INTG 3301/4301 Integrated Studies

David Epstein examined the world's most successful athletes, artists, musicians, inventors, forecasters and scientists. He discovered that in most fields--especially those that are complex and unpredictable--generalists, not specialists, are primed to excel. Generalists often find their path late, and they juggle many interests rather than focusing on one. They're also more creative, more agile, and able to make connections their more specialized peers can't see. As experts silo themselves further while computers master more of the skills once reserved for highly focused humans, people who think broadly and embrace diverse experiences and perspectives will increasingly thrive.

Shifting demographics, economic turmoil, globalization, and a connected mobile culture have dramatically changed the workforce. Experienced career experts Caitlin Williams and Annabelle Reitman show you how to create your dream career by using and blending these changes in your career-planning process. Explore key competencies that professionals need to be successful, and learn how to make them work for you.

A profoundly inspiring and transformative argument that purposeful commitment and civic engagement can be a powerful force in today's age of restlessness and indecision. A culture of restlessness and indecision, Davis argues, is causing tension in the lives of young people today: We want to keep our options open, and yet we yearn for the purpose, community, and depth that can only come from making deep commitments. Davis shares what we can learn from the "long-haul heroes" who relinquish the false freedom of an open future in exchange for the deep fulfillment of true dedication.

Our current system of higher education dates to the period from 1865 to 1925. It was in those decades that the nation's new universities created grades and departments, majors and minors, all in an attempt to prepare young people for a world transformed by the telegraph and the Model T. As Cathy N. Davidson argues, this approach to education is wholly unsuited to the era of the gig economy. From the Ivy League to community colleges, she introduces us to innovators who are remaking college for our own time by emphasizing student-centered learning that values creativity in the face of change above all.

The authors present a breakthrough thinking process for developing successful teams. They introduce a uniquely effective set of tools built on FourSight, a measure of problem-solving preferences field-tested by top consultants, which can help anyone from professionals to novices solve problems and achieve performance breakthroughs.