BXA Intercollege Program Courses

About Course Numbers:

Each Carnegie Mellon course number begins with a two-digit prefix that designates the department offering the course (i.e., 76-xxx courses are offered by the Department of English). Although each department maintains its own course numbering practices, typically, the first digit after the prefix indicates the class level: xx-1xx courses are freshmen-level, xx-2xx courses are sophomore level, etc. Depending on the department, xx-6xx courses may be either undergraduate senior-level or graduate-level, and xx-7xx courses and higher are graduate-level. Consult the Schedule of Classes each semester for course offerings and for any necessary pre-requisites or co-requisites.


52-190 BXA Seminar I: Building the Wunderkammer
Spring: 4.5 units
BXA Seminar I considers how knowledge is represented across different modes of mediawhat language, what symbols, what logic guides knowledge acquisition and expression in your varied disciplines? Students engage with theoretical and practical readings from across disciplines, with particular emphasis on interpretive theory. Weekly readings in aesthetic and critical theory introduce students to a particular vocabulary of analysis, practiced in class discussion and written responses. Students will conceive, research, produce and present a creative final project at the end of the course.
52-291 BXA Seminar II: Transferring Knowledge
Spring: 4.5 units
BXA Seminar II considers how interdisciplinary work can be produced, analyzed, justified andmost importantlycontextualized. By taking a deep dive into a single object or text, we'll explore how context situates the creator, the audience, and their relationship. At the end of the course, students will have a better understanding of how disciplinary methods establish context, and they'll be able to use this understanding to help guide their academic choices.
52-292 BXA Student Advisory Council
Intermittent: 3 units
This course will provide opportunities for students to promote and refine the mission of the BXA programs. Students will develop and practice leadership skills, including collaboration, communication, and project management. Students will be responsible for planning and running BXA student events, including info sessions, social hours, skills workshops, and alumni events. Students are encouraged to think about how to engage other interdisciplinary scholars and artists as well as how to present their own work and programs to the larger university community.
52-390 BXA Undergraduate Research Project
All Semesters
The BXA Undergraduate Research Project is for BXA students who want to work on a self-designed project with the one-to-one guidance of a faculty advisor. The project should be interdisciplinary in nature, and can be a scholarly and/or creative endeavor. The project may take the form of a written thesis, a compilation of creative works, an outreach project, etc. The project topic must be pre-approved by the faculty member who agrees to supervise the project and assign a letter grade for the course. Projects are to be completed in one semester, may be worth 3, 6, 9, or 12 units of academic credit, and cannot be taken concurrently with the BXA Capstone Project during the senior year. To register, students must submit an "Undergraduate Research Project Proposal Form" signed by both the student and the faculty advisor, along with a proposal, to their BXA academic advisor.
52-392 BXA Seminar III: Deconstructing Disciplines
Spring: 9 units
BXA Seminar III is in preparation for the BXA Capstone Project and/or other senior research projects (Dietrich/MCS/SCS thesis, or CFA senior studio work). The seminar will engage BXA juniors in a brief examination of the structures of disciplinary knowledge, interdisciplinary approaches, and the components of research, with production of original work as the primary class requirement. The course is designed with maximum flexibility for various schedule conflicts and attendance; check course syllabus for meeting times and options. Coursework includes short readings and self-assessment exercises, participation in seminar discussions, preparation of the Junior Portfolio and professional documents (CV), and the production of new research or creative works. These can take one of three forms: 1) a small proof of concept object 2) the initiation of one stage of larger research plans or 3) a complete Capstone proposal. Any of these may be the basis of the student's eventual Capstone or other senior work. The requirements for this semester also include a short 5 page literature review about the student's topic, inclusion of work during the BXA Kaleidoscope show (last week of April), and a class research presentation showcase held during the final exam period.
52-401 BXA Seminar IV: Capstone Project Research
Fall and Spring
The BXA Capstone gives BXA students the opportunity to demonstrate the extent of their interdisciplinary work over the course of their academic career. The Capstone should include elements that span the student's CFA and SCS concentrations (for BCSA students), CFA and DC concentrations (for BHA students), CFA and MCS concentrations (for BSA students), or CFA concentration and engineering major (for EA additional major students). The project can be either a scholarly or creative endeavor, and may take one of many possible forms (e.g., a written thesis, a compilation of creative work or works, an experiment and report, a computer program or animation, etc.). The BXA Capstone sequence covers both semesters of a student's senior year. In the fall, students are enrolled in 52-401 BXA Seminar IV: Capstone Project Research (9 units), which meets weekly to discuss strategies for managing research, planning the project, and larger theoretical issues related to interdisciplinary work. At the end of the fall course, students will have produced a Capstone Project proposal, an annotated bibliography, and multiple versions of their project pitch. In the spring, students enroll in 52-402 BXA Seminar: Capstone Project Production (9 units), which has no required classroom time. Instead, students spend the semester doing the research and foundational work necessary for the project, as well as meeting with their faculty and BXA advisors as they create their Capstone Project and prepare to present it at the annual Meeting of the Minds Undergraduate Research Symposium held each May. Students will only be enrolled for 18 units when they are unable to complete a two-semester sequence and need to gain special permission by the BXA Director/Academic Advisor. The BXA Capstone sequence is for students in their last two semesters before graduation.
52-402 BXA Seminar V: Capstone Project Production
Fall and Spring: 9 units
The BXA Capstone gives BXA students the opportunity to demonstrate the extent of their interdisciplinary work over the course of their academic career. The Capstone should include elements that span the student's CFA and SCS concentrations (for BCSA students), CFA and DC concentrations (for BHA students), CFA and MCS concentrations (for BSA students), or CFA concentration and engineering major (for EA additional major students). The project can be either a scholarly or creative endeavor, and may take one of many possible forms (e.g., a written thesis, a compilation of creative work or works, an experiment and report, a computer program or animation, etc.). The BXA Capstone sequence covers both semesters of a student's senior year. In the fall, students are enrolled in 52-401 BXA Seminar IV: Capstone Project Research (9 units), which meets weekly to discuss strategies for managing research, planning the project, and larger theoretical issues related to interdisciplinary work. At the end of the fall course, students will have produced a Capstone Project proposal, an annotated bibliography, and multiple versions of their project pitch. In the spring, students enroll in 52-402 BXA Seminar: Capstone Project Production (9 units), which has no required classroom time. Instead, students spend the semester doing the research and foundational work necessary for the project, as well as meeting with their faculty and BXA advisors as they create their Capstone Project and prepare to present it at the annual Meeting of the Minds Undergraduate Research Symposium held each May. The BXA Capstone sequence is for students in their last two semesters before graduation.
52-590 BXA Internship
All Semesters
An internship is a supervised professional work experience with clear links to a student's academic goals. BXA students may choose to complete a BXA Internship for elective credit with appropriate individuals or organizations within or outside of Carnegie Mellon University. Junior and senior BXA students in good academic standing are eligible to receive academic credit for one internship. Grading is pass/no pass only. Prior to enrolling in an internship, the student must have a "BXA Internship Agreement Form" signed by their site supervisor and approved by their BXA academic advisor.
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