Chapter 1: Interdisciplinary Studies in the Real World Repko, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. Second Edition. SAGE Publishing, 2017.

After completing this chapter, you will be able to: Learning Outcomes After completing this chapter, you will be able to: Demonstrate an understanding of why interdisciplinary studies is considered basic to education, problem solving, professional practice, and innovation Describe the “drivers” of interdisciplinary studies today Identify and describe new and emerging interdisciplinary fields of study and their significance Explain why systems thinking and contextual thinking are increasingly viewed as important. Explain why a knowledge society needs both disciplinary specialization and interdisciplinary breadth. Explain the academic benefits of pursuing an interdisciplinary studies degree. Explain the relevance of interdisciplinary studies to your career development. Repko, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. Second Edition. SAGE Publishing, 2017.

Why is interdisciplinary studies considered basic to education? Consider the following video (4m 58sec): https://youtu.be/YmwwrGV_aiE?list=PL3AB72E35B3A5BDB0 Video obtained from YouTube - https://youtu.be/YmwwrGV_aiE?list=PL3AB72E35B3A5BDB0 Repko, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. Second Edition. SAGE Publishing, 2017.

Why is interdisciplinary studies considered basic to education? The video asks what all these changes in the world mean to us as learners and teachers. How do these changes affect the way we must teach and learn? How has the workplace also changed over the last 10-15 years? Repko, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. Second Edition. SAGE Publishing, 2017.

Why is interdisciplinary studies considered basic to education? We must be adaptive to change We must be able to deal with ambiguity We must be able to deal with massive amounts of information We must be able to adapt to different work environments and skill requests What others can you think of? Repko, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. Second Edition. SAGE Publishing, 2017.

Why is interdisciplinary studies considered basic to education? Interdisciplinary Studies develops skills and traits that help you to cope with such demands It equips you to be responsive to change It teaches you skills that are transferable beyond the classroom Increasingly, interdisciplinarity is being recognized as a key instructional strategy to equip students for a changing world Repko, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. Second Edition. SAGE Publishing, 2017.

What are the six drivers of interdisciplinarity? the complexity of nature, society, and ourselves the complexity of the globalized workplace the need for systems thinking the changing nature of university research the public world and its pressing need a knowledge society’s need for both disciplinarity and interdisciplinarity Repko, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. Second Edition. SAGE Publishing, 2017.

What are the six drivers of interdisciplinarity? What is a “driver”? A driver is an outside force, idea, or paradigm that exerts a change on how we do things What are the drivers that have made interdisciplinarity such an attractive attribute in the workplace and in the classroom? Think of what you have seen on the news lately. How complex are the problems that face our world? Repko, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. Second Edition. SAGE Publishing, 2017.

The complexity of nature, society, and ourselves Images L to R – all from Creative Commons https://pixabay.com/en/atom-electron-neutron-nuclear-power-1222514/ https://pixabay.com/en/boot-water-refugee-escape-asylum-998966/ https://pixabay.com/en/weapon-violence-children-child-424772/ https://pixabay.com/en/child-lost-in-war-destroyed-city-1677546/ Repko, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. Second Edition. SAGE Publishing, 2017.

The complexity of nature, society, and ourselves When we think of a problem as complex as the war in Syria, for example, we cannot simply turn to the experts in one discipline We need the insights from multiple disciplines to help us understand such a complex problem What disciplines might be helpful to consider the conflict in Syria? Repko, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. Second Edition. SAGE Publishing, 2017.

The complexity of nature, society, and ourselves What disciplines might be helpful to consider the conflict in Syria? History Religious Studies Economics Political Science Others? Repko, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. Second Edition. SAGE Publishing, 2017.

The complexity of the globalized workplace Think about the kind of workplace where your grandparents were employed, or your parents https://pixabay.com/en/factory-car-engine-assembling-35104/ https://pixabay.com/en/interior-design-tv-multi-screen-828545/ Repko, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. Second Edition. SAGE Publishing, 2017.

The Complexity of the Globalized Workplace - 2 It’s unlikely that these jobs will even still be around It’s even more unlikely that the kind of job, your colleagues, and the nature of the work will be the same as it has been for your predecessors https://pixabay.com/en/factory-car-engine-assembling-35104/ https://pixabay.com/en/interior-design-tv-multi-screen-828545/ Repko, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. Second Edition. SAGE Publishing, 2017.

The Complexity of the Globalized Workplace - 3 Think about: Changes in technology Diversity in the workplace New markets Demands placed on workers in a dynamic economy Repko, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. Second Edition. SAGE Publishing, 2017.

The Need for Systems Thinking and Contextual Thinking - 1 https://pixabay.com/en/binary-one-cyborg-cybernetics-1536624/ Repko, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. Second Edition. SAGE Publishing, 2017.

The Need for Systems Thinking and Contextual Thinking - 2 The world is full of complex systems: The environment The financial system The movement of people in the world Repko, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. Second Edition. SAGE Publishing, 2017.

The Need for Systems Thinking and Contextual Thinking - 3 The world is full of complex systems These systems are made up of many interrelated parts All of the parts are important to consider when examining the issue as whole Repko, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. Second Edition. SAGE Publishing, 2017.

The Need for Systems Thinking and Contextual Thinking - 4 Think of something closer to your experience The system used by your university to enroll you in classes Repko, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. Second Edition. SAGE Publishing, 2017.

The Need for Systems Thinking and Contextual Thinking - 5 The system used by your university to enroll you in classes Think of all the parts of that complex whole: Class name Faculty to teach the class Room space Number of Students Credit hours awarded Compensation for faculty Grading system Others? Repko, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. Second Edition. SAGE Publishing, 2017.

The Need for Systems Thinking and Contextual Thinking - 6 The system used by your university to enroll you in classes Think of all the parts of that complex whole: Overlooking any element of this complex whole jeopardizes the possibility of understanding the whole Repko, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. Second Edition. SAGE Publishing, 2017.

The Need for Systems Thinking and Contextual Thinking - 7 Interdisciplinarians also recognize the importance of examining complex problems in context Repko, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. Second Edition. SAGE Publishing, 2017.

The Need for Systems Thinking and Contextual Thinking - 8 “Contextual thinking is the ability to view a subject from a broad perspective by placing it in the fabric of time, culture, or personal experience” (7) Repko, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. Second Edition. SAGE Publishing, 2017.

The Need for Systems Thinking and Contextual Thinking - 9 Think of a complex problem Consider Climate Change Repko, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. Second Edition. SAGE Publishing, 2017.

The Need for Systems Thinking and Contextual Thinking - 10 Consider Climate Change If you consider this complex problem only from the discipline of “Biology” for example (which is an important perspective) You will miss historical perspective – how did we get here? You will cultural perspective – why are some countries and cultures more adept at making changes to combat climate change than others? You will miss personal experience – what are your own attitudes toward climate change, why do you have them, how will policy changes related to climate change affect you? Repko, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. Second Edition. SAGE Publishing, 2017.

The Changing Nature of University Research - 1 https://pixabay.com/en/knowledge-book-library-glasses-1052014/ Repko, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. Second Edition. SAGE Publishing, 2017.

The Changing Nature of University Research - 2 Interdisciplinary Research is being encouraged at the academy because: Interdisciplinary research produces more creative results because it leverages the insights from different disciplinary departments, avoiding siloed thinking Students who engage in interdisciplinary research are more employable because they have been exposed to ways of thinking from more than one academic department https://pixabay.com/en/knowledge-book-library-glasses-1052014/ Repko, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. Second Edition. SAGE Publishing, 2017.

The Changing Nature of University Research - 3 Breakthroughs in areas of health and the sciences for example, are happening because of the important overlap of ideas that occur between the disciplines Biology Chemistry https://pixabay.com/en/laboratory-sample-tube-research-1291136/ Psychology Drug treatment for Schizophrenia? Repko, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. Second Edition. SAGE Publishing, 2017.

The Public World and Its Pressing Needs - 1 https://pixabay.com/en/gmo-science-stop-food-health-254539/ https://pixabay.com/en/render-3d-bug-slug-bacteria-684129/ https://pixabay.com/en/laboratory-medical-lab-diagnostics-313864/ https://pixabay.com/en/radioactivity-nuclear-power-fire-66774/ Repko, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. Second Edition. SAGE Publishing, 2017.

The Public World and Its Pressing Needs - 2 More than ever, the public world demands answers from us Many of the problems we face are complex because they have been caused by us over time Some are complex philosophical questions. Because we can do something, should we? Repko, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. Second Edition. SAGE Publishing, 2017.

A Knowledge Society Needs Both Disciplinarity and Interdisciplinarity Just because you are interdisciplinary doesn’t mean you don’t need the disciplines As instrumental interdisciplinarians, we believe that the disciplines are foundational to our work As the knowledge within the disciplines grows, as interdisciplinarians, we must be able to draw this into our own understanding of complex problems https://pixabay.com/en/gmo-science-stop-food-health-254539/ https://pixabay.com/en/render-3d-bug-slug-bacteria-684129/ https://pixabay.com/en/laboratory-medical-lab-diagnostics-313864/ https://pixabay.com/en/radioactivity-nuclear-power-fire-66774/ Repko, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. Second Edition. SAGE Publishing, 2017.

What are new and emerging interdisciplinary fields of study and how are they significant? - 1 Increasing numbers of interdisciplinary fields of study are emerging Table on p. 12 of text Repko, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. Second Edition. SAGE Publishing, 2017.

What are new and emerging interdisciplinary fields of study and how are they significant? - 2 These fields are significant because they recognize that fields of study that draw on more than one discipline are necessary to equip graduates for the knowledge they need in a rapidly changing world Table on p. 12 of text Repko, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. Second Edition. SAGE Publishing, 2017.

What are the academic benefits of pursuing an interdisciplinary studies degree? As a graduate of an interdisciplinary program you will be able to: deal with complexity transfer skills from the classroom to the workplace leverage insights from more than one discipline (employers like to be able to do more with less!) deal with ambiguity and change operate effectively in a rapidly changing and diverse workplace understand yourself and how your own biases and expertise may affect your reaction to a complex problem Table on p. 12 of text Repko, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. Second Edition. SAGE Publishing, 2017.

You should now be able to: Demonstrate an understanding of why interdisciplinary studies is considered basic to education, problem solving, professional practice, and innovation Describe the “drivers” of interdisciplinary studies today Identify and describe new and emerging interdisciplinary fields of study and their significance Explain why systems thinking and contextual thinking are increasingly viewed as important. Explain why a knowledge society needs both disciplinary specialization and interdisciplinary breadth. Explain the academic benefits of pursuing an interdisciplinary studies degree. Explain the relevance of interdisciplinary studies to your career development. Repko, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. Second Edition. SAGE Publishing, 2017.