Interdisciplinary Studies

List of 5 items.

• COURSE DESIGN

  Everything is designed—the pen in your hand, the window through which you’re looking, Interstate Highways, the postal service, and all of the multitudinous systems that constitute the nation in which we live. The America we live in was designed and still continues to be designed. In AMERICAN DESIGN, we will take an interdisciplinary approach to looking closely at various systems of design that make up our nation, such as technology, housing, education, health care, law enforcement, and the criminal justice system. We will seek to understand the frameworks and the implications of these various systems of design; we will identify problems within these systems of design; and we will use a human-centered, empathy based approach to create real-world solutions. Furthermore, we will learn how we might leverage the power of design for individual growth, as well as engagement with our communities, as our 11th grade students embrace the rights and responsibilities of local, national, and global citizenship.  

• SCHEDULE DESIGN

  • In order to provide ample time for students to learn and to accomplish the work of American Design, students will have two designated class times within a rotation. 
  • One class time will be scheduled in the American Design Classroom with two teachers—one from the History department, and one from the English department. 
  • The second class time will be scheduled in the common space of Cochran Library for independent and collaborative work.
  • Both class meetings are located in the soon to be remodeled Cochran Library. 

• SKILL DESIGN

  In American Design, we will balance tradition and innovation. Foundational skills such as reading, writing, and discussion remain at the forefront of our pedagogy as we build relevant 21st century skills such as empathy, design, and community engagement through the process of design thinking (an empathy based, human centered, interdisciplinary approach to understanding and creating solutions for  real-world problems).
  
  

  • Sources: novels, plays, poetry, short stories, articles, essays, podcasts, documentaries, websites, legal documents 
  • Writing: close textual analysis paragraphs/essays, synthesis essays, letters, emails, proposals, interview questions, podcasts scripts, non-fiction narratives, journal entries, lecture notes, discussion notes, poetry 
  • Discussion and Presentation: Harkness Discussions with classmates improving their listening and speaking skills; Class Presentations building presentation skills (including videos, slides, podcasts, etc.,); Interviews with adults in the greater OKC community growing their communication skills; Public Presentations of their work.

• SPACE DESIGN

  • “Space Matters. Consciously or not, we feel and internalize what The space tells us about HOW to work.”
                        -Stanford d.school’s maker space 
  • The classroom is designed specifically to ignite creativity and to enhance the ways in which teams and individuals communicate, work, play—and innovate.

• Other possible opportunities:

  Concurrent Enrollment
  Concurrent enrollment offers students the opportunity to earn 3-6 college credit hours.  Up to 15 students could receive approval and apply for concurrent enrollment during the spring semester of the junior year. The students who apply will meet GPA/test score requirements and indicate a desire to continue their studies into the Capstone course the fall of their senior year. Selected Capstone students will receive up to 6 hours of OCU concurrent credit. Other non-selected Capstone applicants will receive up to 3 hours of OCU concurrent credit. 

  
  Capstone Course
  Juniors may have the opportunity to construct a proposal for a Capstone project for approval. Selected students will be able to enroll in the Capstone course in the fall of senior year.