Identify pertinent disciplines and assemble a team. Try to ensure equal participation among members.
Develop a topic; consider how to balance breadth and depth. Unlike discipline curricula that depend on individual classes providing discrete chunks of knowledge that a student uses to build on from one year to the next, interdisciplinary courses are worlds unto themselves. That is one reason why focus is so very important. Do not try to cover a huge topic; instead, focus on one part of the topic or one part of a problem. Some interdisciplinary courses have been built on a single statement. For instance, one course (syllabus available on the AIS website) used a statement, made in an article that was assigned as the first reading, that the problems present in the Middle East today are directly linked to the Crusades. That gave the class focus and two points of reference—the Crusades and a current, changing situation. The topics covered in the class include political science, religion, geography, mythology, literature, weaponry, etc. A course we could do here might be building a sustainable, “green” campus. Virtually all disciplines could be involved, and it could culminate in a proposal that would have lasting value.
Let go of the “coverage” model. This is important and difficult to do. Unlike our disciplinary courses, where we generally have a certain body of knowledge to cover in a class, interdisciplinary courses take models, approaches, and ideas from more than one discipline to address a problem, issue or idea. The point is to go into uncharted territory, not to go deep into the heart of any one discipline. Give them as much as they need to do what they will do for the class and let the rest go.
Consider what the course is really about (subtext). This is important for a couple of reasons. One is to ensure focus and clarity, and the other is to make sure you and your teaching teammate are really on the same page.
Identify outcomes. There is a list of outcomes in this handout, but yours may be different, and they will no doubt be more specific. Knowing where you’re trying to go as a team is very important to the success of an interdisciplinary course.
