Interdisciplinary Practice and Reflection (IPR)

The Interdisciplinary Practice and Reflection (IPR) requirement ensures that all IAS students complete at least one course that requires an advanced research, creative, or experiential learning project before they graduate.  IAS courses meeting this requirement are low-enrollment and high-impact.  They typically involve close engagement with a faculty member and assume prior study in the area.  These courses allow students to complete a project that draws on their academic interests and furthers their life ambitions. The project might be a seminar paper in a particular area of study; an academic internship in a relevant field; a service-learning project that builds on the student's academic work; a study abroad opportunity; an art and media project or production.  Courses that satisfy the IPR requirement ask students to reflect on the value, challenges, and effectiveness of their work in relation to their undergraduate education as a whole.

List of courses that satisfy the IPR requirement*

• BIS 490 Senior Seminar
• BIS 403 Washington DC Seminar on Human Rights
• BIS 480 International Study Abroad
• BIS 492 Senior Thesis (10 credits)
• BIS 494 Task Force
• BIS 495 Internship
• BIS 496 Community Service Project
• BIS 497 Political Internship in State Government
• BIS 498 Undergraduate Research
• BISCP 489 Projects in Community Psychology
• BISIA 450 Image and Imagination
• BISIA 483 Advanced Arts Workshop
• BISIA 484 Arts Learning in the Community
• BISMCS 472 Advanced Media Production Workshop
• BES 462/3/4 Restoration Ecology Capstone (10 credits)
• BES 498 Independent Research in Environmental Science
• BISSKL 400 Policy Journal Editorial Board
• BISIA 401 Literary Journal Editorial Board
• BISSKL 402 Peer Facilitation
• Any Graduate Course Offered in IAS

*All IAS students must complete at least 5 credits of IPR.  This requirement can be satisfied by one 5-credit course or multiple lower-credit courses.  Students should talk with faculty members in their major and consult their degree webpages as they decide which of the courses listed above fit best with their academic training and life goals.  Because artifacts produced in these courses are ideal for inclusion in students' capstone portfolios, the IPR requirement should be satisfied prior to BIS 499.  Many of the courses listed above have prerequisites, applications processes, priority registration for specific majors, or other requirements for enrollment.  Please check the IAS website and course catalog for details.