September 9, 2016
Dear Tulane Community,
Do you wish those in power could view the world's problems from all sides and apply the full range of human knowledge, including all fields and disciplines, to solve them?
Inspiring tomorrow's leaders to understand and approach today's problems in this unconventional, yet highly effective way, is the essence of a Tulane education and lies at the heart of an exciting new academic experiment currently underway at Tulane: 360-Degree courses.
Funded by the Carol Lavin Bernick Family Foundation, 360-Degree courses will be taught by dynamic teams of three or more faculty members from different schools and disciplines. Each course will focus on one societal problem – violence, poverty, climate change, etc. – and address it from a cross-disciplinary perspective.
Our first 360-Degree course is already in session. We hope to continue adding such courses, which are designed for classes of 100-200 students, until they become a signature feature at Tulane, where the curriculum is already filled with scores of multi-disciplinary offerings.
The multi-disciplinary approach is also the force behind Tulane's leading role in researching Zika, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases. It's the inspiration for our soon-to-open riverfront campus that will be devoted to the study and preservation of Louisiana's coast and waterways. It's what has informed and invigorated the service learning, residential communities, research opportunities and social experiences that abound at Tulane. It is what makes us more optimistic than ever about Tulane's future, the leaders we are preparing, the research we are undertaking, the discoveries we are pursuing and the difference we are making.
This academic year promises to be one that truly distinguishes Tulane from its peers in groundbreaking, purpose-driven, boundary-crossing and world-changing ways.
