The “Inter” Part of Interdisciplinary Studies
Interdisciplinary studies is between two or more fields of study. Disciplines are not the focus
of the interdisciplinarian’s attention; the focus is the problem or issue or intellectual question
that each discipline is addressing.
The “Disciplinary” Part of Interdisciplinary Studies
Disciplines are scholarly communities that specify which phenomena to study, advance
certain central concepts and organizing theories, embrace certain methods of investigation,
provide forums for sharing research and insights, and offer career paths for scholars.
Categories of Traditional Disciplines
- The natural sciences
- The social sciences
- The humanities
Also non traditional disciplines:
- The fine and performing Arts
- The Applied and Professional Fields
Interdisciplines are fields of study that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries.
Comparing the Disciplines and Interdisciplinary Studies
- Interdisciplinary studies does not lay claim to a universally recognized core of
knowledge as, say, physics does, but rather draws on existing disciplinary
knowledge, while always transcending it via integration (#1).
- Interdisciplinary studies has a research process of its own (the subject of this book)
to produce knowledge but freely borrows methods from the disciplines when
appropriate (#2).
- Interdisciplinary studies, like the disciplines, seeks to produce new knowledge, but
unlike them, it seeks to accomplish this via the process of integration (#3).
Why ‘Studies’ is plural
“Studies” is plural because of the idea of interaction between disciplines. Imagine each
discipline is like a box containing dots. Interdisciplinarians are interested not in merely
rearranging these ever-changing dots of knowledge but in integrating them into a new and
more comprehensive understanding that adds to knowledge.
An integrated view, which this book reflects, recognizes that there is a symbiosis between
disciplinary and interdisciplinary research.
A Definition of Interdisciplinary Studies
Key elements that practitioners agree should form the basis of an integrated definition of
interdisciplinary studies:
- Interdisciplinary;
- Complex problem or question;
- Characterized by an identifiable process or mode of inquiry;
, - Integration;
- The objective is pragmatic: new understanding, a new product, or a new meaning.
Interdisciplinary studies is a process of answering a question, solving a
problem, or addressing a topic that is too broad or complex to be dealt with
adequately by a single discipline, and draws on the disciplines with the goal of
integrating their insights to construct a more comprehensive understanding.
→ Four core concepts—process, disciplines, integration, and a more comprehensive
understanding
Szostak (...) extensional” definitions—which list examples of a thing— (...) “intensional”
definition above, which attempts to capture the essence of a thing in a couple of sentences.
(...) His extensional definition (...) necessarily focuses on the ways in which interdisciplinarity,
the intellectual essence of the field of interdisciplinary studies, is performed: It seeks to
integrate insights from multiple disciplines after evaluating these in the context of disciplinary
perspective.
Interdisciplinarity involves a set of practices: asking research questions that
do not unnecessarily constrain theories, methods, or phenomena; drawing upon
diverse theories and methods; drawing connections among diverse phenomena;
evaluating the insights of scholars from different disciplines in the context of
disciplinary perspective; and integrating the insights of those disciplinary
scholars in order to achieve a holistic understanding.
The intellectual essence of interdisciplinarity
Instrumental interdisciplinarity is problem driven, pragmatic.
Critical interdisciplinarity seeks to transform the nature of the academy.
Research on systemic and complex problems often reflects a combination of critique and
problem-solving approaches.
The Complex Reality Beyond the University Makes Interdisciplinarity Necessary
There are two categories of problems we face today: those that require a specialized
disciplinary approach, and those that require a broader interdisciplinary approach.
The disciplines are foundational to the unique purpose of interdisciplinarity. Interdisciplinary
studies is a cognitive process by which individuals or groups draw on disciplinary
perspectives and integrate disciplinary insights and modes of thinking to advance their
understanding of a complex problem with the goal of applying it. Interdisciplinarity (...) not a
rejection of the disciplines; it is firmly rooted in them. We need specialization. But we also
need interdisciplinarity to broaden our understanding of complex problems.
The Disciplines by Themselves Are Inadequate to Address Complexity Comprehensively
Disciplinary inadequacy is the view that the disciplines by themselves are inadequate to
address complex problems.
- Disciplines lack breadth;
, - are unwilling for offering broad-based and comprehensive solutions;
- possess an unreasonable certainty that they provide all that is needed;
- do not have the methodological tools to make sense of complex reality.
- Integrative strategies are needed.
Theory refers to a generalized scholarly explanation about some aspect of the natural or
human world, how it works, and how specific facts are related, that is supported by data and
research
Complexity refers to the parts of a phenomenon or problem that interact in
surprising/unexpected ways. Interdisciplinary complexity theory states that
interdisciplinary study is necessitated when the problem or question is multifaceted and
functions as a “system”
Humanities and the arts → The common practice in these disciplines is to practice
contextualization. This is the practice of placing “a text, or author, or work of art into
context, to understand it in part through an examination of its historical, geographical,
intellectual, or artistic location”
Perspective taking involves analyzing the problem from the standpoint or perspective of
each interested discipline and identifying their commonalities and differences.
- Perspective taking reduces the human tendency to negatively stereotype individuals
and groups;
- Perspective taking facilitates our ability to assemble new sets of potential solutions to
a given problem;
- Perspective taking invites us to engage in role taking;
- Perspective taking invites us to engage in role taking;
- View a situation broadly from multiple perspectives;
- Perceive the other’s perspective in depth and have a full understanding of the
other’s perspective”
- Perspective taking involves holistic thinking. Holistic thinking is the ability to
understand how ideas and information from relevant disciplines relate to each other
and to the problem.
Common ground is the shared basis that exists between conflicting disciplinary insights or
theories and makes integration possible.
Integration is a process by which concepts, assumptions, or theories are modified to
reconcile insights regarding the same problem from two or more disciplines.
Generalist interdisciplinarians understand interdisciplinarity loosely to mean “any form of
dialog or interaction between two or more disciplines,” while minimizing, obscuring, or
rejecting altogether the role of integration.
Integrationist interdisciplinarians, on the other hand, believe that integration should be
the goal of interdisciplinary work because integration addresses the challenge of complexity.
The idea for interdisciplinary integration is grounded in Bloom’s classic taxonomy of levels of
intellectual behavior that are involved in learning. [Interdisciplinary integration] (...) elevates
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