The Division of Interdisciplinary Studies supports rigorous inquiry that transcends, cuts across, or combines traditional academic disciplines. The Division of Interdisciplinary Studies comprises:

• The Western Heritage and Global Heritage programs required of all Carthage students.

• The Honors Program for students of outstanding achievement.

• Majors or minors in Asian Studies, Great Ideas: Intellectual Foundations of the West, and Women's/Gender Studies for students wishing to pursue in depth important questions that fall outside conventional disciplinary boundaries.

Western Heritage, Global Heritage

Before, during, and after the selection of their major courses of study, students are whole human beings. Carthage acknowledges and seeks to cultivate that wholeness by means of the Western Heritage sequence, which introduces first-year students to fundamental questions of human life through rigorous study of key texts in Western thought and develops the essential abilities to think, read, write, and speak effectively. In addition, since living responsibly and functioning effectively in our increasingly interconnected world requires understanding alternative worldviews, the Global Heritage requirement ensures that every Carthage student takes at least one course on a cultural tradition with substantial non-Western roots.

Asian Studies, Great Ideas, Women's/Gender Studies

Individual programs of study offered by the Division of Interdisciplinary Studies draw on traditional disciplines at the same time that they inquire into or challenge the limits of those disciplines. The thorough interdisciplinary program of Asian Studies draws on courses from three academic divisions and six departments to provide a broad and deep understanding of Asia. Great Ideas: Intellectual Foundations of the West inquires into the very foundations of Western thought and therefore into the origins of the disciplinary frameworks that determine all other academic study. Women's/Gender Studies is a cross-disciplinary course of study that addresses the way gender functions in society while at the same time seeking to fill lacunae in all of the traditional disciplines where women have been omitted.

The Honors Program

The Honors Program is an all-college program that offers enhanced educational opportunities to students of outstanding achievement and promise. Students in the Honors Program meet College and major requirements while finding extra challenges to get the most out of their time at Carthage. Students work closely with professors on independent projects and research, get involved in Honor societies on campus, take unique interdisciplinary courses to make connections between fields, and regularly participate in cultural and scholarly life on campus and off. Learn more about the Honors Program, including the program's goals and admission process.

• Hannibal Lectures

Popular lecture series draws professors and students deeper into Western Heritage texts.

• Honors Program

Enrich your learning experience both in and out of the classroom.

• Western Heritage

Embark on a journey of rigorous thinking, questioning and imagining that ultimately leads to self-discovery and self-expression.