Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies

by Allen F. Repko, Rick Szostak, Michelle Phillips Buchberger

Overview

This book provides instructors and students in entry-level interdisciplinary courses and thematic programs with a comprehensive introduction to interdisciplinary studies. Authors Allen F. Repko, Rick Szostak, and Michelle Phillips Buchberger introduce students to the cognitive process that interdisciplinarians use to approach complex problems and eventually arrive at more comprehensive understandings of them. Students learn how to think like interdisciplinarians, understand interdisciplinary processes, and assess the quality of their own work. Changes to the Fourth Edition include revised content on epistemology and methods, more on integrative strategies, reordering of some chapters, new assignment ideas, and new examples which include student examples and insights from the latest scholarly works.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781071871027
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	01/03/2025
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	400
File size:	25 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Allen F. Repko, PhD, is the former director of the interdisciplinary studies program in the School of Urban and Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Arlington, where he developed and taught the program’s core curriculum for many years. The program is one of the largest in the United States. Repko has written extensively on all aspects of interdisciplinary studies, has twice served as coeditor of the interdisciplinary journal Issues in Integrative Studies, and has served on the board of the Association for Interdisciplinary Studies (AIS).

Rick Szostak, PhD, is professor and chair of economics at the University of Alberta, where he has taught for 34 years. He is the author of a dozen books and 50 articles, all of an interdisciplinary nature. Several of his publications address how to do interdisciplinary research, teach interdisciplinary courses, administer interdisciplinary programs, or organize information in order to facilitate interdisciplinarity. As an associate dean, he created the Office of Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Alberta, the Science, Technology and Society program, an individualized major, and two courses about interdisciplinarity. He has twice served as coeditor of the interdisciplinary journal Issues in Integrative Studies. He was president of the Association for Interdisciplinary Studies (AIS) from 2011 to 2014. He can be contacted at [e-mail].

 

 

Michelle Phillips Buchberger, PhD, is an assistant professor of integrative studies at Miami University. She previously proposed, developed and chaired the B.S. Interdisciplinary Studies program at Franklin University. She currently co-chairs the Alpha Iota Sigma international honors society for interdisciplinary studies and has presented and written on topics including teaching interdisciplinary studies online, working with nontraditional students, and creative thinking in interdisciplinary studies. She teaches several courses about interdisciplinarity, including theories and methods of interdisciplinary studies and integrative studies seminars, as well as Film Studies and Liberal Studies. She has a PhD in English Literature, which she also teaches. She can be contacted at [e-mail].

Table of Contents

Preface
About the Authors
Part I: Understanding Interdisciplinary Studies
Chapter 1: Interdisciplinary Studies in the Real World
Why Interdisciplinary Studies Matters
What Is Driving Interdisciplinary Studies Today?
The Academic Benefits of Pursuing an Interdisciplinary Studies Degree
Interdisciplinary Studies and Your Career Development
A Threaded Example: Basic Income
Critical Thinking Questions
Applications and Exercises
Chapter 2: The Rise of the Modern Disciplines and Interdisciplinarity
Why the Past Matters
The Rise of the Modern Disciplines
The Rise of Interdisciplinarity
Interdisciplinarity’s Criticism of the Disciplines
Revisiting the Basic Income
Critical Thinking Questions
Applications and Exercises
Chapter 3: Interdisciplinary Studies Defined
Why Definitions Matter
Defining Interdisciplinary Studies
Differences Between Disciplinarity, Multidisciplinarity, Interdisciplinarity, and Transdisciplinarity
Two Conceptions of Interdisciplinarity
Useful Metaphors of Interdisciplinary Studies
Basic Income Revisited
Critical Thinking Questions
Applications and Exercises
Chapter 4: Academic Disciplines
Disciplines and Disciplinarity Defined
The Epistemic, Social, and Organizational Dimensions of Disciplines
The Concept of Disciplinary Perspective
The Defining Elements of a Discipline
Typical Methods
Disciplinary Perspective and Basic Income
Critical Thinking Questions
Applications and Exercises
Chapter 5: The Intellectual Essence of Interdisciplinary Studies
Assumptions of Interdisciplinary Studies
Theories Supportive of Interdisciplinary Studies
Epistemology of Interdisciplinary Studies
How Interdisciplinary Studies “Sees”
Reflections on Basic Income
Critical Thinking Questions
Applications and Exercises
Part II: Thinking Critically About Interdisciplinary Studies
Chapter 6: The Interdisciplinary Studies “Cognitive Toolkit”
How She Did It
Intellectual Capacities
Values
Traits
Skills
Ethical Analysis
Ways to Apply Your Interdisciplinary “Toolkit”
Basic Income
A Recommended Assignment
Critical Thinking Questions
Applications and Exercises
Chapter 7: Thinking Critically About Disciplinary Perspectives
What It Means to Think Critically About Disciplinary Perspectives
Developing a Sophisticated Conception of Knowledge
Why Interrogate Disciplinary Perspectives (or Practice Critical Pluralism)
How Interdisciplinarians Interrogate Disciplinary Perspectives
Basic Income
Critical Thinking Scenario
Critical Thinking Questions
Applications and Exercises
Chapter 8: Thinking Critically About Disciplinary Insights
Critical Thinking Attitudes
Categories of Statements
Critically Analyzing Disciplinary Insights
Critical Thinking About Basic Income
Critical Thinking Questions
Applications and Exercises
Chapter 9: Thinking Critically About Integration and Its Results
Three Alternative Approaches to Interdisciplinary Integration
The Broad Model Approach to Integration
The Result of Integration
Reflecting on What Was Achieved
Integration and Basic Income
Critical Thinking Scenario
Critical Thinking Questions
Applications and Exercises
Part III: Interdisciplinary Research and Writing
Chapter 10: An Interdisciplinary Research “Road Map”
The Power and Usefulness of Research
Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Approaches to Research
The Broad Model of the Interdisciplinary Research Process
STEP 1: Define the Problem or State the Research Question
STEP 2: Justify Using an Interdisciplinary Approach
Critical Thinking Questions
Applications and Exercises
Chapter 11: Identifying Relevant Disciplines and Gathering Information About the Problem
STEP 3: Identify Relevant Disciplines
STEP 4: Conduct a Literature Search
The Broad Model Rubric Applied to STEPS 3 and 4
Investigating Basic Income
Critical Thinking Questions
Critical Thinking Scenario
Chapter 12: Analyzing Insights and Reflecting on Process
Step 5: Critically Analyze the Disciplinary Insights Into the Problem
STEP 6: Reflect on How an Interdisciplinary Approach Has Enlarged Your Understanding of the Problem
Basic Income Revisited
Conclusion
Critical Thinking Questions
Appendix A Intellectual Autobiography
Appendix B Student Portfolios, Blogging, and Vlogging
Appendix C Service Learning, Internships, and Alternative Projects for Nontraditional Students
Appendix D The Broad Model Rubric: Instructor Version and Sample Student Outline
Appendix E Answer Key
Glossary of Key Terms
References

Editorial Reviews

Repko, Szostak, and Buchberger have revised Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies in such a way that makes this text so much more meaningful and useful for the professor and the student. The end of chapter critical thinking and application exercises were a highlight of the previous text, but the new revised edition even adds more ideas and application scenarios that are extremely thought provoking. As one introductory interdisciplinary student exclaimed last semester, “Why isn’t all of education like this?”

review - Lorene Heuvelman-Hutchinson

This text provides a good foundation for the bigger picture of interdisciplinary studies—as a cognitive process, and a different way of thinking that may lead to new solutions for complex real-world problems.

peer review - Michele C. Everett

Written clearly and concisely, this book should be welcomed by instructors and students alike. Filled with “real world” examples on most every page, this user-friendly book is the blueprint for understanding interdisciplinary research.

Review - Michael Rubinoff

With its clear examples, interesting analogies, and detailed deconstruction of interdisciplinary studies (IDS), this text really helped my students to “get” IDS and interdisciplinarity. It breaks down the process into manageable and understandable parts.

peer review - Mallory Koci

I would recommend this text to others. I find the book has more detail than the text I currently use and seems more appropriate as an introductory text given the level of students I normally teach in this course. It is a comprehensive and needed study of the literature of the field.

Pauline D. Gagnon

This textbook is a great guidance tool for teaching the value of interdisciplinary scholarship and a method for the integration of disciplines, perspectives and ideas. The text is useful for instructors and students in finding a pedagogical plan toward interdisciplinary study and research. The third edition offers improved clarity and examples to important sections. It provides a deeper explanation of the history and ethics applied to interdisciplinary analysis.

review - Lisa Turner de Vera

This text is comprehensive in approach, yet broken into three major parts that are easy for students to follow and to use to build their own work (I especially like the “learning outcomes” for each chapter). Its strength is that it situates interdisciplinary studies from the perspective of an undergraduate.

Angela Hunter

This book is comprehensive. The authors provide thoughtful support for the main ideas and ‘unpack’ technical and complex ideas. The use of examples and end of chapter exercises is consistent with learning theory. The integration of cognitive theory into the early chapters is a strength. Similarly, pointing out areas of interdisciplinary work that are contested strengthens the legitimacy of this work.

Jeannie Brown Leonard

The third edition has clear language, well-constructed figures, and photographs. The textbook provides excellent cases, research, and examples for student learning that will garner student interest and engagement, particularly the discussion on basic income in each chapter. The variety of application exercises and discussion prompts not only give students the opportunity to practice critical thinking, self-reflection, and improve their metacognitive skills but also allow for flexibility for the instructor.

Review - Sylvia Rogers

"The book effectively lays out the concepts that underlie both interdisciplinary and disciplinary approaches, positioning them as complementary rather then setting them in opposition. The later chapters offer practical ways to implement this approach that have proven effective in helping my students define, research, and produce actual interdisciplinary work."

review - Dr. David Sidore

I am very likely to recommend this book. Our department continues to look for an introductory text that is friendly to undergraduate students, and this might fit the bill. The strengths of the book like in the emphasis on interdisciplinarity as an activity/process, the explanation of historical context, and the combination of theory and practice.

Andrew T. Arroyo

The new edition continues to offer the most comprehensive foundation for understanding key concepts in interdisciplinary studies with both a scholarly and practical approach. Students also have opportunities to build their own ‘cognitive toolkits’ through applications and exercises. A welcome addition includes a threaded example demonstrating interdisciplinary thinking in action.

Review - Rhonda Davis