[Sig-l] Interested in co-sponsoring the SIG ED panel on interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary curricula?

[Hsieh-Yee, Ingrid P]

Dear SIG Chairs,

SIG ED will sponsor a panel on the following topic. If you would like to co-sponsor this panel, please email me.

Panel topic: Interdisciplinarity and Multidisciplinarity in the changing landscape of education for the information professions

Many disciplines assert that they are interdisciplinary  (e.g., Library and Information Science, Political Science), meaning in practice that (1) the field draws on many disciplines for their course content and/or (2) the field draws instructors from various disciplinary backgrounds to teach courses within their field and/or (3) the field places graduates in many different disciplinary contexts.  In contrast to this approach, one could have a multidisciplinary program (a ‘true’ interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary program) in which instructors and courses would be drawn from both from within a discipline but also from different academic disciplines and/or institutions, perhaps both national and international, to deliver a cohesive and coherent program for information professionals.  In this case, many courses from several different disciplinary units would contribute to or constitute a particular degree program.

Presenters will share their experiences in the development of interdisciplinary and/or multidisciplinary programs in information architecture, interaction design user experience design, or digital contents  at Kent State University, the University of Baltimore, the University of Barcelona (Spain) and the Copenhagen Business School (Denmark). The members of panel will discuss the various challenges in implementing multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary and international programs at their respective universities, explore the common denominators in curriculum development for the iField and discuss the implications of multi- and interdisciplinarity for curriculum development that would span national borders.

Thanks,
Ingrid
Chair, SIG ED


Ingrid Hsieh-Yee, Ph.D.
Professor
School of Library and Information Science
Catholic University of America
Washington, D.C.  20064
Phone: (202) 319-6270
Fax: (202) 319-5574
E-mail: hsiehyee at cua.edu