Fall 2023

  • IDSC 100: Civil Discourse in a Troubled Age

    As we listen to people discussing critical issues facing individuals, communities, countries and the planet, what do we see happening? Is communication occurring? Do the sides hear each other and seek to understand another point of view, even if in disagreement? Is the goal truth or the best policy or victory for a side? What skills, approaches, and conditions lead to genuine discussion and productive argument? How can we cultivate these as individuals and communities? This Argument and Inquiry seminar addresses these questions in both theory and practice by allowing students the opportunity to read, view, discuss, and analyze theoretical discussions and case studies drawn from the past and present on a range of controversial topics.

     6 credits; Argument and Inquiry Seminar, Writing Requirement; offered Fall 2023 · William North, Sindy Fleming

  • IDSC 100: Data Visualization As Activism

    Data visualization (turning evidence into images) and activism have a common goal: to make the invisible more visible. How can graphs be used for activist work? Through discussion, reading, production, and reflection, this seminar will teach students how to read and think critically about graphs, produce graphs for public audiences, and consider the ethical dimensions of data access and representation. We will learn from data visualization pioneers such as W.E.B. Du Bois, who combined graphs and photographs for the 1900 Paris World’s Fair to tell a complex story of the agency, sophistication, and oppression of African Americans in post-emancipation America. As we discuss the role of data viz in activism, we will learn to experiment with creating our own visual arguments; our final project will be in partnership with a local community organization. No previous experience with statistics or graphing software is necessary.

     6 credits; Argument and Inquiry Seminar, Quantitative Reasoning Encounter, Writing Requirement; offered Fall 2023 · Lin Winton

  • IDSC 100: Games and Gaming Cultures

    In this seminar, we will use games (both by studying them and by playing them) as a lens through which we can explore all manner of fascinating questions. How do the games we play shape our culture and our communities? What makes a game fun, engaging, addictive, boring, brutal, or banal? How can games encourage certain kinds of behavior, even after we’ve stopped playing them? Could we make Carleton itself a bit better–or at least more fun–if we gamified certain aspects of life here? To aid our exploration, we’ll draw on readings from multiple genres and employ a variety of research methods to analyze games from social, textual, and design perspectives. This course will also include weekly lab sessions on Wednesday evenings (6:15-8:30PM). Students will be required to attend at least eight out of ten lab sessions.

     6 credits; Argument and Inquiry Seminar, Writing Requirement; offered Fall 2023 · George Cusack

  • IDSC 100: Let’s Talk about Race!: Exploring Race in Higher Education

    From Starbucks’ failed “Race together” initiative to debates about Rachel Dolezal’s racial identity to the Black Lives Matter movement, it is clear that race still matters in America. These incidents also demonstrate the difficulties of having discussions about race, especially across racial lines. Drawing on texts from multiple disciplines, this course will examine the history of racial categories with a particular emphasis on how race matters in higher education. This course will also incorporate readings and activities that will help students develop further their skills to have productive discussions about race, especially in the context of a small residential college.

     6 credits; Argument and Inquiry Seminar, Writing Requirement; offered Fall 2023 · Anita Chikkatur

  • IDSC 110: Thinking with Numbers: Using Math and Data in Context

    This course will enhance students’ quantitative skills and provide opportunities to apply those skills to authentic problems. Topics covered will vary depending on students in the class; possible topics include unit conversions, significant figures and estimation, exponents, logarithms, algebra, geometry, probability, and statistics. We will explore how these skills are relevant in contexts ranging from making personal finance decisions to understanding medical research reports.

     Prerequisites: Interdisciplinary Studies 099, Undergraduate Bridge Experience 1 credit; S/CR/NC; Does not fulfill a curricular exploration requirement; offered Fall 2023 · Lin Winton

  • IDSC 198: FOCUS Colloquium

    This colloquium is designed to give students participating in the Focusing on Cultivating Scientists program an opportunity to learn and use skills in scientific study, reasoning, and modeling. The topics of this project-based colloquium will vary each term, and allow students to develop competencies in areas relevant to multiple science disciplines.

     2 credits; S/CR/NC; Does not fulfill a curricular exploration requirement; offered Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Winter 2024, Spring 2024, Spring 2024 · Rika Anderson

  • IDSC 202: MMUF Research Seminar

    This seminar develops the skills needed to engage in and communicate advanced research. Each participant will work and present regularly on their ongoing research projects, and participate actively in an ongoing series of workshops and conferences. The seminar will also discuss in depth the nature of academia as institution and culture, and the role of diversity in the production of knowledge and teaching in American higher education. Open only to students with MMUF fellow status. Prerequisites: Participation in the Mellon Program/MMUF or MGSEF Program. 2 credits; S/CR/NC; Does not fulfill a curricular exploration requirement; offered Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Spring 2024 · Cherlon Ussery

  • IDSC 203: Talking about Diversity

    This course prepares students to facilitate peer-led conversations about diversity in the Critical Conversations Program. Students learn about categories and theories related to social identity, power, and inequality, and explore how identities including race, gender, class, and sexual orientation affect individual experience and communal structures. Students engage in experiential exercises that invite them to reflect on their own social identities and their reactions to difference, diversity, and conflict. Students are required to keep a weekly journal and to participate in class leadership. Participants in this class may apply to facilitate sections of IDSC 103, a 2-credit student-led course in winter term.

     6 credits; S/CR/NC; Intercultural Domestic Studies, Does not fulfill a curricular exploration requirement; offered Fall 2023 · Sharon Akimoto, Trey Williams

  • IDSC 251: Windows on the Good Life

    Human beings are always and everywhere challenged by the question: What should I do to spend my mortal time well? One way to approach this ultimate challenge is to explore some of the great cultural products of our civilization–works that are a delight to read for their wisdom and artfulness. This series of two-credit courses will explore a philosophical dialogue of Plato in the fall, a work from the Bible in the winter, and a pair of plays by Shakespeare in the spring. The course can be repeated for credit throughout the year and in subsequent years. 2 credits; S/CR/NC; Humanistic Inquiry; offered Fall 2023, Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Winter 2024, Spring 2024, Spring 2024 · Alan Rubenstein, Laurence Cooper

  • IDSC 251: Windows on the Good Life

    Human beings are always and everywhere challenged by the question: What should I do to spend my mortal time well? One way to approach this ultimate challenge is to explore some of the great cultural products of our civilization–works that are a delight to read for their wisdom and artfulness. This series of two-credit courses will explore a philosophical dialogue of Plato in the fall, a work from the Bible in the winter, and a pair of plays by Shakespeare in the spring. The course can be repeated for credit throughout the year and in subsequent years. 2 credits; S/CR/NC; Humanistic Inquiry; offered Fall 2023, Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Winter 2024, Spring 2024, Spring 2024 · Alan Rubenstein, Laurence Cooper

  • IDSC 280: Learning from Internships

    Carleton does not grant credit for internships, but valuable off-campus learning experiences can be integrated into the academic program. Although the specific nature of internship experiences will vary, internships are opportunities to apply and extend one’s academic skills and interests into work in non-academic settings. This course will involve carefully monitored work experiences in which a student has intentional learning goals. Achieving these goals will be measured through reflective writing assignments, as well as written work in connection with assigned readings.

     Prerequisites: An internship and learning contract approved by the Career Center Director of Internships. The internship must be a minimum of 6 weeks and 180 hours and approved in advance by the instructor and the Career Center Internship Program Director 1 credit; S/CR/NC; Does not fulfill a curricular exploration requirement; offered Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Spring 2024 · Yansi Perez

  • IDSC 285: Ethics of Civic Engagement

    This course explores vexing ethical questions raised in academic civic engagement practice. With structured reflection on students’ varied civic engagement experiences and a group project aligned with the instructor’s work, students will consider questions arising from asymmetries of power, the relationships between scholarship and advocacy, scholarly and community knowledges, empathy with others and a student’s own moral commitments, and practices of civic engagement and community organizing. Offered biennially by rotating faculty, course themes will vary accordingly. The 2023 theme is Indigenous engagement in Minnesota.

     3 credits; Humanistic Inquiry, Intercultural Domestic Studies; offered Fall 2023 · Michael McNally

  • IDSC 289: Science Fellows Research Colloquium

    This colloquium develops the skills needed to engage in and communicate scientific and mathematical research. Topics will vary each term, but will include searching and reading the primary literature and communicating results orally and via posters. The colloquium will also explore the landscape of academic scientific research and how to negotiate the expectations of being a research group member. Prerequisites: Instructor Permission 1 credit; S/CR/NC; Does not fulfill a curricular exploration requirement; offered Fall 2023, Spring 2024 · Rob Thompson

  • IDSC 298: FOCUS Sophomore Colloquium

    This colloquium is designed for sophomore students participating in the Focusing on Cultivating Scientists program. It will provide an opportunity to participate in STEM-based projects on campus and in the community. The topics of this project-based colloquium will vary each term. Prerequisites: Interdisciplinary Studies 198 as first year student 1 credit; S/CR/NC; Does not fulfill a curricular exploration requirement; offered Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Spring 2024 · Mija Van Der Wege

Winter 2024

  • IDSC 198: FOCUS Colloquium

    This colloquium is designed to give students participating in the Focusing on Cultivating Scientists program an opportunity to learn and use skills in scientific study, reasoning, and modeling. The topics of this project-based colloquium will vary each term, and allow students to develop competencies in areas relevant to multiple science disciplines.

     2 credits; S/CR/NC; Does not fulfill a curricular exploration requirement; offered Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Winter 2024, Spring 2024, Spring 2024 · Rika Anderson

  • IDSC 198: FOCUS Colloquium

    This colloquium is designed to give students participating in the Focusing on Cultivating Scientists program an opportunity to learn and use skills in scientific study, reasoning, and modeling. The topics of this project-based colloquium will vary each term, and allow students to develop competencies in areas relevant to multiple science disciplines.

     2 credits; S/CR/NC; Does not fulfill a curricular exploration requirement; offered Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Winter 2024, Spring 2024, Spring 2024 · Rika Anderson

  • IDSC 202: MMUF Research Seminar

    This seminar develops the skills needed to engage in and communicate advanced research. Each participant will work and present regularly on their ongoing research projects, and participate actively in an ongoing series of workshops and conferences. The seminar will also discuss in depth the nature of academia as institution and culture, and the role of diversity in the production of knowledge and teaching in American higher education. Open only to students with MMUF fellow status. Prerequisites: Participation in the Mellon Program/MMUF or MGSEF Program. 2 credits; S/CR/NC; Does not fulfill a curricular exploration requirement; offered Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Spring 2024 · Cherlon Ussery

  • IDSC 251: Windows on the Good Life

    Human beings are always and everywhere challenged by the question: What should I do to spend my mortal time well? One way to approach this ultimate challenge is to explore some of the great cultural products of our civilization–works that are a delight to read for their wisdom and artfulness. This series of two-credit courses will explore a philosophical dialogue of Plato in the fall, a work from the Bible in the winter, and a pair of plays by Shakespeare in the spring. The course can be repeated for credit throughout the year and in subsequent years. 2 credits; S/CR/NC; Humanistic Inquiry; offered Fall 2023, Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Winter 2024, Spring 2024, Spring 2024 · Alan Rubenstein, Laurence Cooper

  • IDSC 251: Windows on the Good Life

    Human beings are always and everywhere challenged by the question: What should I do to spend my mortal time well? One way to approach this ultimate challenge is to explore some of the great cultural products of our civilization–works that are a delight to read for their wisdom and artfulness. This series of two-credit courses will explore a philosophical dialogue of Plato in the fall, a work from the Bible in the winter, and a pair of plays by Shakespeare in the spring. The course can be repeated for credit throughout the year and in subsequent years. 2 credits; S/CR/NC; Humanistic Inquiry; offered Fall 2023, Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Winter 2024, Spring 2024, Spring 2024 · Alan Rubenstein, Laurence Cooper

  • IDSC 258: Consensus or Contentious? Controversies in Science Then and Now

    Almost every global challenge confronting humankind requires some level of engagement with science and technology. However, finding solutions to our most pressing problems also requires an understanding of how science operates within its social, political, and cultural context. This course will explore the relationship between science and society by examining a series of controversies in science from both the past and the present. We will investigate topics such as biological and social concepts of race, the use of unethically obtained scientific results, the ethics of genomics research, legislation over vaccination mandates, “parachute” science, and climate change denial. Examining the role of science in society will help us understand issues related to the use of evidence, expertise, and the relationship between science and politics. By wrestling with current and historic scientific controversies, we will examine the ways in which scientific disagreements are often as much about values as they are about research methods.

     2 credits; Does not fulfill a curricular exploration requirement; offered Winter 2024 · Antony Adler, Rika Anderson

  • IDSC 280: Learning from Internships

    Carleton does not grant credit for internships, but valuable off-campus learning experiences can be integrated into the academic program. Although the specific nature of internship experiences will vary, internships are opportunities to apply and extend one’s academic skills and interests into work in non-academic settings. This course will involve carefully monitored work experiences in which a student has intentional learning goals. Achieving these goals will be measured through reflective writing assignments, as well as written work in connection with assigned readings.

     Prerequisites: An internship and learning contract approved by the Career Center Director of Internships. The internship must be a minimum of 6 weeks and 180 hours and approved in advance by the instructor and the Career Center Internship Program Director 1 credit; S/CR/NC; Does not fulfill a curricular exploration requirement; offered Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Spring 2024 · Yansi Perez

  • IDSC 298: FOCUS Sophomore Colloquium

    This colloquium is designed for sophomore students participating in the Focusing on Cultivating Scientists program. It will provide an opportunity to participate in STEM-based projects on campus and in the community. The topics of this project-based colloquium will vary each term. Prerequisites: Interdisciplinary Studies 198 as first year student 1 credit; S/CR/NC; Does not fulfill a curricular exploration requirement; offered Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Spring 2024 · Mija Van Der Wege

Spring 2024

  • IDSC 198: FOCUS Colloquium

    This colloquium is designed to give students participating in the Focusing on Cultivating Scientists program an opportunity to learn and use skills in scientific study, reasoning, and modeling. The topics of this project-based colloquium will vary each term, and allow students to develop competencies in areas relevant to multiple science disciplines.

     2 credits; S/CR/NC; Does not fulfill a curricular exploration requirement; offered Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Winter 2024, Spring 2024, Spring 2024 · Rika Anderson

  • IDSC 198: FOCUS Colloquium

    This colloquium is designed to give students participating in the Focusing on Cultivating Scientists program an opportunity to learn and use skills in scientific study, reasoning, and modeling. The topics of this project-based colloquium will vary each term, and allow students to develop competencies in areas relevant to multiple science disciplines.

     2 credits; S/CR/NC; Does not fulfill a curricular exploration requirement; offered Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Winter 2024, Spring 2024, Spring 2024 · Rika Anderson

  • IDSC 202: MMUF Research Seminar

    This seminar develops the skills needed to engage in and communicate advanced research. Each participant will work and present regularly on their ongoing research projects, and participate actively in an ongoing series of workshops and conferences. The seminar will also discuss in depth the nature of academia as institution and culture, and the role of diversity in the production of knowledge and teaching in American higher education. Open only to students with MMUF fellow status. Prerequisites: Participation in the Mellon Program/MMUF or MGSEF Program. 2 credits; S/CR/NC; Does not fulfill a curricular exploration requirement; offered Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Spring 2024 · Cherlon Ussery

  • IDSC 238: Vaccines: Science, Skeptics, and Stakeholders

    Vaccines are often touted as one of humankind’s greatest biomedical achievements. They have undoubtedly prevented hundreds of millions of deaths from infectious diseases since their discovery. Yet, there remain many obstacles that prevent their wider development and dissemination. Among these are the technological challenges associated with vaccine development, the well-funded anti-vaccination movements that often thrive on and spread misinformation, and economic hurdles that affect the production and equitable distribution of vaccines. Through an interdisciplinary lens that incorporates material from biology, psychology, and economics, this course will allow students to reach an integrated understanding of vaccines.

     6 credits; Does not fulfill a curricular exploration requirement; offered Spring 2024 · Ken Abrams, Michael Hemesath, Debby Walser-Kuntz

  • IDSC 251: Windows on the Good Life

    Human beings are always and everywhere challenged by the question: What should I do to spend my mortal time well? One way to approach this ultimate challenge is to explore some of the great cultural products of our civilization–works that are a delight to read for their wisdom and artfulness. This series of two-credit courses will explore a philosophical dialogue of Plato in the fall, a work from the Bible in the winter, and a pair of plays by Shakespeare in the spring. The course can be repeated for credit throughout the year and in subsequent years. 2 credits; S/CR/NC; Humanistic Inquiry; offered Fall 2023, Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Winter 2024, Spring 2024, Spring 2024 · Alan Rubenstein, Laurence Cooper

  • IDSC 251: Windows on the Good Life

    Human beings are always and everywhere challenged by the question: What should I do to spend my mortal time well? One way to approach this ultimate challenge is to explore some of the great cultural products of our civilization–works that are a delight to read for their wisdom and artfulness. This series of two-credit courses will explore a philosophical dialogue of Plato in the fall, a work from the Bible in the winter, and a pair of plays by Shakespeare in the spring. The course can be repeated for credit throughout the year and in subsequent years. 2 credits; S/CR/NC; Humanistic Inquiry; offered Fall 2023, Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Winter 2024, Spring 2024, Spring 2024 · Alan Rubenstein, Laurence Cooper

  • IDSC 257: Sense of Place: Art and Ecology in Tallgrass Prairie

    This project is a collaboration between two courses—Grassland Ecology and Field Drawing—that will foster an interdisciplinary dialogue on the Tallgrass Prairie Ecosystem. Students will work together to develop a project that explores how ecological study and artistic expression can deepen their understanding of this landscape. The course will involve field trips in the Carleton Arboretum, guest speakers, directed readings and culminate in a gallery exhibition.

     Prerequisites: Previous or concurrent registration in Studio Art 113 or Biology 374 2 credits; S/CR/NC; Does not fulfill a curricular exploration requirement; offered Spring 2024 · Eleanor Jensen, Daniel Hernandez

  • IDSC 280: Learning from Internships

    Carleton does not grant credit for internships, but valuable off-campus learning experiences can be integrated into the academic program. Although the specific nature of internship experiences will vary, internships are opportunities to apply and extend one’s academic skills and interests into work in non-academic settings. This course will involve carefully monitored work experiences in which a student has intentional learning goals. Achieving these goals will be measured through reflective writing assignments, as well as written work in connection with assigned readings.

     Prerequisites: An internship and learning contract approved by the Career Center Director of Internships. The internship must be a minimum of 6 weeks and 180 hours and approved in advance by the instructor and the Career Center Internship Program Director 1 credit; S/CR/NC; Does not fulfill a curricular exploration requirement; offered Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Spring 2024 · Yansi Perez

  • IDSC 289: Science Fellows Research Colloquium

    This colloquium develops the skills needed to engage in and communicate scientific and mathematical research. Topics will vary each term, but will include searching and reading the primary literature and communicating results orally and via posters. The colloquium will also explore the landscape of academic scientific research and how to negotiate the expectations of being a research group member. Prerequisites: Instructor Permission 1 credit; S/CR/NC; Does not fulfill a curricular exploration requirement; offered Fall 2023, Spring 2024 · Rob Thompson

  • IDSC 298: FOCUS Sophomore Colloquium

    This colloquium is designed for sophomore students participating in the Focusing on Cultivating Scientists program. It will provide an opportunity to participate in STEM-based projects on campus and in the community. The topics of this project-based colloquium will vary each term. Prerequisites: Interdisciplinary Studies 198 as first year student 1 credit; S/CR/NC; Does not fulfill a curricular exploration requirement; offered Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Spring 2024 · Mija Van Der Wege