List any remaining questions you have regarding the syllabus. Then, type a statement verifying you put all dates on your calendar and understand how the course is comprised of 1000 total points.
Some of the remaining questions I have regarding Repko’s interdisciplinary studies include: what is the major purpose of education? What are some of the benefits of interdisciplinary studies to a career establishment? What do some knowledge communities require both disciplinary specialization and inter-disciplinary breadth? What are the new and emerging disciplinary fields of study and their significance? What are interdisciplinary studies still considered basic to education, problem-solving, practice, and innovation? (Repko et al., 2019).
What is “interdisciplinary studies?” How does it differ from “disciplinary studies?”
Inter-disciplinary studies involve the amalgamation of two or more customary academic disciplines into a more modified major. Moreover, unlike liberal arts studies, where one learns wide choices of disciplines, an interdisciplinary study enables learners to explore a more aimed area that crosses into numerous fields. Interdisciplinary studies acquire its intellect from various disciplines such as sociology, economics, and anthropology. Precisely, it is all about generating something by thinking across borders (Repko et al., 2019). Nevertheless, while amalgamating two or more sections of learning, inter-disciplinary studies offer undergraduates or graduate learners more flexibilities in choosing their course works.
Consequently, interdisciplinary studies differ from disciplinary studies in so many ways. To enumerate, interdisciplinary studies are characterized by diverse curricular trails that span numerous disciplines. These are wide but are defined areas of learning that inspire integrative and multi-disciplinary conducts of inquiries and intellect acquisition. Additionally, they offer greater flexibilities in staffing and depict diverse offerings especially in China. On the other hand, disciplinary studies typically map to the methods and tools of a customary discipline that further enables learners to be competitive in graduate institutions or other complicated learnings that is; it spans a single discipline of study to its learners (Repko et al., 2019).
Repko discusses six drivers of IDST. Select two that resonated with you and explain why you deem these two important for our modern world.
Repko discusses six major drivers of interdisciplinary studies, out of which two of them resonated with me because I feel like they are vital for our modern world. The first driver of Repko’s IDST that intrigued me is driver 3, which is the Need for Systems and Conceptual thinking. In this, Repko urges that there is a need to apply systems and conceptual thinking into a more complicated problems (Repko et al., 2019). Further, he points out that systems thinking is the capability of breaking down a problem into smaller elements to reveal internal and external aspects, see how these constituents relate to one another and to the issue as a whole, and recognize which sections diverse discipline addresses.
Clearly, this driver is significant to our modern world because it guides us into understanding how complex systems operate and how their numerous parts inter-link so we know how they alter our livelihoods. For instance, the U.S. economy is a complex system, and their crucial element includes its central bank, and system thinking helps them operate it more efficiently.
Nevertheless, the other driver includes driver four which is the changing nature of University Studies. In this, Repko urges on the need of leaders of major U.S. corporations to emphasize on the vitality of elevated interdisciplinary studies in university researches. Moreover, he explains that interdisciplinary ties are extremely fundamental as they are the interface of all university sciences. Moreover, I resonated with this driver because Repko writes how NSF allowed their top officials to visit universities in order to promote the need for greater interdisciplinary studies if they wished to win NSF grants (Repko et al., 2019).
Reference
Repko, A. F., Szostak, R., & Buchberger, M. P. (2019). Introduction to interdisciplinary studies. Sage Publications.
