Interdisciplinary Studies

The major in Interdisciplinary Studies offers intellectually curious students two specialized concentrations in American Studies or Peace and Conflict Studies as well as a self-designed option. These interdisciplinary fields of study are regularly available to students at private or elite universities but less frequently at public regional ones. We are here to change that while ensuring that our graduates leave Salem State with critical 21st century skills, training and experiences which allow them to compete with peers from around the nation and around the world.

All Interdisciplinary Studies majors take departmental courses augmented by courses drawn from across the campus. Our dynamic but flexible programs in American Studies and Peace and Conflict Studies prepare students to launch careers and lives fully engaged in issues of social justice, diversity, equity and inclusion, global and local policy work and social change while also preparing them for a wide array of graduate programs. Carefully scaffolded courses of study ground all of our Interdisciplinary Studies majors in the integrative work of interdisciplinarity, while providing top-notch training in the well-established fields of either American Studies or Peace and Conflict Studies.

Additionally, we offer students unique opportunities to do civic engagement and study abroad as part of their major. For students seeking a robust interdisciplinary major other than these two concentrations, our self-designed option offers a way for a first or second year student to construct (with departmental approval) an individualized program rooted in our department’s core/required courses. Interdisciplinary Studies major alumni include award-winning educators, social service leaders, museum professionals, Ph.D. students, activists, global NGO workers, and entrepreneurs among others. This major is an excellent complement to a second major in a variety of fields including education.

[Note: The self-designed option within the Interdisciplinary Studies major is different in scope and intended audience from our Liberal Studies major.

The major in liberal studies is an interdisciplinary curriculum pathway for a bachelor’s degree that is flexible, responsive to student needs, and allows for a degree completion option at Salem State. This major serves current and prospective students in both the day and evening/continuing education divisions.

The liberal studies major ensures that students are broadly trained in areas that are tied to their academic interests or professional goals, and specifically trained in how to integrate these areas of study to produce new knowledge and make sense of our complex world. Data show that the region, the nation and the world have high demand for students with the skills provided in a liberal studies major.

An interdisciplinary approach to understanding the diverse peoples, societies, institutions, and cultures of the United States (often called “America”) past and present. SSU’s program is marked by a focus on: cultural diversity and identity formation; “America” and “Americans” as part of a global system; structural inequality; social justice; place-making and power. Methods, materials and approaches from the social sciences, arts and humanities aim to complicate any simple understanding of “America” or “Americans.”

An opportunity to create an independent interdisciplinary course of study for students with specific intellectual or professional objective. Proposals for the self-designed program are vetted/approved through departmental process.

This concentration is concerned with the issues of peace, sources of intercultural conflict, their resolution, and social justice. The program of study draws upon the strengths of a range of disciplines and focuses on developing an understanding of recent history, contemporary social political structures, the problems associated with these structures, the ethical values embedded in these structures, potential conflicts, and possible paths to resolution.

The African-American studies minor is interdepartmental in nature. The courses are offered jointly in their respective departments ad under the auspices of the African-American studies program. The central goal of the program is to heighten students' awareness of African-American contributions to the United States.

In addition to the regular courses, the African-American studies program holds a monthly symposium and workshop series which attempts to expose the university community to major questions relevant to the black experience. The African-American studies courses are open to all students.

The American studies minor exposes students to the methods, questions and materials of the field of American studies, a discipline which uses the approaches and scholarship of many disciplines to explore the rich diversity of the United States as well as American cultural and national identity from local, regional and transnational vantage points. Students will learn much about the range of people, places and ideas that make up America past and present and consider the various ways in which “American” identity is constructed, contested, and transformed through formal and informal means in all areas of human activity. A pair of foundational interdisciplinary American studies courses are augmented by courses selected from across the humanities and social sciences to meet the specific educational goals and interests of each student.

The Asian studies minor is to help students at Salem State University gain a better knowledge of Asia. The minor consists of a coherent collection of courses leading to knowledge of the geographic, historical, social, legal, and cultural structures in Asia. It trains students to have both a historical understanding and a current knowledge of human development in Asia. The program has a strong local touch as it incorporates the history of Salem's maritime trade with Asian countries such as China, Japan and India.

This area-studies minor provides students the opportunity to explore aspects of the arts, cultures, histories, politics, societies, and thoughts of the peoples of Eastern Europe and Russia from an interdisciplinary perspective. Its chief purpose is to foster understanding of the region by recognizing its component diversity while deepening awareness of its often common experiences. For this minor, Eastern Europe and Russia are defined geographically, and respectively, as historically the lands east of the German and Italian states and west of the countries of the East Slavs, and as the territories that comprise the former Soviet Union.

The Latin American and Latino studies minor is designed to introduce students to an interdisciplinary study of the history, populations and cultures of Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the study of people of Latin American and Caribbean origin in the United States. An introductory course will explore the development and state of interdisciplinary studies in the field, the diverse nature of Latin American and Caribbean communities, and the experiences of different Latino groups in the United States. Other courses will be drawn from offerings in history, political science, sociology, geography, interdisciplinary studies, education, social work, foreign languages, and literature. Field study in Latin America, the Caribbean, or local and regional Latin American or Latino organizations and communities is also encouraged

This course of study is designed to introduce students to the interdisciplinary nature of law and the legal profession. This minor favors no specific major field, but draws on courses with the substantive content and study skills which are recommended by the American Bar Association as especially desirable for prospective law students. The pre-law studies minor is open to all students. 

The peace studies minor is concerned with issues of war and peace and social justice - their nature, causes and relation to social life. The program of study draws upon the strengths of various disciplines and emphasizes an understanding of recent history, contemporary social/political problems and ethical values. We live in a world in which our ability to live peacefully with other people and nations is crucial. In the peace studies minor students are prepared to exercise informed judgment about issues related to war and peace and social justice. Many careers increasingly require an understanding of the sources and alternatives to conflict, as well as the methods and skills necessary to manage and control it. This is especially true in such areas as international relations, education, law, health care, and human services.

The religious studies minor offers the student a multi-disciplinary approach to the study of religion as a human endeavor. The student has the opportunity to meet his/her needs and interests by choosing (in consultation with the coordinator) four electives in at least two disciplines. In addition, the required seminar in comparative religion (normally taken as one of the last courses in the minor) presents the student with a broad but integrated perspective on religion.

The urban studies minor offers students an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the urban setting. Faculty members from a wide variety of disciplines within the social sciences and humanities assist students in examining how cities have evolved through time, identifying problems and opportunities associated with urban life, and exploring strategies for the reconstruction of the contemporary city. Although the primary focus is on urban affairs, considerable attention is also devoted to suburban topics in many courses.

Women’s and Gender Studies is an academic field devoted to the study women, gender, and sexuality from an interdisciplinary perspective. Students in the minor develop critical perspectives and analytical frameworks to understand how institutions, cultures, representations, and power dynamics have shaped women’s lives and gender identities in the United States and around the world. Courses within the minor invite studies to examine the complex ways gender and sexuality intersect with race, ethnicity, nation, religion ability and other categories of identity.