Key Terms

Disciplinarity- I would define disciplinarity as a tunnel vision of sorts. With disciplinarity, one views things in one certain way.

Interdisciplinarity- I define this as an integration of disciplines. This integration allows a person to pull ideas from different disciplines to find an answer to a question that can not be answered by one discipline.

Multidisciplinarity- Multidisciplinarity is pulling from different disciplines, but there is no integration of the disciplines. Basically, a question would be answered by each discipline the way it would relate to that discipline.

Transdisciplinarity- From the reading I have come to think of transdisciplinarity as a step farther than interdisciplinarity. Transdisciplinarity is interdisciplinarity that has become so integrated that the theory can not be claimed by any one discipline.

Cross-disciplinarity- The definition of cross-disciplinarity as I interpret, is using one discipline to explain another.

1. To say that the terms above are “essentially contested concepts” means that, each person has a different definition of the terms and the terms are constantly being disputed. Not only does the dispute of the terms make them contested concepts, but the fact that the terms are constantly being revised and renewed adds to the complexity of the terms.

2. Interdisciplinary studies programs began to emerge in American universities as early as the 1920s and 1930s with the creation of grant award agencies that were created to encourage collaboration in the social sciences. The first program was an American Studies program that combined the studies of different areas of American Culture and society. This in turn lead to area studies, that integrated knowledge about different geographical areas and cultures. Interdisciplinary studies was basically created as a means to integrate different aspects of life into one study.

3. Even though interdisciplinarity builds upon disciplines, interdisciplinarians have some criticisms of disciplines. First, disciplines fragment knowledge which is a problem for teaching undergraduates who want to find coherence to their education. Also, disciplines promote specialization in a certain area, which discourages integration of disciplines.

4. The framework of interdisciplinary studies seeks to overcome the limitations of disciplinary practice by integrating many disciplines in order to gain a better understanding of the world around us.

5. I would say that interdisciplinary studies is like a cake, you integrate the different “ingredients” or disciplines which end up as a cake or a better understanding to a problem and the world around you.