life is not divided up into subjects like school is. The more you learn, the more connections you see between your courses.

Certain groups of courses are set up to build interdisciplinary connections around important topics and areas of study. This page gives you an overview of such pathways and programs, especially so that you can see how choosing general education courses early in your time at Hope can get you started in an interdisciplinary direction. Note that in almost all cases, these courses are not arranged in sequences with required pre-requisites but are merely grouped by topics and can be entered at any point.

Pathways

With support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Grand Challenges Initiative, several teams of Hope faculty are developing courses in multiple disciplines that address important issues facing the world in which students will live and work. Each Grand Challenges pathway includes at least one General Education course.

Programs

Each interdisciplinary program has its own website and section in the college catalog with complete information about requirements and options. The listings below show general education courses that contribute to each program.

American Ethnic Studies

Required course:

AES 210, Introduction to Ethnic Studies (GLD)

Elective options include:

PSYCH 110, Race in America (SS2, GLD)
SOC 269, Race and Ethnic Relations (SS2, GLD)
IDS 174, Native American Literature and History (CH2, GLD)

View the American Ethnic Studies website and catalog information.

Asian Studies

Required:

Arabic 102, Chinese 102, or Japanese 102 (FL2)

Electives options include:

MUS 104, World Music (FA1, GLI)
PHIL 237, World Philosophies I (CH1, GLI)
REL 281, Introduction to World Religions (RL2, GLI)
IDS 200, Encounter with Cultures (GLD)
AES 210, Introduction to Ethnic Studies (GLD)
POL 151, Introduction to Global Politics (SS1, GLI)
POL 160, Women in a Global Society (SS1, GLI)
SOC 151, Cultural Anthropology (SS1, GLI)

Altogether, 16 of the 20 required credits for the Asian Studies minor can be filled with general education courses.

View the Asian Studies website and catalog information.

Environmental Studies

Required courses include eight credits of GEMS courses chosen from:

GEMS 152, The Atmosphere and Environmental Change (NSL)
GEMS 153, Populations in Changing Environments (NSL)
GEMS 157, The Planet Earth (NSL)
GEMS 160, The Chemistry of Our Environment (NSL)
GEMS 204, Regional Flora and Fauna (NS2)
GEMS 295, Abrupt Climate Change (NS2)

Electives include:

SOC 295, Environmental Sociology (SS1)

Thematically related courses include REL 100, Earth and Ethics (RL1) and some sections of IDS 100 (FYS) and English 113 (EW).

View the Environmental Studies website and catalog information.

Global Health

Our Global Health program unites faculty and students from the divisions of Natural & Applied Sciences, Social Sciences, and Arts and Humanities in collaborative learning, research and service. We aim to enlarge students’ capacity for critical thinking about the complex conditions and structures of our world that affect the health and well-being of humanity.

View the Global Health website and catalog information.

Global Studies