Interdisciplinary teaching in a disciplinary world

Gabriela Litre and Marcel Bursztyn

Chapter 24 in Handbook of Interdisciplinary Teaching and Administration, 2024, pp 421-435 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Interdisciplinary teaching (IDT) has gained increasing recognition for its potential to foster critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills in students navigating an increasingly complex and distressing world. However, disciplinary thinking still rules teaching in higher education and in research. Innovative interdisciplinary (ID) programs often face evaluation through traditional metrics, which tend to view them as incubators rather than fully matured endeavors. They may also carry the stigma of being overly broad, lacking depth, and experiencing uneven institutionalization. Additionally, ID studies tend to face hardships when their outcomes are submitted to scientific periodicals, as not all referees are familiar with such approaches. We explore some of the main “growing pains” that affect IDT in higher education institutions, as well as some practical recommendations for how to overcome them. We conclude by sharing the experience of the Centre for Sustainable Development at the University of Brasilia (Brazil) in putting IDT into practice.

Keywords: Asian Studies; Business and Management; Development Studies; Economics and Finance; Education; Environment; Geography; Innovations and Technology; Politics and Public Policy Sociology and Social Policy; Teaching Methods; Urban and Regional Studies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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