During the last 25 years, Villanova's first-year and second-year Honors Program students have participated in a unique approach to humanities education. The program is a three-semester sequence of interdisciplinary courses in the humanities. Although it is not a survey course, the program follows a chronological order that covers many of the central themes and trends that have emerged in Western history.

The courses are designed as a three-semester series, but they also are coordinated with Villanova's other core requirements in a way that makes it possible for students to enter or leave the three-semester program at the end of any semester. All three courses are conducted as small discussion seminars, with 18-22 students.

Goals

The program has no prerequisites, and does not assume that students have taken any particular courses in secondary school. The main objectives of this foundational course sequence include:

• Background for Future Studies: Instead of being a general survey, the Interdisciplinary Humanities Sequence concentrates selectively on individual themes, events, and writers that have been particularly important in shaping the Western world. The courses are meant to provide an intellectual grounding that will serve as a useful background for advanced work in virtually any field that the student pursues in his or her upper-class years.
• Interdisciplinary Thinking: The course assumes that the ability to cross the boundaries that separate different disciplines is an essential skill for future studies and future careers. There is a very strong emphasis, therefore, not only on learning the material but also on learning how to relate and integrate it.
• Communication Skills: The small class size and informal atmosphere of "Interdisc" help students get a great deal of practice and skill in presenting their ideas and questions orally. There also is a very heavy emphasis on writing skills, with a large number of papers and other written assignments followed by individual conferences with faculty members.

Results

Students from the Interdisciplinary Humanities Program invariably receive a large share of awards and scholarships when they graduate — from Medallions of Excellence at Villanova's commencement exercises to graduate university fellowships and postgraduate national fellowships like the Fulbright, Goldwater, National Science Foundation, Rhodes and Truman Scholarships. In addition, graduating seniors and returning alums have said that the Interdisciplinary program remained one of their most significant experiences at Villanova.