Research at the Crossroads: How Intellectual Initiatives across Disciplines Evolve

Abstract

How do intellectual initiatives across disciplines evolve? This qualitative case study of 11 interdisciplinary research initiatives at Emory University identifies key factors in their development: the passionate commitments of scholarly leaders, the presence of strong collegial networks, access to timely and multiple resources, flexible practices, and missions of investigating societal problems. Challenges include sweat equity, division of labor, leadership momentum, and communication. The study recommends strategies to consider when developing or supporting similar kinds of initiatives.

Launching Interdisciplinary Programs as College Signature Areas: An Example

“…One of the most common and in many ways compelling reasons is that many of the ideas current scholars are interested in addressing in their research are not contained within a single traditional discipline and benefit from multiple perspectives (Bohen and Stiles 1998;Feller 2007;Frost et al 2004;Davis 2007;Pfirman et al 2005). This fact also reflects a growing feeling within higher education and funding agencies that colleges and universities should work to tackle the challenges faced by societies both globally and locally and that these challenges rarely fall neatly into a single discipline.…”

“…Despite the obvious interest of different constituencies (students; faculty members; administrators; funding agencies; politicians; and industrial, business, and non-profit partners in interdisciplinary programs of different types), there are numerous and significant hindrances to their success (Bohen and Stiles 1998;Feller 2007;Frost 2005;Frost and Jean 2003;Frost et al 2004;Lélé and Norgaard 2005;Pfirman et al 2005;Tatar 2005). Faculty members and administrators sometimes appear to work at cross purposes and view each other's initiatives with suspicion.…”

“…In recent years, interest in interdisciplinary programs has increased nationwide (Bohen and Stiles 1998;Casey 1994;Feller 2007;Frost and Jean 2003;Frost et al 2004;Lattuca et al 2004;Davis 2007;Pfirman et al 2005;Redden 2007). The understanding, however, of what exactly constitutes interdisciplinary programs varies considerably.…”

“…Interdisciplinary programs can, and should, come in many forms, including, but not restricted to, research projects, academic programs, public engagement, and forms of service learning. Although to date, most of the literature has concentrated on issues of teaching (Lattuca et al 2004) or research (Brainard 2002;Frost and Jean 2003;Frost et al 2004;Pfirman et al 2005), the lessons learned in these areas can be applied elsewhere. In this article, we present an example of the development and continuing evolution of a signature area initiative to create interdisciplinary programs in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Colorado Denver.…”

Table of Contents

“…As part of achieving these strategic goals, Emory cultivated a culture appreciative of interdisciplinary opportunities and awareness. By implementing flexible administrative practices, providing seed money to support faculty collaboration, improving institutional rewards for interdisciplinary scholarship, and devising communication avenues across disciplinary boundaries, Emory enabled faculty to engage in activities beyond the traditional discipline-based system (Frost, Jean, Teodorescu, and Brown, 2004). One example of this effort is Emory's Gustafson Seminar, an interdisciplinary colloquium for selected faculty on broad intellectual topics of interest.…”