Interdisciplinary Programs are innovative and exciting options at Montevallo. Interdisciplinary programs use multidisciplinary perspectives to think about contemporary problems and imagine new possibilities. They include the Environmental Studies program and minor, Game Studies and Design program and minor, Public Relations minor, Writing minor, and Interdisciplinary Studies major.
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Environmental Studies at the University of Montevallo is an interdisciplinary minor grounded in the natural sciences that incorporates perspectives from the social sciences, the arts and humanities, and business. The purpose of the program is to provide students with the skills, knowledge, and attitudes they will need as citizens and as members of the workforce to make informed decisions with respect to ecological issues and to foster leadership skills for building a sustainable society. The overarching objective is to help students learn to balance present needs with those of future generations while promoting environmental justice and biological sustainability. Recent class offerings include Environmental Aesthetics and Ethics; Lore of Appalachian Eco-Resistance; Environmental Law and Policy; National Parks, Landscape Art, and the American Imagination; History of Global Capitalism and the Environment; and Summer Harvest, which includes time in the UM Organic Community Garden growing food for donation to a local food bank while learning about social and environmental justice issues. |
| Earning a minor in Game Studies and Design (GSD) from the University of Montevallo offers students a unique opportunity to academically explore the interdisciplinary concepts involved in game studies and design from a liberal-arts perspective. Designed to complement any major on campus, students choosing this minor will be able to select classes from a wide variety of disciplines including English, marketing, mathematics, philosophy and sociology; all of which play pivotal roles in the design and study of games. In the GSD core classes, students will explore the historical and cultural impact of different genres of games including video games, board games, card games, role-playing games and other varieties of games. Game Studies courses analyze a range of games, both traditional and digital. Our Game Design courses uniquely specialize in creating non-digital games while exploring the fundamentals of game design that apply to any medium. |
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Public Relations minor is designed to be a complementary addition to any major. Most employers cite effective communication as a top characteristic they desire to see in potential employees. A minor in PR at Montevallo is a great way for students to enhance communication skills that are relevant to any professional aspiration. Specifically, the PR program emphasizes four content areas—writing, communication management, persuasion, and production—which are essential for professional PR practice. Students can develop competencies in these areas by taking courses in a variety of disciplines including: Art, Business, Communication Studies, English, and Mass Communication. The interdisciplinary nature of our program is a major factor that makes the study of PR at UM a unique experience.
Writing minor is offered by The Department of English and Foreign Languages as a means to develop written communication skills that will be essential for success in any career path, within a coherent liberal arts framework that reflects the mission of the College of Arts & Sciences. Students choosing this concentration will select from a diverse roster of courses emphasizing both the practice of writing and the theories behind writing. The culminating experience of the Minor will be an individualized guided practicum that involves the creation of a portfolio that includes work of publishable quality. Either as an integrated part of the traditional English Major, or as a supplement to another major, the Minor in Writing provides marketable skills that are also at the core of a liberal arts education. Creative writing tracks in poetry and prose, plus composition studies and professional writing tracks are available. For more information contact email Jim Murphy or Bryn Chancellor, or visit our office located at the University of Montevallo, Station 6420.
Interdisciplinary Studies Major allows students to create their own major. While at Montevallo you can choose an existing path, or you can make your own! If you are a highly motivated student who wants to think in new ways, the IDS major may be for you. IDS students design their own course of study and work closely with faculty mentors the whole way. Students typically enter the major in their sophomore or junior year. Here are some areas of study an IDS major might pursue:
| Environmental Activism | Latin American Studies |
| Human Resources Management | Creativity Therapy in the Prisons |
| Peace and Justice Studies | The Aesthetics and Culture of Games |