What is interdisciplinarity?
Q: What is interdisciplinarity?
A: Interdisciplinarity is when two or more academic disciplines join up to investigate a problem that overlaps traditional boundaries.
Q: What are some other terms which mean the same thing as interdisciplinarity?
A: Other terms which mean almost the same thing as interdisciplinarity are multidisciplinarity and crossdisciplinarity.
Q: Can you give an example of interdisciplinarity?
A: An example of interdisciplinarity is when genetics, physics, chemistry, and cytology joined together to investigate living cells. This field was called cell biology at the level of cells or molecular biology at the level of macromolecules.
Q: Are there any specialities that do not fit easily into this new system?
A: Yes, there are some necessary specialities which do not fit easily into this new system such as taxonomy and areas like parasitology and agricultural botany.
Q: How do universities accommodate these specialities in their systems?
A: In many universities, staff members are appointed to Schools (usually Humanities, Science, Social sciences and Technology) and they can join those groups which best fit their expertise.
Q: What were some of the first examples of interdisciplinary fields?
A: Some of the first examples of interdisciplinary fields include physical chemistry, biochemistry and astrophysics.
