Intellectual inquiry at Vassar is characterized by an unusual degree of flexibility. The college does not have a core curriculum and students can declare a major by concentrating in a department, an interdepartmental program, a multidisciplinary program, or an individually tailored field of study in the Independent Program. This intellectual freedom produces original thinkers and has shaped the very essence of Vassars academic life. In fact, the encouragement of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary studies has distinguished Vassar academics at least as far back as the early 1900s -- when the college began offering interdepartmental courses -- and the wide-ranging exchange of ideas has steadily inspired an array of new courses, programs, and resources. Vassar now boasts a dozen multidisciplinary and interdepartmental programs ranging from Latin American and Latino/a Studies to Environmental Studies. The colleges oldest such program, Africana Studies, celebrated its fortieth anniversary in 2009, and Media Studies became the newest of these programs in 2004.As a result, Vassar's curriculum is broader, richer, and more varied than ever, now offering students a choice among 35 departments, 7 interdisciplinary programs, 13 multidisciplinary programs, 50 majors, and over 1,000 courses.