Answer questions

Six prominent definitions of Interdisciplinary Studies:

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 disciplinary perspectives and integrates their insights to produce a more comprehensive understanding or cognitive advancement.

A two-part process: it draws critically on disciplinary perspectives, and it integrates their insights into a more comprehensive understanding ... of an existing complex phenomenon [or into] the creation of a new complex phenomenon.

A mode of curriculum design and instruction in which individual faculty or teams identify, evaluate, and integrate information, data, techniques, tools, perspectives, concepts, or theories from two or more disciplines or bodies of knowledge to advance students’ capacity to understand issues, address problems, and create new approaches and solutions that extend beyond the scope of a single discipline or area of instruction.

The capacity to integrate knowledge and modes of thinking drawn from two or more disciplines to produce a cognitive advancement—e.g., explaining a phenomenon, solving a problem, creating a product, or raising a new question—in ways that would have been unlikely through single disciplinary ...means ... the integration of disciplinary perspectives is a means to a purpose, not an end in itself.

A mode of research by teams or individuals that integrates information, data, techniques, tools, perspectives, concepts, and/or theories from two or more disciplines or bodies of specialized knowledge to advance fundamental understanding or to solve problems whose solutions are beyond the scope of a discipline or field of research practice. ... Research is truly interdisciplinary when it is not just pasting two disciplines together to create one product but rather is an integration and synthesis of ideas and methods.

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 or profession. ... IDS draws on disciplinary perspectives and integrates their insights through construction of a more comprehensive perspective.

Common elements in all definitions:

1. An interdisciplinary study has a specific substantive focus. 2. The focus of an interdisciplinary study exceeds the scope of a single perspective. 3. The distinctive characteristic of the focus of an interdisciplinary study is that it is broad or complex. 4. Interdisciplinary studies as a whole is characterized by an identifiable process/mode. 5. Interdisciplinary studies draw explicitly on the disciplines. 6. Disciplines provide insights into the specific substantive focus of an interdisciplinary study. 7. Interdisciplinary study requires integration. 8. The objective of integration is instrumental. 9. The goal of interdisciplinary study is pragmatic: to solve a problem, resolve an issue, address a topic, answer a question, explain a phenomenon, or create a new product.

Assignment

Guidelines: After carefully reading the definitions of interdisciplinary studies, consider how interdisciplinarity occurs at your internship site. In particular, consider how your site is organized and operated to integrate disciplines, perspectives, or functions to better accomplish its mission. Then complete the following five tasks with at least 75 words each. Number each response.

1) Provide a definition of interdisciplinary studies that is best suited to assess the quality of interdisciplinary efforts (for better or worse) at your site. To create your definition, feel free to paraphrase (or adjust) any of the definitions provided in the reading, combine any of those definitions, or build your own definition using some of the common elements.

2) Using the definition you provide above, describe the most successful interdisciplinary effort you have observed at your site. Use a specific example.

3) Identify aspects of how your site is organized or operates that account for this interdisciplinary success.

4) Using the definition you provide above, describe where your site is most deficient in its interdisciplinary efforts. In other words, where has it most fallen short of its potential. Use a specific example of a failure or missed opportunity.

5) Identify aspects of how your site is organized or operated that account for this shortfall. Do not offer solutions to this shortfall. Just identify it. It will be your teammates' job to recommend solutions.