Interdisciplinary

IDS 101 - Cornerstone Seminar (3 credits)

This course prepares students for success in their online program and beyond. Students will develop or confirm their career/personal goals and create a personalized academic plan to complete their degree at Charter Oak State College. Essential academic skills including digital, information literacy, critical thinking, and research writing will be addressed to prepare students for their subsequent coursework at the college. This course is required of all Charter Oak State College degree-seeking students and should be taken as soon as possible after matriculation. Students must earn an overall, final grade of "C" or higher to pass the course. Prerequisite(s): ENG 101

IDS 102 - Prior Learning Portfolio Developmnt (3 credits)

This course will focus on the principles and methodology of assessing college level learning acquired outside the traditional classroom. Students will analyze personal learning in terms of adult learning theory. They will also identify, articulate, and document personal learning outcomes, and relate that to the knowledge components of courses. The course promotes skill development in organizing information, writing, analyzing, and critical thinking. Students complete a prior learning portfolio challenging one course applicable to the student's degree, which may be submitted for assessment. A grade of “C” or better in this course is required for anyone seeking undergraduate portfolio credit. Prerequisite(s): ENG101.

IDS 103 - Acadm Writing & Critical Thinking (3 credits)

This course will concentrate on the process of developing writing paragraphs and essays that follow specific patterns of development and on building critical reading skills that enhance writing and critical thinking. Students will analyze readings and create paragraphs with strong thesis statements and specific supporting details. This course is recommended for students who need to review or strengthen these skills. Note: This course does not replace ENG 101 or 102. It is recommended for students who do not successfully complete IDS101, ENG 101, or ENG 102 with a grade of 'C' or better.

IDS 125 - Intro Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (3 credits)

This course will introduce students to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) concepts and frameworks. The topic of diversity will be presented as it relates to various human differences and overlapping social identities that include age, race, gender, gender identity, ability, class, religion, culture, and sexual orientation. Students will become familiar with the terminology used to describe human experiences such as identity development, discrimination, bias, oppression, privilege, and inequity. Through a social justice lens, the concepts of justice, equity, and inclusion will be defined. Course instruction, materials, and evaluation methods will prompt students to analyze their lived experiences and connect them to diversity, equity, and inclusion concepts.

IDS 211 - Innovative Thinking (3 credits)

Problem-solving and effective decision-making are essential skills in today’s fast-paced and ever-changing workplace. Both require a systematic yet creative approach to address today’s business concerns. This course will teach an overarching process of how to identify problems to generate potential solutions and how to apply decision-making styles in order to implement and assess those solutions. Through this process, you will gain confidence in assessing problems accurately, selecting the appropriate decision-making approaches for the situation at hand, making team decisions, and measuring the success of the solution’s implementation. Using case studies and situations encountered by class members, you will explore proven, successful problem-solving and decision-making models and methods that can be readily transferred to workplace projects.

IDS 225 - Religious and Spiritual Diversity (3 credits)

This course invites students to explore the nature of religion and spirituality in contemporary society. As our world becomes more interconnected, it is vital that citizens and workers become familiar with various religious and spiritual traditions and develop skills for navigating and respecting diversity, equity, and inclusion around religion. The course identifies reasons why religious and spiritual diversity has arisen in the world today and why it is important to cultivate it. The course introduces students to the academic study of religion and spirituality and familiarizes them with concepts and categories for thinking about religion and spirituality both as students and as practitioners. The course provides a general introduction to global religions and spiritual traditions so that students will gain a basic literacy about them. The course invites students to develop critical thinking skills about their own religious and spiritual beliefs. Finally, it invites them to identify ways that religions can advance inclusive, diverse, and equitable societies around religion and how such initiatives support pluralistic democracy, more just economies, and cultures that respect racial, ethnic, gender, and sexual diversity.

IDS 400 - Grant Writing (3 credits)

This course will focus on the components of successful grant writing for the nonprofit sector. Research, letter of intent/executive summary, and the elements of a strong, well-written proposal will be discussed. Prerequisite(s): ENG 101, ENG 102.