Jada Brown INT-308H-01 8/29/2012

The Logic of Defining Interdisciplinarity

The main purpose of this artic e is to document interdiscip inarit! in re ation to the accepted discip inar! structure that defines contemporar! "merican hi#her education$ The %e! &uestion that the author is addressin# is '(hat is interdiscip inar! wor%)* Interdiscip inar! wor% inte#rates %now ed#e from mu tip e fie ds of stud! to en#a#e in a shared research &uestion or topic$ The most important information in this artic e is the impact of the discip ines on interdiscip inar! wor% +ecause %nowin# the co#niti,e and or#ani-ationa distincti,eness of the discip ines offers insi#ht into the cha en#es of interdiscip inar! happenin#s. The main conc usions in this artic e are interdiscip inar! wor% impacts the or#ani-ation of the uni,ersit!$ "nother important conc usion that was found is as a resu t of the pre,a ence of the discip ines o,er the ast centur!. the! ha,e come to +e seen as the normati,e structure for uni,ersit! functions$ The %e! concept we need to understand in this artic e is interdiscip inar! wor% is moti,ated +! two different schoo s of thou#ht$ B! this concept. the author means /ather than teachin# students to thin% so e ! throu#h a sin# e discip inar! point of ,iew. the curricu a in co e#es and uni,ersities shou d instead ena+ e students to or#ani-e and understand %now ed#e from mu tip e fie ds of stud! 0Hursh. Haas. and 1oore. 19832$ The main assumptions under !in# the author3s thin%in# is interdiscip inar! wor% shou d +e chan#ed and more

popu ar$ If we ta%e this time of reasonin# serious !. the imp ications are that peop e wou d thin% more wide ! of interdiscip inar! wor%s$ If we fai to ta%e this ine of reasonin# serious !. the imp ications are that peop e wou d not %now how important interdiscip inar! wor%s is in this wor d$ The main point of ,iew presented in this artic e is how she oo%s at how interdiscip inarit! is re e,ant in hi#her education$