For more information on when the courses are offered, please check the schedule of classes in the course catalog.
TEK Course Listings courses that utilize transdisciplinary approaches to study a 21st century problem
TEK Courses
Fall 2025
UK CORE: Global Dynamics
UKC XXX ( section TBD) Pathways to Nature: A Transdisciplinary Exploration of Environmental Access
Instructors: Dr. Emily Bergeron and Dr. Bob Sandmeyer
This innovative Global Dynamics Core course offers a comprehensive examination of the complex relationships between humans and nature, focusing on the critical issue of environmental access. Through a transdisciplinary lens, students will explore the multifaceted concept of "access" to natural spaces, encompassing physical, cultural, and social dimensions. The course is structured with a progressive approach, beginning with an exploration of physical access to nature and expanding to broader themes of equity, sovereignty, and sustainability. Students will engage with case studies equally divided between Kentucky/US contexts and non-US/Indigenous perspectives, fostering a global understanding of environmental access issues.
UKC XXX ( section TBD) Connecting Cultures: The Transformative Power of Intercultural Communications
Instructors: Dr. Fabiola Fernandez Doig, Dr. Haris Symeonidis, and Dr. Ozge Yalciner
This course - which is open to all disciplines - explores the complexities of communication across diverse cultures, focusing on how cultural differences shape interactions in personal, professional, and global contexts. Students will learn key theories and practical strategies for navigating language, nonverbal cues, cultural norms, and values to foster effective and respectful communication. Through case studies, discussions, and real-world applications, this course will develop essential skills for overcoming cultural barriers, enhancing intercultural understanding, and promoting collaboration in an increasingly interconnected world. In Lexington, KY, students can apply these skills in the public school system, gaining hands-on experience by working with schools like William Brown Elementary, Cardinal Valley Elementary, and Crawford Middle School, which serve diverse migrant populations. They could develop intercultural programs that foster inclusion, putting their knowledge into action and making a real difference in the community. In health care, students could research communication needs at UK Chandler Hospital and Good Samaritan Hospital, improving patient care for diverse populations. At the University of Kentucky, collaboration with the Martin Luther King Center and the Global Engagement Academy will provide opportunities to promote diversity and inclusion through intercultural dialogue and student engagement. In local media, students can work with stations like WUKY and RadioLex, contributing to programming that raises awareness about intercultural communication and cultural diversity. These real-world applications help students develop critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving skills, preparing them for success in a globalized world.
TEK DISCOVER
TEK 209 (section 001) 10 Ways of Thinking About Climate Change
Instructors: Dr. Lauren Cagle and Dr. Alice Turkington
The climate crisis continues to unfold at a rapid pace, resulting in a range of impacts that are already apparent in Kentucky. In this course, we will examine 10 impacts of climate change locally, and will discuss the potential solutions to each, including adaptation and mitigation practices. Impacts may include, but are not limited to, changes in hydrology, health, housing, agriculture, weather extremes, and the biosphere. Perspectives from researchers, stakeholders and policymakers will be presented, and students will participate in proposing solutions to climate change issues.
TEK 209 (section 002) How Horses Shape Kentucky
Instructors: Dr. Julia Bursten and Dr. Jackie Wahrmund
Horses play a vital and unique role in Kentucky’s history, shaping the geography, laws, and social practices of the Commonwealth. As the horse industry and its supporting industries evolve, the future of horses in Kentucky must differ from its past. This course will invite students to discover how horses will continue to make Kentucky, Kentucky, in the 21st century and beyond. Connecting the past to the future will guide students’ vision regarding their role in helping shape the future of this important relationship and build appreciation for the role equines play in the local culture and economy. Students will be exposed to the diversity of equine operations and businesses through interactions with industry professionals and will develop appreciation for the interconnectedness of diverse fields and disciplines.
TEK ENGAGE
TEK 300 (section 001) Gendered Violence & Social Marketing
Instructors: Dr. Kimberly Parker and Dr. Jennifer Scarduzio
Interpersonal violence continues to be a significant social, cultural, and political issue in Kentucky, with 45% of women and 35% of men experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) at least once in their life. This course aims to introduce students to social change and how to employ strategic communicators and marketers to influence social change in the context of IPV. Students will be able to learn how to use commercial marketing strategies to change people’s behavior and promote positive social change, with a heavy emphasis on health communication and IPV. This transdisciplinary course will leverage multiple disciplines (communication, marketing, gender and women’s studies, sociology, psychology), engage with local community partners, and tackle real-world problems.
TEK 300 (section 002) Math and Music: What’s Math Got to Do with It?
Instructors: Dr. Michael Baker and Dr. Peter Hislop
Do you like The Weeknd? How about Post Malone? Have you ever considered some of the deep structure of their music, and how it can be modeled with various mathematical principles? Students in this TEK 300 course will explore the numerous transdisciplinary connections that occur between mathematics, music, and many other fields such as astronomy, physics, acoustics, and neuroscience. Students will interact with many guest practitioners whose work dwells in the shared space between music and mathematics, such as instrument designers, acoustic designers, recording engineers, and even medical data analysts, providing a richly interactive learning environment for students to explore these fields. Pre-requisites for this course include basic math (high school algebra), basic music reading (naming notes and rhythms on the music staff), and an unquenchable curiosity for the subject matter. We will teach you all you need to know in order to explore the deep connections between these areas.
Summer 2025
UK CORE: Global Dynamics
UKC XXX ( section TBD) Geopolitics & Kentucky Businesses: Managing Global Disruptions at the Local Level
Instructors: Dr. Nazmus Sakib and Mr. Randy Siever
In today’s hyper-globalized world, Kentucky businesses and future employees from diverse backgrounds
must be prepared to navigate global uncertainties and challenges across all levels of
the international supply chain. From international trade disputes to unexpected political events
—such as wars or economic sanctions —geopolitical disruptions in far-off places can have deep
and far-reaching impacts on the local economy, disrupting almost every aspect of business operations.
The ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war, along with the Israel-Palestine conflict and its
regional spillover across the Middle East, has significantly disrupted the supply chains of critical
products and services worldwide. In the case of low-probability, high-impact geopolitical
events—like a potential Chinese move against Taiwan—the specific disciplinary background of a
business manager overseeing a semiconductor supply chain, for example, becomes less relevant.
What matters most are the skills to face a problem head-on and develop strategies that optimize
business interests. This course uses examples from key Kentucky industries, such as agriculture,
automobile, bourbon, and aerospace manufacturing, to explore how companies can mitigate the
risks associated with global disruptions. By integrating the concepts of international conflict
studies with supply chain management, students will learn how to make businesses more resilient
in an uncertain world. The course leverages insights from local experts with global experience to
emphasize practical applications through crisis simulations, case studies, and strategic country
analyses for students from any discipline. Students will cultivate problem-solving, teamwork,
analytical, and strategic planning skills that are highly sought after by employers in the context
of safeguarding their businesses from global political shocks in an increasingly geopolitically
volatile world
Spring 2025
UK CORE: Community, Culture, and Citizenship in the USA
TEK 209 (section 002) DISCOVER Community, Culture and Citizenship in the USA: Misinformation & Society
Monday/Wednesday/Friday 10:00-10:50 am
Instructors: Dr. Troy Cooper and Dr. Christopher Huggins
This course seeks to promote an understanding of misinformation in American society by considering them in the context of communication, information science, and sociology. Misinformation may come from a lack of information, conflicting information, biased information, or deliberately false information. Topics may include the role of media, education, and politics in the creation and dissemination of misinformation, as well as the health, crime, and cultural consequences of misinformation.
TEK ENGAGE
TEK 300 (section 002) ENGAGE: Screens and Teens: Imagining a Positive Relationship with Technology
Monday/Wednesday 9:30-11 am
Instructors: Dr. Ryan Hargrove and Dr. John Nash
This course explores the complex relationship between teenagers and digital technology, addressing the critical challenge of fostering healthy screen time habits. Students will engage with cutting-edge research on the impacts of screen time, digital literacy, and technological innovation while collaborating with local partners to develop creative solutions.
Students will apply a design thinking framework to tackle real-world challenges, such as digital equity, screen addiction, and the role of technology in socialization. By partnering with Kentucky schools, rural and urban community organizations, and local health initiatives, students will explore issues unique to the region, including access to technology and its effects on mental health. The course invites students from any discipline—communication, psychology, education, public health, and beyond—to bring diverse perspectives to the challenge. Leveraging insights gained, students will design and test tools that promote self-regulation and digital wellness, focusing on solutions tailored to Kentucky's communities.
Through hands-on projects, regular reflections, and public demonstrations of learning, students will develop critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration skills highly valued in the workforce. By the end of the course, students will have gained a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities in shaping positive relationships between teens and technology, while acquiring valuable problem-solving and project management abilities applicable to various fields.
TEK 300 (section 003) ENGAGE: Modeling Risk for the State Department: Coup Forecasting
Thursday 5:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Instructors: Dr. Dan Morey, Dr. Jonathan Powell, and Dr. Clayton Thyne
This course was developed in response to a State Department call to build a coup forecasting model, to revive the work started by NGO, OneEarthFuture, who launched a political forecasting model in 2021 to predict coups d'etat. Working as a team, with support from UK faculty and State Department representatives, students from various disciplines will collaborate to utilize updated, publicly available data to design an enhanced forecasting, visual tool that will allow users to manipulate influential independent variables to see how potential changes/shocks (e.g., leader changes, earthquakes, climate shocks, pandemics, economic crises) could influence the likelihood of coups in the future.
The course will culminate in a trip to Washington, D.C., where students will be given the opportunity to meet with State Department representatives to present their work.
Spring 2024
UK CORE: Community, Culture, and Citizenship in the USA
UKC 180 (section 001) 10 Ways of Looking at Climate Change in Kentucky
Tuesday 9:30-12:15pm
Instructors: Dr. Lauren Cagle and Dr. Alice Turkington
The climate crisis continues to unfold at a rapid pace, resulting in a range of impacts that are already apparent in Kentucky. In this course, we will examine 10 impacts of climate change locally, and will discuss the potential solutions to each, including adaptation and mitigation practices. Impacts may include, but are not limited to, changes in hydrology, health, housing, agriculture, weather extremes, and the biosphere. Perspectives from researchers, stakeholders and policymakers will be presented, and students will participate in proposing solutions to climate change issues.
UKC 185 (section 001) Misinformation & Society
Mon/Wed/Fri 9:00-9:50am
Instructors: Dr. Troy Cooper and Dr. Chris Huggins
This course seeks to promote an understanding of misinformation in American society by considering them in the context of communication, information science, and sociology. Misinformation may come from a lack of information, conflicting information, biased information, or deliberately false information. Topics may include the role of media, education, and politics in the creation and dissemination of misinformation, as well as the health, crime, and cultural consequences of misinformation.
UK CORE: Arts and Creativity
UKC 100 (section 001) Teamwork and Creativity for Impact on Wellbeing
Tuesday/Thursday 1:00-2:30pm
Instructors: Dr. Ryan Hargrove and Dr. John Nash
This course focuses on a transdisciplinary approach to challenges in wellbeing. The course provides you with the skills, tools, and mindsets to enable you to discover solutions to society's challenges. The techniques and skills learned during the course apply equally well to the business and social sectors as they do to the education sector.
UKC 105 (section 001) Re-Imagining Creative Spaces Across the Commonwealth
Tuesday/Thursday 9:30-10:45am
Instructors: Dr. Patrick Lee Lucas, Dr. Rose Winter Phong and Dr. Rachel Shane
Arts and cultural organizations of varying sizes have the same goal to attract audiences and participants to wide-ranging spaces and locations, often in older cultural facilities or in old buildings adapted for creative purposes. In Kentucky’s small towns, particularly, these organizations provide significant community spaces for sharing, sometimes serving as the only spaces in the community where citizens connect. The rejuvenation of these important creative spaces brings vitality to Kentucky with significant economic, cultural, and social impact. Through TEK200, we address this critical issue – how arts and cultural organizations provide quality spaces for encountering and understanding others – that remains at the forefront of the healthy and livable communities we all seek to advance Kentucky in the twenty-first century.