Established in 1999, the Center for Integrative Studies (CIS) continues St. Olaf's long commitment to multiplying opportunities for students to make meaningful connections among the many parts of their college careers, and to emphasizing the links between students' experiences on campus and in other communities.
In the CIS " integrative studies" refers to the intentional combination of diverse methodologies, experiences, subject matters, learning styles, and resources. Individual students may use integrative studies in an individual major that satisfies their educational goals. Faculty may use integrative studies to shape a seminar around a compelling topic.
The goals of the CIS are to
- enhance the coherence of students' academic carreers by promoting opportunities for all students to make meaningful connections among their various educational experiences;
- help students buld bridges, for themselves and others, between the college and other communities; and
- provide a locus for attention to issues of interdisciplinarity and integration across the college's academic program and generally across students' college experience
St. Olaf's long-standing commitment to integrative learning is evident in the college's many successful interdisciplinary majors and concentrations, in the 30-year history of the Paracollege (1969-2000), and in our faculty's ability to combine diverse approaches to course subjects. Many current courses already intergrate multiple approaches to their topics; and many majors include the possibility of integrating multiple disciplines. To this rich context, the CIS adds the option for the students to design and carry out their own interdisciplinary, integrative majors.
