Overview of BDP Courses
What are BDP 101 Forum Seminars?
BDP 101 Forum Seminars are foundation courses for the different BDPs, and they introduce students to the key concepts, methodologies, and questions related to the topic. Forum Seminars allow students to sample a range of approaches to contemporary social and intellectual issues. They feature weekly discussions with faculty from a variety of departments across UT, so Forum Seminars are a perfect way to explore potential majors and learn about interesting classes.
- BDP 101 courses are one-credit courses that meet for two hours a week during the first eight weeks of the semester.
- BDP 101 courses are open to any freshman or sophomore at UT, or to students in the Bridging Disciplines Programs.
- BDP 101 courses must be taken on a letter-grade basis.
- BDP 101 courses do not satisfy a substantial writing component requirement.
- To enroll in a BDP 101 course, you may register during your regular registration period. If you need assistance, contact the BDP office at 232-7564.
- See our Current Courses page for descriptions of the BDP 101 Forum Seminars offered this semester.
Other Courses Offered Through the Bridging Disciplines Programs
In addition to the BDP 101 Forum Seminars, we offer various other courses where lectures focus on contemporary issues with an emphasis on interdisciplinary perspectives and critical discourse. These courses may satisfy requirements for one or more of the BDPs, and they also may be used as electives for many degree plans.
BDP 306: Fundamentals of Ethical Leadership, Dr. Geoffrey Tumlin, LBJ School
- Foundation course for the Ethics and Leadership BDP.
- Open to any freshman or sophomore at UT, or to students in the Bridging Disciplines Programs.
- 3-hour course that meets the entire semester.
This course will explore fundamental concepts in leadership and ethics and is divided into four interdependent sections. In the first section of the course, we will explore the interactional nature of ethical leadership and develop a practical lens to view this process. The focus of the course's second section is on self-awareness as an essential cornerstone of effective leadership and followership. In the third section of our course we will turn our attention to the difficult decisions that we have to make as leaders. The final section of the course will focus on salient topics that are central to the practice and the process of ethical leadership. These topics include: gender issues in leadership, the dilemma of social proof, peer leadership, leadership while in college, deception as a leader's tool, and the successful navigation of the tension between individual and collective goals.
BDP 129: Leadership Principles in the Real World, J.D. Howell, LBJ School
- Open to any upper-division student at UT.
- One-credit course that meets for two hours a week during the first eight weeks of the semester.
There are a dozen or so Principles or Eternal Truths of Leadership that have been taught by the military and other institutions for many years. It is the intent of this course to review these principles, discuss their meaning and show how they can be applied in our daily lives to help us in a practical way to become more effective leaders. The professor will also use examples from his own life experiences in the military and as Director of Johnson Space Center.
"The Social Entrepreneurship and Non-profits BDP was initially attractive because it was so clearly a place where my interest in women’s health issues could be explored from alternative and useful perspectives. The BDP provided the structure to obtain the knowledge I wanted."
- Deva Cats-Baril, Social Entrepreneurship & Non-profits