Ontologies, epistemologies and methodologies of interdisciplinary studies, 5.5 credits

Entry requirements

consist of basic eligibility for courses at the PhD level

- completed an advanced level degree,

- completed course requirements of at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits at the advanced level, or

- acquired equivalent knowledge in some other way.

For this course it is also required

- to have English language skills equivalent to English 6/B at the Swedish upper secondary school level

Specific information

For TEMA doctoral students, a total of 7.5 credits in interdisciplinary studies are mandatory. Two of these credits are reserved for interdisciplinary studies within their respective divisions. 2 credits are graded separately.

The course is also open to other PhD students at LiU and other universities.

Learning outcomes

After completing the course, the student is expected to be able to:

Knowledge and understanding

- Reflect on the origin, role and function of the academic disciplines

- Explain different interdisciplinary ontologies, epistemologies and methodologies

Skills and abilities

- Critically examine similarities and differences between disciplinary, interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary and post-disciplinary studies

- Problematize research policy contexts for interdisciplinary studies

Evaluation and application skills

- Critically reflect on and situate your dissertation in relation to various interdisciplinary research environments.

Contents

The course offers a critical introduction to the history, philosophy, sociology and practice of interdisciplinary studies. Interdisciplinarity is considered in historical contexts and in relation to traditional academic disciplines. We discuss how disciplinary norms and epistemic models organize academic research, and to what extent and how are they challenged by interdisciplinary approaches. The course also addresses ontological assumptions upon which different interdisciplinary traditions rest and that they project, and examines interdisciplinarity as a particular type of cognition. We focus on interdisciplinary interpretations of truth and objectivity, address issues of communicative rationality and social studies of science and technology.

The course proceeds to compare different kinds and forms of interdisciplinary research, its relational dynamics, and methodological premises. We critically analyze differences in interdisciplinary collaborations between the humanities, social sciences, hard and natural sciences, etc. The course also tackles the relations between interdisciplinarity, transdisciplinarity, postdisciplinarity and antidisciplinarity both within and outside the Western-centric knowledge production paradigm.

Finally, we touch upon the research policy milieus for interdisciplinary studies and possible career paths for interdisciplinary researchers.

Educational methods

Teaching and working methods in this course are lectures and seminars.

Teaching and examination language: English

Examination

The course is examined through a written individual assignment.

For a passing course grade, a passing grade (A-E) is required for the written examination.

Students who did not achieve a passing result are offered an opportunity for re-examination during the course. After that, an additional examination is offered at a later time for the course. The scope for re-examination must be the same as for the original examination.

Grading

Course literature

The course literature consists of relevant book chapters and articles and is determined by the course supervisor.

General information

Planning and implementation of the course must be based on the formulations of the course syllabus. Course evaluations as well as the analysis and proposals related to general development and improvements of the course are fed back to the Research and Postgraduate Education Board by the teacher responsible for the course.

If the course is no longer offered or undergoes a major change, examinations are normally offered according to this syllabus on a total of three occasions within/in connection with the two semesters that follow.