CLCS 222 Theories and Methods in Interdisciplinarity
This course offers theories, methods and resources for students wishing to work productively between and beyond disciplines. In particular, it gives CLCS students the tools to understand topic- and challenge-driven courses and academic travels at the intersections of storytelling and other cultural forms of production and disciplines such as film, law, environmental studies, history and politics. It further enables students who write a thesis in CLCS to deploy interdisciplinarity in intentional, theory-driven and original ways. The course begins with an exploration of different models and theories of interdisciplinarity; it proceeds to investigate how different disciplines frame questions in different ways and discusses the basis on which decisions can be made about the effectiveness of each discipline as it relates to the research question asked. Finally, the course stresses the need for collaborative learning and thinking across disciplines and academic borders and raises awareness of personal positionalities to answer complex societal questions.