Interdisciplinary Studies

IND 201 Leadership Development (3) A

An experiential student leadership course which starts in the spring and includes two subsequent semesters. The course includes an online and outdoor adventure education component. Readings, assignments, journaling, seminars, and practical experiences will help students reflect on and integrate theory with practical experience to enhance leadership development.

Prerequisite: Restricted to students who hold an approved Ambrose student leadership or club position and permission of the instructor required.

IND 287 Science and Faith (3) B

This course explores the complex relationship between science and Christian faith, with a particular focus on evolutionary biology. Topics include: models of science-faith interactions; science and religion as ways of knowing; and Christian interpretations of evolution. The bulk of the course will be spent on discussing the four main contemporary Christian perspectives: Young Earth Creationism, Old Earth Creationism, Intelligent Design, and Theistic Evolution. These perspectives will be placed in their historic and contemporary contexts, and will be compared and contrasted for their theological understandings of Creation, Fall, Flood, image, and human origins.

Prerequisite: 3 credits in Religion

Note: Bachelor of Science students only may use this course as a senior REL course

IND 288 Art and Faith I (3) A

This course explores the historical relationship between the Christian Church and visual and performing arts until 1899. Historical and biographical sources will be used alongside musical, dramatic, and visual art to examine this relationship. Topics may include early Christian symbols, early liturgical use of music and theatre, the secularization of musical and dramatic presentation, the impact of the Reformation on art creation, and the shift from the patronage system to the “Artist as individual.” Students will be asked to consider how artistic trends are incorporated into worship arts, the value of arts creation outside of a worship environment, and the examination of student faith traditions relating to art.

Prerequisite: REL 105 or REL 161

Note: This course can apply as a Fine Arts elective in any program but cannot apply as a senior REL course

IND 289 Art and Faith II (3) A

This course explores the historical and contemporary relationship between the Christian Church and visual and performing arts from 1827 to the present. Historical and biographical sources will be used alongside musical, dramatic, and visual art to examine this relationship. Topics include Romanticism and the dissolution of patronage, World War I and the response of modernist artists, Post- modernism, boundaries in art creation and consumption, and artists in the contemporary Church. Students will be asked to consider how artistic trends are incorporated into worship arts, the value of arts creation outside of a worship environment, and the examination of student faith traditions relating to art. Finally, students will be asked to engage in some form of artistic praxis with their home or local church community in an agreed upon artistic collaboration.

Prerequisite: REL 105 or REL 161

Note: This course can apply as a Fine Arts elective in any program but cannot apply as a senior REL course.

IND 290 Innovative and Entrepreneurial Thinking (3) A

An exploration of creativity and innovation processes from ideation to problem solution and implementation. The course develops an entrepreneurial mindset through design thinking, creativity exercises, creative problem-solving strategies, and other approaches. Highly practical in nature, this course develops habits of thought that promote initiative, responsibility, and empowering passion.

Prerequisite: Completion of 18 credits or permission of the department

Note: Students can only earn credit for one of the following: BUS 290, DVST 290, IND 290, BUS 390, or DVST 390

Note: This course is cross-listed as BUS 290 and DVST 290

IND 405 Special Topics (3) A

An exploratory interdisciplinary course designed to provide senior Ambrose students with the opportunity to reflect critically and from diverse perspectives upon one of life’s enduring concerns. Professors from five academic disciplines will collaborate to teach this course through individual lectures, discussion, and debate. The topic will vary from year to year, but potential topics include death and dying, friendship, conflict and resolution, suffering, and the passing of time.

Prerequisite: Completion of 60 credits