Disciplinary Innovation: Course Threads

The Project on Disciplinary Innovation, commonly known as Course Threads, is meant to invite new ways of thinking about interdisciplinary faculty research and the relationship among undergraduate courses in the humanities and related fields at UC Berkeley. Rather than generate new programs, interdisciplinary majors, or official requirements, the aim of this project is to establish a flexible model for cross-disciplinary education by bringing to light some of the hidden "threads" that connect courses across existing departments and disciplines. Each thread is comprised of a relatively robust number of courses in different departments. The possibility of following a particular thread or path of interest, once marked by the faculty, is an option for undergraduates to choose, not a requirement. Interested students are asked to sign up with the Townsend Center, to enroll in at least 3 courses from the Thread over the course of their studies at Berkeley, and to participate in at least one year-end symposium. After successful completion of these steps, students will be awarded a certificate of completion from the Townsend Center.

Students: To participate in a course thread, sign up at the Course Threads website.

Faculty: Visit our Disciplinary Innovation Grant page for information on how to apply for the Project on Disciplinary Innovation Grant and propose a new course thread.

This project is made possible by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation