Expanding Knowledge at the Crossroads
The traditional disciplines of the liberal arts and sciences are an important foundation for modern knowledge, each lending a distinctive tradition of inquiry to the human quest for knowledge and understanding. But these disciplines are academic conveniences, not sacred constructs. While some academic pursuits are well served by the traditions of disciplinary inquiry, others are not.
The complexity of our contemporary transnational humanity demands a rigorous encounter with traditional claims to knowledge, and an ability to articulate problems, insights and solutions in a way that is meaningful to people within and without the academy.The language of crossroads expresses the timelessness of this quest. In the lore of many societies, the crossroads represent an area where the traveler encounters the magical intelligences of the universe. Life at the crossroads is exhilarating, overflowing with adventure, laughter, danger and hope. The cultural traveler may be transformed by that encounter, and there is no guarantee that the knowledge gained will contain the truth we need.
Cross Disciplinary Studies encourages faculty and students to value the knowledge of the disciplines and profit by it, but we also assert the necessity for traveling outside and across those boundaries in our studies and in our lives. Cross Disciplinary Studies (CDS) creates an intersection for a dedicated encounter with multiple disciplinary perspectives for faculty and students.
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