Academic Disciplines and Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Education: Lessons from the School of Interdisciplinary Studies at Miami University, Ohio by William H. Newell
This article, Academic Disciplines and Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Education written by William H. Newell, introduces the Interdisciplinary Studies program at Miami University, Ohio, one of the top interdisciplinary programs in the United States. The school of Interdisciplinary Studies at Miami University offers a 4-year contracted degree program that includes a year long senior seminar capstone, similar to that at Plymouth State University. This IDS department is made up of approximately 300 students, and 14 full-time staff members (as of 1992 at the time of publication of this article). Today, the IDS program at Miami University has been incorporated into the College of Arts and Sciences, and is titled Individualized Studies under their interdisciplinary studies Western Program.
In his article, Newell also talked about the importance of disciplinary preparation for interdisciplinary courses and majors as a whole, for both students and educators. Interdisciplinary studies are grounded by definition with discipline backgrounds in the concepts, theories, methods, and fact bases of each discipline. These 'general education' courses, are required before students pursue interdisciplinary courses, such like the trend of general education among schools around the country. In contrast, educators who typically go to school postgrad study a single discipline in focus, whereas to be a sufficient IDS educator, the article talks about specifications on staff preparation for interdisciplinary studies curriculum and development.
The interdisciplinary studies learning and teaching process takes a strong mindset and sense of critical thinking, while as stated in his article, "disciplinary courses are often more likely to promote 'weak sense critical thinking.' The latter includes a number of valuable informal logic skills such as distinguishing evidence from conclusions, relevant from irrelevant facts, and facts from ideals; assessing the validity of assumptions and arguments; and recognising internal contradictions, implicit value judgments, unstated implications of arguments, and the power and appropriateness of rhetorical devices" (p. 220).
In conclusion, this article expresses the necessary components of integration between disciplines, students, and educators, for a successful interdisciplinary outcome.
Sources:
Newell, William H.. “Academic Disciplines and Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Education: Lessons from the School of Interdisciplinary Studies at Miami University, Ohio”. European Journal of Education 27.3 (1992): 211–221. Web.