The School of Humanities and Sciences offers a variety of opportunities for interdisciplinary study. Students can choose to enroll in one of the several interdisciplinary minors the school offers to supplement the disciplinary focus of their major; many of these minors cross departmental, and even school, boundaries in the required courses. Some programs offer individual courses that provide the opportunity for students, whether formally in the minor or not, to explore interdisciplinary areas of inquiry.

The Biological Anthropology minor is an interdisciplinary program that examines the theories, principles, practices, and applied aspects within biological anthropology, including primatology, paleoanthropology (human evolution), anthrozoology, genetics, and conservation. 

For more information on program requirements see Biological Anthropology Minor.

The interdisciplinary counseling minor is a partnership between the Departments of Psychology and Sociology; open to all students at the College, it is designed to provide a broad perspective and background in the field of mental health. This interdisciplinary approach to the study of mental health acknowledges the complementary contribution of these two disciplines that explore individual behavior from differing perspectives. Through this combination of approaches, the minor allows students to develop a rich and complex understanding of the development of distress, and a variety of perspectives on assessment, treatment, and crisis intervention in applied settings.

For more information on program requirements see Counseling Minor.

The Global Premodern Studies minor offers an opportunity for students to design a course of study for thinking critically and expansively about the world before 1700. In particular, we encourage courses of study that expand or that transect linguistic, national, or period boundaries, in a range of departments and programs across the college. The geographical and regional boundaries upon which many of our academic disciplines and departments depend are not trans-historical givens; they are constantly being generated and historically in flux. How can interdisciplinary study of earlier periods and their cultural productions help us understand the overlapping worlds that make up the globe? The pre-industrial past can provide new ways of thinking through today’s most pressing issues, including climate change, structural inequalities, and racial and economic justice. While the study of the past can teach us how we arrived in the current moment, it can also teach us how we and our world might have turned out differently. In this interdisciplinary and flexible minor, students can explore, engage, and interrogate multiple pasts from all over the world. The Global Premodern Studies minor complements a range of majors, such as Literatures in English; History; Art History; Politics; Philosophy; Religious Studies; Environmental Studies; Race, Power, and Resistance; and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and encourages the kind of synthetic thinking that is especially important in the professional fields of education and law. Students considering graduate study in the fields traditionally associated with the humanities or the arts will also find the minor to be both helpful and provocative.  

For more information on program requirements see Global Premodern Studies Minor.

The Innovation Scholar Program is a highly interdisciplinary academic minor with a mission to equip students with the knowledge and skills to contribute effectively to sustainability, social justice, environmental stewardship, cultural diversity, and economic well-being. With close mentorship and opportunities for global and cross-cultural learning, scholars will be ready to tackle the complex challenges of our time and to make a positive impact on the Ithaca community and the world.

Program is open only via application to students at time of application to Ithaca College.

For more information on program requirements see Innovation Scholars Minor.

Latin America and the Caribbean are extraordinarily diverse areas, encompassing a wide variety of cultures, political units, economies, languages, and environments. The goals of the Latin American and Caribbean Studies minor are to foster greater knowledge about Latin America and the Caribbean and to explore the cultural, political, and economic contributions of that area to the global community. The minor aims to expand students’ views concerning the multicultural nature of the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean and to emphasize the interactions between indigenous and introduced cultures in this region, both past and present. Students will also be introduced to an understanding of the interplay between "Latin America" and "the Caribbean," regions that overlap and intersect but also each hold distinct characteristics.The Latin American and Caribbean studies minor will be useful to students envisioning careers in government, business, journalism, community service, public health, education, or the environment. The minor will also prepare students interested in pursuing graduate work in any field related to Latin America and the Caribbean.

For more information on program requirements see Latin American and Caribbean Studies Minor.

The Media Literacy minor is an interdisciplinary program that provides a firm grounding in the theories, principles and practices in the rapidly growing field of media literacy.  Students in the minor approach the analysis and evaluation of media messages from several different academic perspectives, applying key questions regarding the source, purpose, content, techniques, credibility and impact of those messages on individuals and societies. Through their coursework they also have multiple opportunities to create their own media messages (reflecting on their construction choices), and to apply their skills and knowledge regarding media literacy in a real-world setting (through an internship, independent study, or similar experience). As part of the culmination of the minor, students create a multi-media portfolio representing and reflecting on the coursework and projects undertaken for the minor, applying the principles of media literacy.

For more information on program requirements see Media Literacy Minor.

The Muslim cultures minor promotes a study of Muslims and Islam in order to facilitate a critical and constructive engagement with issues that affect Muslims and non-Muslims alike. The point of this engagement is to prepare students to face the challenges of living in a multireligious, multiracial, and multicultural world.

For more information on program requirements see Muslim Cultures Minor.

Neuroscience has become a vital interdisciplinary field of training in science. Advances in cell and molecular biology, biochemistry, biophysics, and psychology have all contributed to the creation of this field of study. Neuroscientists work in many areas of the basic and clinical sciences.