ACS Interdisciplinary Opportunities Initiative

Part of the New Models of Cooperation in Three Challenged and Critical Areas Grant
Funded by the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation

Definitions

The following two definitions are offered by the ACS Interdisciplinary Task Force

1. Interdisciplinary
   Interdisciplinary courses, programs, and/or activities link together and integrate information and methodologies from two or more separate, traditional, and/or artificial disciplines. Such linkages and integration create a multi-faceted picture of a topic through the exploration and synthesization of various approaches/views. To ensure success, these intersections and connections among disciplines require a non-hierarchical sharing of intellectual authority and continuous dialogue among ALL participants. This is an especially critical point for those designing and implementing the course/ program/ activity. Often, a team teaching/leadership model is used to achieve the intended results. In this model:
• faculty and/or leaders plan every facet of the course/offering together. There are no unilateral decisions.
• there is dialogue between the faculty/leaders and the disciplines. All are equal. Faculty members teach each other’s texts.
• each class/session interweaves the disciplines and texts. There is no sole ownership of disciplines or texts.
• all faculty/leaders involved participate in every class/session.
• [ideally] grading and evaluation are done as a team.
• courses count for credit in each discipline.
  
  
2. Multidisciplinary
   Multidisciplinary offerings present information and methodologies on a given topic from more than one separate, traditional, and/or artificial discipline without linking or integrating them. Typically, this approach presents different disciplinary approaches to the same topic through the juxtaposition of terminology, methodology, assumptions, and goals. It addresses a topic by presenting disciplines as “stand alone” or parallel views. A single person may be responsible for the presentations, or multiple persons may make presentations within the same or in subsequent sessions.
   If multiple presenters are involved, “tag-teaching,” sometimes mistakenly called “team teaching,” frequently is the model used. In the tag-teaching model:
   • different presenters are responsible for developing and presenting their own material.
   • there is little communication/coordination among the presenters.
   • they may/may not be present during the other presentations.
   • evaluations/grading are handled by the individual instructors for each course when two or more courses are linked.
     

The standard definition for Interdisciplinary studies comes from Julie T. Klein and William H. Newell, Chapter 19, “Advancing Interdisciplinary Studies, “ in Jerry Gaff & James Ratcliff, Handbook of the Undergraduate Curriculum (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1997), 393-394.

Interdisciplinary studies may be defined as a process of answering a question, solving a problem, or addressing a topic that is too broad or complex to be dealt with adequately by a single discipline or professions. . . . IDS draws on disciplinary perspectives and integrates their insights through construction of a more comprehensive perspective.