Welcome to the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies in Human Ecology
We are a small department which focuses on the processes of education and community leadership as they pertain to the many fields and disciplines of the School of Human Ecology. Our faculty conduct research and outreach projects on issues that arise in interdisciplinary education and community leadership. Students can pursue one of two majors: Teacher Certification in Family, Consumer, and Community Education or Community and Nonprofit Leadership. These majors prepare students to engage others in effective education or community processes to deal with complex issues affecting people and families. Faculty are also affiliated with the Graduate Program in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis (ELPA) through which students can pursue Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy studies regarding career, adult, and continuing education addressing human and family issues.
Interdisciplinary Studies: What's New and Exciting?
There is much happening in Interdisciplinary Studies. It is a time of change and exciting initiatives.
- The department has a new undergraduate major entitled “Community and Nonprofit Leadership,” approved in Fall, 2009. This major is for students who desire careers working with or on behalf of community organizations. The community and nonprofit sector includes highly diverse organizations in the human services, health, arts, recreation, and philanthropy. The major has four main foci: governance and management, philanthropy and service, program planning and evaluation, and communications and marketing. Click here for information regarding admission to the Community and Nonprofit Leadership program.
- The department is the administrative home for the new, campus-wide Center for Nonprofits. The Center for Nonprofits is a place through which university and community stakeholders convene and collaborate to understand and strengthen the nonprofit sector. It is a place that builds public awareness of the sector, the demands for its service, and the challenges it faces. In close affiliation with the Morgridge Center for Public Service, Wisconsin Extension and other university units, the Center for Nonprofits provides a forum and continuing education opportunities for diverse stakeholders to strengthen their own skills, network, and build the vitality of the sector.
- The department is also planning to be the administrative home for masters and doctoral programs in civil society and community leadership. This program, currently being developed by a diverse range of faculty and community leaders, will be interdisciplinary. It will focus on the current roles and responsibilities of the sector in building healthy communities, the potential of the sector to strengthen its positive impact on communities, and strategies through which the sector can confront challenges to reaching its potential. Core courses will focus on topics such as the nonprofit sector in comparative perspective, civil society, community organizing and social entrepreneurship, teaching and dissemination through community settings, and research methods.
