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College of Arts and Sciences

General Studies

141 Mary Gates Hall
206-543-2550
Website
istudies@uw.edu

Individualized Studies is an interdisciplinary major option for students who wish to create a program of study by combining selected courses from two or more departments. Students are required to identify a central organizing theme for their major and design it under the guidance and supervision of a faculty member and an Individualized Studies adviser. The Individualized Studies major also currently supports two faculty-designed majors, Disability Studies and Musical Theater.

 Undergraduate Programs


General Studies

141 Mary Gates Hall
206-543-2550
istudies@uw.edu

 Program of Study: Major: Individualized Studies


Program Overview

The Individualized Studies program is an interdisciplinary major option for highly motivated and self-directed students to pursue intellectual studies not available in current UW programs. Prospective students are required to construct an Individualized Learning Plan articulating the rationale, learning goals, proposed coursework, and a plan for assessing their learning, all under the guidance and supervision of at least two faculty members and Individualized Studies advising. The Individualized Studies program also houses a small number of faculty-designed majors in development, currently including a BA in Disability Studies and a BA in Musical Theater (BA).

This program of study leads to the following credentials:
  • Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Individualized Studies
  • Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Individualized Studies
Recommended Preparation

Suggested First- and Second-Year College Courses: Varies, depending on student's area of concentration.

Admission Requirements

Before developing an Individualized Studies major, students should read "Designing an Individualized Studies Major," or obtain a copy from the UAA Advising, 141 Mary Gates Hall. Particular attention should be paid to the sections defining restrictions on themes and restricted access to courses. Individualized Studies majors are not possible in a number of subjects because the UW does not offer sufficient coursework. Upper-division courses in departments with competitive admission are generally not available to students not in that major and ordinarily cannot be included in Individualized Studies proposals.

After reading the guidelines, the student must go through the following steps to design a major:

  1. Identify the unifying interdisciplinary theme of the program.
  2. Make a list of courses taken or planned to be taken toward this goal. This list should comprise between 50 and 70 quarter credits, all of which are related to the area of concentration. These courses must come from at least two departments, but may come from any number of areas, so long as interrelationships are discernible. Most courses must be at the 300- or 400-level. At least half the 50-70 credits selected for the major must come from courses taught within the College of Arts and Sciences.
  3. Draft a statement that describes the proposed major and discusses the interrelationships among the courses chosen. Propose a brief, descriptive title for the major.
  4. Submit the proposal to the Individualized Studies Committee for initial approval. Prospective majors should submit proposals to the Individualized Studies Committee for review at least three quarters prior to graduation.
  5. Identify at least two faculty sponsors for the major. The faculty sponsors attest to the intellectual soundness of the proposal and agree to provide whatever guidance is jointly decided upon. They may also suggest changes in the previously approved written proposal or list of courses.
  6. Obtain final approval from an Individualized Studies adviser.
  7. Transfer students must be enrolled at the UW before applying to the major.
  8. For admission requirements for the technical writing option, see an adviser.

 Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Individualized Studies


Credential Overview

The Individualized Studies program is an interdisciplinary major option for highly motivated and self-directed students to pursue intellectual studies not available in current UW programs. Prospective students are required to construct an Individualized Learning Plan articulating the rationale, learning goals, proposed coursework, and a plan for assessing their learning, all under the guidance and supervision of at least two faculty members and Individualized Studies advising.

Completion Requirements

55 to 70 credits, including completion of the approved curriculum and a 5-credit required senior study (minimum grade of 2.7 required for senior study). Awarding of the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree depends on the content of each student's program.

 Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Individualized Studies


Credential Overview

The Individualized Studies program is an interdisciplinary major option for highly motivated and self-directed students to pursue intellectual studies not available in current UW programs. Prospective students are required to construct an Individualized Learning Plan articulating the rationale, learning goals, proposed coursework, and a plan for assessing their learning, all under the guidance and supervision of at least two faculty members and Individualized Studies advising.

Completion Requirements

55 to 70 credits, including completion of the approved curriculum and a 5-credit required senior study (minimum grade of 2.7 required for senior study). Awarding of the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree depends on the content of each student's program.


Additional Information

Student Outcomes and Opportunities

  • Learning Objectives and Expected Outcomes: Varies, depending on student's area of concentration.
  • Instructional and Research Facilities: None
  • Honors Options Available: With College Honors (Completion of Honors Core Curriculum and Departmental Honors); With Honors (Completion of Departmental Honors requirements in the major). See adviser for requirements.
  • Research, Internships, and Service Learning: None
  • Department Scholarships: None offered
  • Student Organizations/Associations: None

 Program of Study: Minor: Diversity


Program Overview

The Diversity Minor is intended to engage students with a broad and critical understanding of human diversity and difference in domestic and transnational settings. It draws from a wide variety of courses in departments across the College of Arts & Sciences. Upon completion of the minor, students should have deep foundational knowledge of socially constructed identities—race, class, gender, sexuality, disability, age, ethnicity, and nationality—and the ways in which they intersect with each other through different relationships of power.

This program of study leads to the following credential:
  • Minor in Diversity

 Minor in Diversity


Credential Overview

The Diversity Minor is intended to engage students with a broad and critical understanding of human diversity and difference in domestic and transnational settings. It draws from a wide variety of courses in departments across the College of Arts & Sciences. Upon completion of the minor, students should have deep foundational knowledge of socially constructed identities—race, class, gender, sexuality, disability, age, ethnicity, and nationality—and the ways in which they intersect with each other through different relationships of power.

Completion Requirements

25 credits

  1. One foundation course (5 credits) chosen from an approved list of courses (refer to program website).
  2. Minimum four additional courses, with at least one each from four of the five following categories (20 credits): arts/cultural; historical; global; contemporary/institutional; applications. Refer to program website for list of courses by category.
  3. Minimum 15 credits must be completed in residence through the UW.
  4. Maximum 10 credits from one department and maximum 10 credits from the student's major department may be applied toward the minor.
  5. Diversity minor students are strongly encouraged to complete an internship, volunteer project, research project, study abroad program, intergroup dialogue course, or some applied learning opportunity that promotes the goals of the minor.

 Program of Study: Minor: Human Rights


Program Overview

The Tri-Campus Minor in Human Rights is an option for students who are interested in the rapidly emerging field of human rights. The curriculum reflects the rising interest in human rights throughout the world – even as human rights violations persist, and debate continues over the meaning and realization of human rights. Understanding this complex subject requires an interdisciplinary approach, one that combines in a new way the study of philosophy, politics, economics, culture, and law. The University of Washington is fortunate to house one of the strongest human rights programs in the country. We offer a rich selection of courses taught by scholars from diverse schools, departments, and programs. The minor also includes a human rights-related experiential requirement through service learning, an internship, or study abroad.

This program of study leads to the following credential:
  • Minor in Human Rights

 Minor in Human Rights


Credential Overview

The Tri-Campus Minor in Human Rights is an option for students who are interested in the rapidly emerging field of human rights. The curriculum reflects the rising interest in human rights throughout the world – even as human rights violations persist, and debate continues over the meaning and realization of human rights. Understanding this complex subject requires an interdisciplinary approach, one that combines in a new way the study of philosophy, politics, economics, culture, and law. The University of Washington is fortunate to house one of the strongest human rights programs in the country. We offer a rich selection of courses taught by scholars from diverse schools, departments, and programs. The minor also includes a human rights-related experiential requirement through service learning, an internship, or study abroad.

Completion Requirements

25 credits:

  1. 10 credits from an approved list of courses* concerned with human rights as a core concept
  2. 5 credits from an approved list of courses* concerned with human rights in a broad context
  3. 10 additional credits drawn from the above approved lists of courses* concerned with human rights
  4. At least 3 credits of the required 25 credits must be in a human-rights-related internship, practicum, international study abroad, or demonstrated equivalent. Courses that satisfy this requirement include BIS 403, BIS 480; LSJ 310, LSJ 499, POL S 496, JSIS 387, and similar practicum and study-abroad courses in other programs (on the Seattle campus); and TIAS 496. See adviser for faculty-approved alternatives. Courses used to satisfy this requirement must be approved/supervised by the faculty offering courses appropriate to the minor. Credits for the minor may be completed across the three UW campuses, or on any single campus. If the minor is completed by a Seattle-major student, no more than 10 credits applied to the minor may be in the student's major department.

* The list of core courses and context courses is maintained by the Human Rights Advisory Committee (refer to website). Note: From time to time, the advisory committee adds, subtracts, or reclassifies courses on the approved list. Students who have planned their studies on the basis of an earlier list may fulfill the requirements of the minor as specified in that earlier list.


Additional Information

The human rights minor is offered at all three University campuses, allowing students to take advantage of the expertise available on the campuses where they are not regularly in residence, although the minor can be completed on any one campus.

 Program of Study: Minor: Labor Studies


Program Overview

The field of Labor Studies encompasses scholarship and teaching across a wide array of academic disciplines about work, workers, and worker organizations. Topics covered include unions and collective bargaining, immigrant workers, the impact of globalization on worker well being, worker rights in comparative and historical perspective, and unpaid caring and domestic labor. The Labor Studies minor brings together a variety of courses on labor and social justice. It provides students an interdisciplinary program of study focusing on the importance of labor to the economic, social, political, legal, and cultural development of modern societies.

This program of study leads to the following credential:
  • Minor in Labor Studies

 Minor in Labor Studies


Credential Overview

The field of Labor Studies encompasses scholarship and teaching across a wide array of academic disciplines about work, workers, and worker organizations. Topics covered include unions and collective bargaining, immigrant workers, the impact of globalization on worker well being, worker rights in comparative and historical perspective, and unpaid caring and domestic labor. The Labor Studies minor brings together a variety of courses on labor and social justice. It provides students an interdisciplinary program of study focusing on the importance of labor to the economic, social, political, legal, and cultural development of modern societies.

Completion Requirements

25 credits

  1. POL S 249/HSTCMP 249/SOC 266 or HSTAA 353
  2. 20 additional credits from courses related to labor studies, with no more than 10 credits from one department. Refer to department website for list of approved courses.
  3. Minimum 2.0 grade for each course applied toward the minor.