ISCI 300 : Interdisciplinary Seminar

You might be asking, "What's the point of this course?  Why does it exist?  And why do I have to take it?"

The Seminar was developed to broaden students’ perspectives beyond their own integrations and to explore interesting scientific topics in other fields.  Each week a small group of students (HOSTS) leads the audience (GUESTS) in a discussion of a sciencey topic chosen by the hosts. The topic doesn't need to be centered around science but it must be amenable to a scientific perspective.  Chosen topics are often in the current news or have an ethical angle that generates a lot of interest and participation. The hosts will introduce the topic and then lead learning activities and class discussions through a Case Study/Progressive Disclosure format. 

Course Structure

This is a student-led seminar style course, which means you - the student - are both the teacher and the learner. As the teacher, you will be guiding your peers through a progressive disclosure style case study to investigate a hot topic in the scientific literature. 

As the learner, you are required to familiarize yourself with the topic for discussion and be an active participant in your peers' classroom. 

Details of each are described below and in the corresponding assignment handouts.

The course has four goals (Learning Objectives):

1. To train you to seek new knowledge and evaluate it critically;
2. To teach you to effectively communicate expert knowledge to a general audience;
3. To expose you to a wide range of scientific disciplines; and
4. To build relationships between you and your fellow IntSci students.

Canvas

Registration Details

Offered: 2024W T1 (Tues 12:30-2), T2 (Tues 12:30-2)

Pre-requisites: Registration in Integrated Sciences

ISCI core course: YES

UBC Schedule: ISCI 300