Forget the cluster, bring on the hellix

Stanford University proposes outdoing Gettysburg in the meaningless jargon department. In the sophomore year, they propose:

The Stanford Helix

Helix courses would focus on questions and concerns that influence and are influenced by multiple disciplines. Although the courses would be offered separately, they would be conceptually intertwined, providing both a structure and a heuristic for student learning . Viable as standalone courses yet united by shared overarching themes, helix courses would encourage high-order perspective and reflection, intellectual continuity across quarters, and broader interdisciplinary approaches to problem solving. In effect, they would do some of the work that IDPs do, but in a much more nimble way.

Helices would consist of three or more courses, intended by faculty to speak to one another and so identified to students. They would be flexibly administered . Taking all courses in a helix would not be mandatory, nor would taking them in a particular sequence, though students, depending on their background and interests, might find certain orders useful. Some students might use a helix to develop interests arising from their majors; others might employ them to further coherence within their breadth requirements.

Conversations with colleagues about the model elicited a host of exciting themes, all likely to be of deep interest to students . An international human rights helix could bring together courses in history, philosophy, law, and international relations to explore ongoing efforts to create norms of international humanitarian conduct in a world scarred by mass violence; a helix on water could bring together courses in environmental studies, public policy, engineering, history, and law. Some helices might focus on particular historical periods or processes—the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, the European colonization of the Americas—bringing together courses in history, literature, art, and philosophy. The digital age; sustainability and the environment; faith, self, and society—the possibilities are limitless.

Missing, of course, is a venue for student reflection on their helix.