Interdisciplinary teaching: Analyzing consensus and conflict in environmental studies

Abstract

This paper is a discussion of a team‐taught interdisciplinary course that was designed to provide cohesion between the 12 departments that participate in the environmental studies major at Salisbury University. This course provides a model for addressing several positive and negative tendencies at work in interdisciplinary programs, and provides students with a first‐hand experience in how multiple disciplines can work together to provide a more developed picture of a particular field or interest. This paper presents a discussion of the teaching experiences of faculty involved in the environmental studies course for two years. A framework for the development of such courses is included, as well as a discussion of the agreements and disagreements that can arise when students and faculty work within an interdisciplinary context.

Citation

Caviglia‐Harris, J.L. and Hatley, J. (2004), "Interdisciplinary teaching: Analyzing consensus and conflict in environmental studies", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 5 No. 4, pp. 395-403. https://doi.org/10.1108/14676370410561090