College of Liberal Arts

Interdisciplinary Program
in Collaborative Arts

E211 Regis Center
405 21st Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Phone: 612-625-5297
Fax: 612-625-7881
E-mail: cola@umn.edu

About the Program

Collaboration across disciplinary boundries will be an essential key to new discoveries, new creations, and new ways of looking at challenges.

The Interdisciplinary Program in Collaborative Arts (IPCA) is one facet of a more encompassing move toward collaboration and interdisciplinary research at the University of Minnesota.

Other parts of this larger initiative include the Institute for Advanced Study, the Consortium on Fostering Interdisciplinary Inquiry sponsored by the Provost’s office, as well as well-established centers for interdisciplinary colloquy such as the Institute for Global Studies, the Center for Austrian Studies, the Center for German and European Studies, and the China Center.

Most IPCA faculty members will have their tenure homes in the traditional arts – art, music, theater, dance, and creative writing. They will teach in both contexts, within the traditional arts curriculum and within the Collaborative Arts program. IPCA courses will also be offered by distinguished guest faculty and representatives of international interdisciplinary research centers.

Unique Courses

Collaborative Arts courses will differ from the majority of courses at the University in two principal ways.

First, at least some of our courses will be co-taught by professors from different disciplines. The intersection or even conflict between multiple perspectives is an important part of the program.

Second, many Collaborative Arts courses will require collaboration among the students. In some courses, the goal of student collaboration will be a production of some sort (theater work, multi-media work, installation, exhibition, etc.). As the Collaborative Arts program develops, we hope to explore a variety of creative spaces within the West Bank Arts Quarter as well as alternative venues in the Twin Cities, allowing our students to share their work with the larger community.

Major and Minor Programs

A major and minor in Collaborative Arts will be established over the coming year (2008-2009) and will be in place by 2009-2010. Students who decide to major in Collaborative Arts will also be required to have a concentration in one of the traditional arts, as well as foundational studies in each of the traditional arts. The IPCA minor will be an attractive option for many undergraduates, both within the traditional arts as well as the sciences and humanities.