Throughout my career as a college student I have taken many courses, well over 120 hours and I still do not have my degree. This is because until I knew about the Interdisciplinary Program, I was just taking classes that I was interested in and that I thought were relevant. Those classes did not necessarily fit my degree from a one major standpoint, and that never made sense to me. However, now that I am learning about interdisciplinary studies, they all seem to fit in somewhere with what I am trying to do. My two fields of focus include Conservation Biology and Art History (because photography was not an option). I would like to use photography as a means of promoting conservation.
I have already taken many courses in my core areas. Some of the biology-related classes include Bio 187 (macro biology; groups, large scale) and 188 (microbiology; individuals, small scale) which are introductory classes for biology majors. I have also taken Environmental Biology which discusses different species of plants and animals, and human effects on the environment. Entomology was a class on bugs and impacts of them on their surrounding environments, also the affects of pesticides to the environment and alternatives to them. I am in the process of taking two courses as well this semester. The first is Ecology, which discusses the energy flow, population and community ecology, biogeochemical cycling, and integrates them together. The second class I am taking is Organic Evolution. This is a really interesting class that basically lays out all of the evidence for evolution and discusses why they came to certain conclusions using comparative analysis and fossil records.
In the Art History half of my degree I have taken History of Art which briefly went through the different time periods from ancient art to middle ages. Then, I had Art from Renaissance to Present. I also took Art of Asia which included art from China, Japan, and India. Pre-Columbian Art was a look at groups like the Inca and Mayans and was extremely interesting. Native American Art of the Southwest was really great because we would get extra credit for going to see these amazing cliff dwellings that still exist in Arizona. And just to top it off, Women in Visual Arts which discussed women in the arts from about 1400 A.D to present.
Some other relevant courses that I have taken include all of my photography classes. Introduction to Photography and Photo II both teach basic methods of picture taking, lighting, framing, mounting prints, and darkroom techniques. Color Photography uses a different machine for developing then do black and white photographs, so, I got to learn how to use one of those. History of photography went through the time periods from the invention of cyanotypes through the present. The class Understanding Photographs showed me how to interpret what I was seeing in the image. And also, 2-Demensional design taught me how to lay out a balanced image in a frame on a 2-demensional surface. So, I would say that I have a pretty good understanding of Photography.
Some other classes I have taken that I think will be helpful for my major are Sociology, Ethics, Philosophy of Religion, Psychology, Creative Writing, and Speech.
I only have seven classes left until I graduate! I plan to take Bio 317 in the winter if they offer it. This class is Conservation Biology, which again is my major. In the spring of 2008 I plan on taking Bio 410 which is Wildlife Conservation Biology. I will take Bio 425, which is Animal Ecology, and both BIS 401 and 402. And also, I will be taking ARS 406, Roman Art. Then, in the summer I will have to take one class Bio 470, Systematic Zoology. Then, I will graduate August 2008. That is very exciting.
I believe all of the classes that I selected go perfectly with my Degree. Two of the classes; Bio 317 Conservation Biology and Bio 410 Wildlife Conservation Biology have my major right in their names, Conservation Biology. So, these classes are directly related to my field of study. Bio 425 Animal Ecology relates to my major because it discusses different animal habitats and their distribution. BIS 401 and 402 are core classes that I need to take, and also will further help me to integrate my ideas of Photography and Conservation Biology. I believe BIS 401 is research with a professor which I am really looking forward to. Bio 470 Systematic Zoology shows how certain organisms are grouped and named according to their similarities and differences. Also, ARS 406 Roman Art, is the only time period that I am missing from my Art History requirements.
In general, I believe I have a good grasp so far on my disciplines and what I am trying to do in life. I have taken many classes in biology, sociology, psychology, philosophy, photography, and art history. I believe these all of the areas tie into one another by using some concrete thought and some original thought. It is great to have objective ideas when confronting a problem, but you can also learn a lot about a situation by hearing subjective opinions. I am really happy I am an Interdisciplinary student. I really do feel like I am getting a more well-rounded education. I believe all learning should be like this, and then maybe we would not have as many problems in the world to begin with because people would be solving their issues logically.
I have already taken many courses in my core areas. Some of the biology-related classes include Bio 187 (macro biology; groups, large scale) and 188 (microbiology; individuals, small scale) which are introductory classes for biology majors. I have also taken Environmental Biology which discusses different species of plants and animals, and human effects on the environment. Entomology was a class on bugs and impacts of them on their surrounding environments, also the affects of pesticides to the environment and alternatives to them. I am in the process of taking two courses as well this semester. The first is Ecology, which discusses the energy flow, population and community ecology, biogeochemical cycling, and integrates them together. The second class I am taking is Organic Evolution. This is a really interesting class that basically lays out all of the evidence for evolution and discusses why they came to certain conclusions using comparative analysis and fossil records.
In the Art History half of my degree I have taken History of Art which briefly went through the different time periods from ancient art to middle ages. Then, I had Art from Renaissance to Present. I also took Art of Asia which included art from China, Japan, and India. Pre-Columbian Art was a look at groups like the Inca and Mayans and was extremely interesting. Native American Art of the Southwest was really great because we would get extra credit for going to see these amazing cliff dwellings that still exist in Arizona. And just to top it off, Women in Visual Arts which discussed women in the arts from about 1400 A.D to present.
Some other relevant courses that I have taken include all of my photography classes. Introduction to Photography and Photo II both teach basic methods of picture taking, lighting, framing, mounting prints, and darkroom techniques. Color Photography uses a different machine for developing then do black and white photographs, so, I got to learn how to use one of those. History of photography went through the time periods from the invention of cyanotypes through the present. The class Understanding Photographs showed me how to interpret what I was seeing in the image. And also, 2-Demensional design taught me how to lay out a balanced image in a frame on a 2-demensional surface. So, I would say that I have a pretty good understanding of Photography.
Some other classes I have taken that I think will be helpful for my major are Sociology, Ethics, Philosophy of Religion, Psychology, Creative Writing, and Speech.
I only have seven classes left until I graduate! I plan to take Bio 317 in the winter if they offer it. This class is Conservation Biology, which again is my major. In the spring of 2008 I plan on taking Bio 410 which is Wildlife Conservation Biology. I will take Bio 425, which is Animal Ecology, and both BIS 401 and 402. And also, I will be taking ARS 406, Roman Art. Then, in the summer I will have to take one class Bio 470, Systematic Zoology. Then, I will graduate August 2008. That is very exciting.
I believe all of the classes that I selected go perfectly with my Degree. Two of the classes; Bio 317 Conservation Biology and Bio 410 Wildlife Conservation Biology have my major right in their names, Conservation Biology. So, these classes are directly related to my field of study. Bio 425 Animal Ecology relates to my major because it discusses different animal habitats and their distribution. BIS 401 and 402 are core classes that I need to take, and also will further help me to integrate my ideas of Photography and Conservation Biology. I believe BIS 401 is research with a professor which I am really looking forward to. Bio 470 Systematic Zoology shows how certain organisms are grouped and named according to their similarities and differences. Also, ARS 406 Roman Art, is the only time period that I am missing from my Art History requirements.
In general, I believe I have a good grasp so far on my disciplines and what I am trying to do in life. I have taken many classes in biology, sociology, psychology, philosophy, photography, and art history. I believe these all of the areas tie into one another by using some concrete thought and some original thought. It is great to have objective ideas when confronting a problem, but you can also learn a lot about a situation by hearing subjective opinions. I am really happy I am an Interdisciplinary student. I really do feel like I am getting a more well-rounded education. I believe all learning should be like this, and then maybe we would not have as many problems in the world to begin with because people would be solving their issues logically.