Lee Dryden is director of Social Sciences Interdisciplinary Degree Programs.
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Dryden |
What are Social Sciences Interdisciplinary Programs?
The Interdisciplinary Degree Programs (IDP) offer 6 undergraduate majors: human services (with concentrations in social gerontology, community mental health and early childhood), legal studies, environmental studies (BA and BS), international studies, urban and public policy studies, and cognitive sciences. Each curriculum is organized around an interdisciplinary topic and includes courses from three or more different departments. In human services and environmental studies, the curricula include some courses taught by part-time faculty with expertise in those areas. The idea was developed in the mid-1970s in the Faculty of Social Sciences. Curricular elements from College H (health and human services) and Rachel Carson College (environmental studies) were incorporated into these programs. Our office administers the majors, tries to maintain the continuity of course offerings, hires part-time faculty, and advises and keeps track of the numerous students. We do this with a core staff of four full-time academic and professional personnel and two half-time clerical staff.
How many students do the programs serve?
The programs have proven to be very popular with students. We have about 600 majors. Five years ago, we had more than 1,000. I don't know whether to hope for that again. I think some students choose our majors because they can relate more easily to an area of study than to a discipline. We also try to be friendly and accessible to students when they need advisement or other forms of academic help.
Can a student design his or her own major through these programs?
These majors are to be distinguished from "specialized" or "individualized" majors, in which students design their own major under faculty supervision. They follow a structured curriculum, which incorporates significant student choice of course offerings.
What is the advantage of pursuing interdisciplinary study, rather than the traditional route of focusing on one discipline? Is there a certain type of student or course of study that is best served through interdisciplinary study?
The topic areas that define our majors are inherently interdisciplinary. Aspects of these topics are addressed in different ways by different disciplines. I think some students chose our majors because they can relate more easily to an area of interest than to a discipline. They have a clearer idea of what they are going to be getting into. Students always want to see practical applications of what they have learned. We try to respond to that in our internship programs. In general, we try to be friendly and accessible to students when they need advisement or other forms of academic help. I think that helps attract students.
Describe the internship program.
One of the significant academic features of our most popular academic programs is the opportunity to participate in an internship placement. We have devoted a lot of energy to developing a roster of internship placements for students in human services, environmental studies and legal studies. Students taking internship courses with us spend 150 hours in the field and fulfill a significant research and reporting project. They get to see how topics addressed in an academic setting get expressed in the world of work in the Buffalo area. There is nothing like a placement in a daycare center to test, refine or reject the hypothesis that you want to work with young children. I think our internship program has a strong attraction for students who would like to go out and work with their bachelor's degree. It also proves attractive to some of our more vocationally minded transfer students from community colleges in the area.
You're a philosopher. How has that training helped you in directing these programs?
I came to UB in 1969 to study philosophy and received the Ph.D. in 1977. I took a job in College H as academic coordinator. One thing has led to another, and now I find myself writing this. Throughout my career in academic administration, I have continued to teach. I teach "Social and Ethical Values in Medicine" in the Department of Philosophy on a continuous basis and truly enjoy the contact with students on issues in medical ethics. As a result of my involvement in that course, I have become involved in the Pre-Professional Health Advisory Committee, which interviews UB students interested in being admitted to health professional schools. I now chair that committee. I think training in philosophy has encouraged a methodical, analytical approach to problems involved in academic administration. Since the whole curriculum was based on reading and writing, one develops verbal skills. Philosophy tends to attract people with a reflective bent, who seek engagement with issues that are important and susceptible to understanding within multiple frames of reference. I think the ability to deal positively with ambiguity has helped me to administer these programs.
What question do you wish I had asked, and how would you have answered it?
What have you learned from your experience? My entire career here has involved working closely with part-timers. Their pay is very low and they often come to the university after a long day's work in their own workplace. So why do they do it? Most seem to be motivated by a love for their profession and a strong desire to communicate with young people about the work they do. Their eagerness to do this work gives me greater appreciation of my own professional life. Working with young people as a teacher and a mentor is an honor and a privilege that people who are too close to it often fail to appreciate. Communicating your discipline and profession to students challenges you to clarify your thinking and practice. The shared effort to achieve mutual understanding is personally fulfilling for both parties. When you get too caught up in careerism, bureaucratic politics, competition with peers, i.e., the abundant distractions associated with work at UB, you can miss what is really meaningful. My work with part-time faculty, as well as the dedicated people in IDP with whom I have been privileged to be associated, keeps reminding me how desirable are the opportunities for meaningful work with young people that are available at this kind of workplace.
