Center for Interdisciplinary Teaching & Learning

Committed to excellence in interdisciplinary education and lifelong learning

About CITL

Informed by the success of the College of General Studies — which has been delivering outstanding interdisciplinary, general education for more than sixty years — and by the scholarship on best practices in teaching and learning, the Center for Interdisciplinary Teaching & Learning (CITL) recognizes that undergraduate students learn best when they reflect upon how and not just what they are learning, when they have excellent teachers, and when they view learning as a life-long process.

Funded initially with a $1 million gift by Gary Villella to help sustain the interdisciplinary education that he says taught him “how to think” and to support the interdisciplinary programming of CITL, which is housed in the Villella Suite, CITL offers core programs that support these beliefs.

Led by Associate Dean Davida Pines and powered by the active support of CGS faculty, CITL offers information and opportunities aimed at those seeking to learn more about or participate in interdisciplinary general education experiences. CITL programs serve CGS students, current and aspiring undergraduate faculty, and life-long learners, including BU alumni.

Our Work

Supported Programs

Research

Supporting Undergraduate Research

The Center for Interdisciplinary Teaching & Learning offers undergraduate students a unique opportunity to partner with faculty on research projects as early as their first year of college through the Gould Family Endowment Fund for Undergraduate Research Experience

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Research

Social Impact Research Fund

Believing students’ ideas and perspectives can generate innovative and novel thinking in research, design, and implementation, alumnus Gary A. Kraut established the Social Impact Research Fund to give students the resources they need to implement their research projects.

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Institutes

The Institute for the Study of Irish Culture reflects the University’s dedication to the advancement of scholarship in interdisciplinary fields and acts as a place of welcome for students, scholars and researchers in the diverse fields within Irish Studies.

The Institute for the Study of the Origins of Civilization (ISOC) at Boston University’s College of General Studies takes an interdisciplinary approach to the investigation of the deep foundations that underlie the rise of civilization.

The newly founded Institute for the Study of Motherhood Scholarship (ISMS) at Boston University reflects CITL’s dedication to the advancement of scholarship in the growing interdisciplinary scholarly field of Motherhood Studies.

Assessment

e-Portfolios

CGS assesses students using e-Portfolios and a rubric designed by the College, and the results show CGS above its peers in helping students to build critical thinking, analytical, and communication skills.

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Events

Conferences

Each year, the Center for Interdisciplinary Teaching & Learning invites scholars from around the world to explore a timely topic from an interdisciplinary perspective. Learn more about the themes, schedules, and keynotes for our annual conference.

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Events

Poetry Reading Series

Co-sponsored by the Center for Interdisciplinary Teaching & Learning, College of General Studies, and the BU Center for the Humanities (BUCH), the Poetry Reading Series strives to make poetry a fundamental part of university and community life.

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Publications

Research Journal

Online Journal

Impact

Impact: The Journal of the Center for Interdisciplinary Teaching & Learning is a peer-reviewed, bi-annual online journal that publishes scholarly and creative non-fiction essays about the theory, practice and assessment of interdisciplinary education.

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CITL in the News

Featured Stories

Undergraduate Research

Looking to the past to research cures

Adam Lazarchik (CGS’18, SAR’20) and Elizabeth Guerrero (CGS’18, ENG’20) are student researchers working with College of General Studies Professor Sandra Buerger to investigate historical cures for diseases.

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Undergraduate Research

Women Writers, Food, and Wartime

When a computer engineering student and an English major help a rhetoric professor with a book about British women writers and food, you’re seeing interdisciplinary synergy of undergraduate research in action.

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Undergraduate Research

Analyzing the films of King Vidor

King Vidor directed some of the boundary-breaking films of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Luke Bonzani (CGS’18, COM’20, CAS’20) combed through dozens of Vidor’s interviews for quotes on the craft of filmmaking.

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More Information

Additional Resources

Contact

Looking for more information on any initiatives of the CITL’s initiatives? For general inquires, please email citl@bu.edu, or see below for more contact information.

Contact

Donate

Donations to CITL help support undergraduate research stipends and internships, an annual conference, and our biannual journal.

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Available Opportuntities

Learn more about current opportunities and resources being offered by CITL, including undergraduate research, teacher training, and E-Portfolio assistance.

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