Overcoming Silos: The Role of an Interdisciplinary Course in Shaping a Sustainability Network.

Kurland, Nancy B.; Michaud, Kristy; Best, Mechelle; Wohldmann, Erica L.; Cox, Helen; Pontikis, Kyriakos; Vasishth, Ashwani

doi:10.5465/amle.2010.53791827

Cited by 42 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Conservation researchers with expertise in or familiarity with social sciences will have more traction in the social, economic, and political worlds (Gibbs et al 2008). Even though criticism exists that multiple disciplinary work lowers productivity in career paths (Brewer 1999;Roy et al 2013), we argue that the benefits of multiple disciplinary approaches to an individual problem promote ongoing learning outside one's own area of expertise (see Kurland et al 2010, for example); therefore, diversifying and enhancing one's own perspective, knowledge, and career satisfaction (Demerouti et al 2001;Amey and Brown 2005;Miller et al 2008).…”

Section: Because Conservation Involves Compromisementioning

confidence: 97%

Necessary but challenging: Multiple disciplinary approaches to solving conservation problems

2016

FACETS

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Contemporary conservation problems are typically positioned at the interface of complex ecological and human systems. Traditional approaches aiming to compartmentalize a phenomenon within the confines of a single discipline and failing to engage non-science partners are outmoded and cannot identify solutions that have traction in the social, economic, and political arenas in which conservation actions must operate. As a result, conservation science teams must adopt multiple disciplinary approaches that bridge not only academic disciplines but also the political and social realms and engage relevant partners. Five reasons are presented that outline why conservation problems demand multiple disciplinary approaches in order to move forward because: (i) socio-ecological systems are complex, (ii) multiple perspectives are better than one, (iii) the results of research must influence practice, (iv) the heterogeneity of scale necessitates it, and (v) conservation involves compromise. Presenting reasons that support multiple disciplinarity demands a review of the barriers that impede this process, as we are far from attaining a model or framework that is applicable in all contexts. Two challenges that impede multiple disciplinarity are discussed, in addition to pragmatic solutions that conservation scientists and practitioners can adopt in their work. Overall, conservation researchers and practitioners are encouraged to explore the multiple disciplinary dimensions of their respective realms to more effectively solve problems in biodiversity and sustainability.

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Section: Because Conservation Involves Compromisementioning

confidence: 97%

Necessary but challenging: Multiple disciplinary approaches to solving conservation problems

2016

FACETS

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“…A loosely coupled system is one characterized by fewer connections, networks, diffusion, imitation, and social comparison (Kezar, 2005a). Kurland et al (2010) suggest that loosely coupled systems have structural holes, meaning people are narrowly focused on their own activities and priorities such that they are not attuned to the work of the people around them. Institutional capacity across loosely coupled systems requires coordination and communication.…”

Section: Boundary-spanning Individuals On Loosely Coupled Campusesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leading Across Boundaries and Silos in a Single Bound

Lloyd

2016

Community College Journal of Research and Practice

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“…This lack of a shared vocabulary was noted in IJSHE 15,1 Kurland et al's (2010) article on their sustainability course. To reduce this possibility of incomplete understanding and confusion about discipline-based terminology, we recommend devoting several class sessions to making connections between the various disciplines (Kurland et al, 2010) or developing a checklist or glossary of important discipline-specific terms (Davies and Devlin, 2007) that can be reviewed prior to, and during, discussions on a particular topic.…”

Section: Limitations Of the Seminarmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The intense and rapidly changing nature of environmental challenges necessitates novel approaches for teaching the next generation of researchers and teachers (Kurland et al, 2010). Scientists often must cross disciplinary boundaries to develop and implement innovative solutions to our most vexing problems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Given the troublesome nature of environmental challenges, sustainability education requires a paradigm shift (Michener et al, 2001) where students are educated in different ways (Kurland et al, 2010) and researchers become "accustomed to broaching conceptual, disciplinary and institutional boundaries" (Michener et al, 2001(Michener et al, , p. 1024. Parker (2010) addresses the need for interdisciplinary sustainability education, emphasizing the development of interdisciplinarity competencies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Learning about sustainability: an interdisciplinary graduate seminar in biocomplexity

Mobley

Lee

Morse

et al. 2013

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education

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If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The paper aims to report on the experiences moderating an interdisciplinary graduate-level sustainability seminar. Initiated in Fall 2002, the seminar has explored diverse sustainability topics and reached approximately 150 faculty and students. The paper describes how the course shaped participants' perceptions of sustainability and influenced their viewpoints on interdisciplinarity. The paper discusses the implications of this seminar format for communicating about sustainability and provides suggestions for replicating the course at other institutions. Design/methodology/approach -Information about the course is complemented by analyses of the results of 15 in-depth interviews of students and faculty who have participated in the course. Findings -The course facilitated positive outcomes for students and faculty by expanding their familiarity with interdisciplinary perspectives on sustainability and environmental issues, increasing respect for other disciplinary perspectives, learning the basic vocabulary of disciplines outside their area of expertise, and strengthening collaborations between faculty. The course can be strengthened with more involvement from colleagues from the humanities and social sciences, and with attention to equal participation from all involved. Originality/value -The experience is unique in that it represents a nearly decade-long initiative to teaching about sustainability and biocomplexity from an interdisciplinary perspective. The innovative format, content, and pedagogical approach used for this course can be easily implemented in other disciplines. The learning community has facilitated other teaching and research endeavors. This model of sustainability education can advance understanding of complex environmental issues at a time when both interdisciplinarity and sustainability are becoming more common in higher education.

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Overcoming Silos: The Role of an Interdisciplinary Course in Shaping a Sustainability Network.

Cited by 42 publications

References 14 publications

Necessary but challenging: Multiple disciplinary approaches to solving conservation problems

Necessary but challenging: Multiple disciplinary approaches to solving conservation problems

Leading Across Boundaries and Silos in a Single Bound

Learning about sustainability: an interdisciplinary graduate seminar in biocomplexity

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