The Ways of Knowing (WoK) Breadth requirement empowers BA students to engage with diverse subject areas through a personalized program of interdisciplinary study.
As an IDST student, your unique program will help you easily fulfill this requirement.
The Ways of Knowing Breadth requirement consists of two components: Place and Power and Areas of Breadth. The Areas of Breadth requires coursework across four areas of study: Humanities and Creative Arts, Language as Meaning, Natural and Physical Sciences, and Social and Behavioral Systems. As an IDST student, you’ll be able to fulfill at least two of these four areas of study easily.
To fulfill the requirements, a student must complete:
- 12 credits (in one course code) in one Ways of Knowing breadth area, which will likely overlap with your IDST program;
- 9 credits (in one course code) from a second Ways of Knowing breadth area;
- 6 credits (in one course code) from a third Ways of Knowing breadth area;
- 3 credits from the remaining Ways of Knowing breadth area; and
- 3 credits of Place and Power (which may also fall in one of the above or be part of your IDST program)
The courses in each Ways of Knowing breadth area do not have to be upper-level credits like your IDST program requirements, can be a mix of lower- or upper-level credits. Your course selection in your IDST program could also easily slot into a second (or even a third) Ways of Knowing breadth requirement, depending on your program’s design. Your Ways of Knowing courses do not have to be exclusively IDST courses (you can meet the requirement through a combination of IDST and non-IDST courses).
Sample IDST programs and WoK Breadth requirement
Sample 1: A general study option with ECON as a primary focus, COMR as a secondary focus, and ASIA/CHIN as secondary category.
18 credits of ECON fulfilling the Social and Behavioral Systems Area of Breadth
9 credits of CHIN (some of which are included in the student’s IDST program) fulfilling the Language as Meaning Area of Breadth
6 credits of HIST fulfilling the Humanities and Creative Arts Area of Breadth
3 credits of EOSC fulfilling the Natural and Physical Science Area of Breadth
3 credits of a Place and Power course
Sample 2: A thematic study option with a theme in Consumer Culture, whose course selection for IDST includes 12 credits of ARTH and 3 credits of GEOG
12 credits of ARTH fulfilling the Humanities and Creative Arts Area of Breadth
9 credits of GEOG fulfilling the Social and Behavioral Systems Area of Breadth (3 credits of IDST coursework and 6 additional credits of GEOG)
6 credits of FREN fulfilling the Language as Meaning Area of Breadth
3 credits of DSCI fulfilling the Natural and Physical Science Area of Breadth
3 credits of a Place and Power Course