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The Future is Interdisciplinary: Why complex problems require interdisciplinary approaches

Topic: Interdisciplinarity
by Esther, 2021 Cohort

What is interdisciplinarity?#

Interdisciplinarity is an approach that integrates knowledge from various academic disciplines. This approach may be adopted when unravelling problems that are too complex to be adequately addressed by a single discipline. Interdisciplinarity is employed in activities such as research, study, policy-making and problem-solving.

What does it entail?#

Imagine there is a potentially deadly virus swiftly spreading across the population

Considering relevant disciplinary perspectives

Interdisciplinarity finds that consideration of knowledge from multiple disciplines allows for a holistic understanding of an issue. In the case of a virus, multiple disciplinary perspectives are required for a comprehensive understanding of the issue and its impacts. Epidemiologists may ascertain how the virus spreads and psychologists may reveal how the virus may impact mental wellbeing. Biological perspectives may elucidate the cellular composition of the virus and medical insights may reveal its physiological impacts.

Considering multiple disciplinary tools

Each discipline has methods of unravelling problems. An interdisciplinary approach considers which disciplinary tools may be useful to resolve a given issue. In the case of a virus, legal measures may be effective as they can compel citizens to adopt behaviours that limit its spread. Research and developments in pharmacology may be crucial as they may pave way for medications or vaccines which curb transmissibility.

Interdisciplinarity recognises that complex problems cannot be solved by one discipline.

For example, the legal discipline is equipped to implement regulations that may limit the spread of the illness, but it is not equipped to research solutions in the form of vaccines nor assess the physiological impacts of the illness.

Interdisciplinarity promotes communication between disciplines and the integration of disciplinary perspectives.

An approach that integrates disciplinary perspectives and tools may be, for example, policies and laws that account for psychological research. Psychological research may find that the virus has led to a decline in mental wellbeing and an increased demand for mental health services. These perspectives may be integrated in the form of policies or laws providing further funding to mental health services.

Should we study interdisciplinarity ?#

Disciplinarity involves approaching issues through the lens of knowledge from one discipline. Traditionally, this was the approach promoted in universities. Students were taught to master concepts within their chosen disciplines and were seldom taught to understand or integrate perspectives from other disciplines.

In the past several decades universities have recognised the importance of interdisciplinarity. This is due, in part, to a realisation that complex issues often cannot be adequately addressed through disciplinarity. Indeed, to holistically comprehend and confront complex issues such as a rapidly spreading virus we may need an interdisciplinary approach: one that integrates knowledge, concepts and solutions from multiple disciplines.

Interdisciplinary research or problem-solving may require a degree of practice. It may involve an understanding of a diverse range of disciplines, an ability to ascertain which disciplinary perspectives are of relevance to a given issue, and an ability to seek solutions that integrate multiple perspectives. There are efforts in universities to implement a discipline that teaches students these interdisciplinary problem-solving skills, which I hope to study one day.

Additional Resources#

• https://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/43242_1.pdf
• Bammer, Gabrielle, ‘Should we discipline interdisciplinarity?’ (2017) 30(3) Palgrave Communications
• Becher, Tony, ‘The significance of disciplinary differences’ (2006) Studies in Higher Education
• More on a legal take: Marsha Kline Pruett et al, ‘Law Students on Interdisciplinary, Problem-Solving Teams: An Empirical Evaluation of Educational Outcomes at the University of Denver’s Resource Center for Separating and Divorcing Families’ (2018) 56:1 Fam Ct Rev 100.

Explore this topic further#

• Wikipedia entry on Interdisciplinarity{.link-ext target=”_blank” }
• Defining Interdisciplinary Studies{.link-ext target=”_blank” }
• Gabriele Bammer’s, Should we discipline Interdisciplinarity?{.link-ext target=”_blank” }

Return to Interdisciplinarity in the Primer

Disclaimer#

This content has been contributed by a student as part of a learning activity.
If there are inaccuracies, or opportunities for significant improvement on this topic, feedback is welcome on how to improve the resource.
You can improve articles on this topic as a student in "Unravelling Complexity", or by including the amendments in an email to: Chris.Browne@anu.edu.au

What is interdisciplinarity?#

Interdisciplinarity is an approach that integrates knowledge from various academic disciplines. This approach may be adopted when unravelling problems that are too complex to be adequately addressed by a single discipline. Interdisciplinarity is employed in activities such as research, study, policy-making and problem-solving.

What does it entail?#

Imagine there is a potentially deadly virus swiftly spreading across the population

Considering relevant disciplinary perspectives

Interdisciplinarity finds that consideration of knowledge from multiple disciplines allows for a holistic understanding of an issue. In the case of a virus, multiple disciplinary perspectives are required for a comprehensive understanding of the issue and its impacts. Epidemiologists may ascertain how the virus spreads and psychologists may reveal how the virus may impact mental wellbeing. Biological perspectives may elucidate the cellular composition of the virus and medical insights may reveal its physiological impacts.

Considering multiple disciplinary tools

Each discipline has methods of unravelling problems. An interdisciplinary approach considers which disciplinary tools may be useful to resolve a given issue. In the case of a virus, legal measures may be effective as they can compel citizens to adopt behaviours that limit its spread. Research and developments in pharmacology may be crucial as they may pave way for medications or vaccines which curb transmissibility.

Interdisciplinarity recognises that complex problems cannot be solved by one discipline.

For example, the legal discipline is equipped to implement regulations that may limit the spread of the illness, but it is not equipped to research solutions in the form of vaccines nor assess the physiological impacts of the illness.

Interdisciplinarity promotes communication between disciplines and the integration of disciplinary perspectives.

An approach that integrates disciplinary perspectives and tools may be, for example, policies and laws that account for psychological research. Psychological research may find that the virus has led to a decline in mental wellbeing and an increased demand for mental health services. These perspectives may be integrated in the form of policies or laws providing further funding to mental health services.

Should we study interdisciplinarity ?#

Disciplinarity involves approaching issues through the lens of knowledge from one discipline. Traditionally, this was the approach promoted in universities. Students were taught to master concepts within their chosen disciplines and were seldom taught to understand or integrate perspectives from other disciplines.

In the past several decades universities have recognised the importance of interdisciplinarity. This is due, in part, to a realisation that complex issues often cannot be adequately addressed through disciplinarity. Indeed, to holistically comprehend and confront complex issues such as a rapidly spreading virus we may need an interdisciplinary approach: one that integrates knowledge, concepts and solutions from multiple disciplines.

Interdisciplinary research or problem-solving may require a degree of practice. It may involve an understanding of a diverse range of disciplines, an ability to ascertain which disciplinary perspectives are of relevance to a given issue, and an ability to seek solutions that integrate multiple perspectives. There are efforts in universities to implement a discipline that teaches students these interdisciplinary problem-solving skills, which I hope to study one day.

Additional Resources#

• https://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/43242_1.pdf
• Bammer, Gabrielle, ‘Should we discipline interdisciplinarity?’ (2017) 30(3) Palgrave Communications
• Becher, Tony, ‘The significance of disciplinary differences’ (2006) Studies in Higher Education
• More on a legal take: Marsha Kline Pruett et al, ‘Law Students on Interdisciplinary, Problem-Solving Teams: An Empirical Evaluation of Educational Outcomes at the University of Denver’s Resource Center for Separating and Divorcing Families’ (2018) 56:1 Fam Ct Rev 100.