Wilfrid Laurier University Brantford
CT220 CONTEMPORARY STUDIES METHODOLOGIES BR
Instructor: Dr. Jason C. Robinson
Spring 2010
Office: Journalism House
(JH) Room 124
Office Hours:
By appointment
Email: jcrobinson@wlu.ca
Note the “c” in the above
address.
Class Time: 11:30-12:50pm
Mondays and Wednesdays
CB206
Course website
www.openthought.ca
Course Calendar Description
This course invites students to consider the purposes and possibilities of contemporary studies as a project in
interdisciplinary education. Students will develop critical reading, writing, thinking and problem solving skills as a
way of establishing knowledge claims in an interdisciplinary context.
Course Overview and Goals
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the foundations of interdisciplinary studies, including
specifics such as: (i) the history, (ii) vocabulary, (iii) purposes, (iv) theories, (v) methods, (vi) practices, and (vii)
ethics of interdisciplinarity. Additionally, while this course will examine important things such as the birth and
continued growth of interdisciplinary studies as a mainstream phenomenon within the university, it will do so
with an eye toward personal assessment and development, as well as career preparation (academic and other).
Students will answer the following questions:
1. What are interdisciplinary studies?
a. What is university?
b. What are disciplines?
c. What is a university education supposed to be?
d. How did interdisciplinary studies begin? Where is it going?
2. What are the values and characteristics of interdisciplinarians?
a. How does one do interdisciplinary studies?
b. What are the advantages and disadvantages of interdisciplinarity?
3. How will an interdisciplinary degree help me as an individual?
a. To get a job?
b. To do a job well?
c. To keep my options open to different kinds of jobs?
The Course in General
 This course is student-centred. The primary goal of this course is to get students to think and act from an
interdisciplinary perspective—one that is uniquely capable of addressing the many demands and problems
of modern life, whether in our personal lives or our various (academic) careers.
 The skilled interdisciplinary thinker is able to respond in practical-concrete ways that the traditional
disciplinarily trained thinker cannot, for the interdisciplinarian expects to relate to the world from many
diverse and often very separate perspectives and by creatively integrating relevant ideas.
 Why interdisciplinarity?
 No one academic discipline or field of research is capable of preparing students for the complexities
they will encounter.
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

No one academic discipline or field of research is capable of encouraging the kind of creative
problem-solving and insightful integration needed to be successful in the most comprehensive sense
possible.
Whether in graduate studies, the job market, or almost any other context, the ability to think from
an interdisciplinary perspective will be of significant value.
Major Sections of the Course
This course, as outlined in the schedule of dates below, is broken into three distinct but overlapping sections.
SECTION
Primary Content
Themes and Questions
SECTION ONE
Theory
What are Interdisciplinary Studies?
The History, Methods, Language, and Theories
SECTION TWO
Contemporary Context—
The Sciences and Scientific
Methods
A. Integrating the Human, Social, and Natural Sciences:
Major Modern Methods and Modalities
B. What is the Interdisciplinary Research Process and How
is it Achieved?
SECTION THREE
Practice
How to do Interdisciplinary Studies:
The Interdisciplinarian’s Methods, Values, and Purpose
Required Text
 Becoming Interdisciplinary: An Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies, 2nd edition, by Tanya Augsburg.
Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 2006. ISBN 978-0-7575-2647-3
Suggested Text
 Interdisciplinary Research: Process and Theory, by Allen F. Repko. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications, 2008.
ISBN 978-1-4129-5915-5
Note: In addition to the course text there will be other assigned readings that may be accessed through the
Laurier Library and/or posted on WebCT (depending on copyright issues).
About the Readings
 We will be reading diverse pieces. This means that some, perhaps most, of the material will be difficult to
understand. Readings will require extra time and effort on your part to interpret “before” class.
I will do my best to explain the material but if you do not read it before class my explanations will be
virtually useless, for you will have no basis for reflection, correction, relation, etc.
 Again, readings are to be done “before” class. The quality of course learning relies heavily upon this basic
agreement.
Course Website
www.openthought.ca See this site for grading schemes and course related policies. Visit the relevant course
page on this site regularly, especially if you miss a class, for potential updates to the course schedule.
WebCT
 WebCT will be used for the one online exam, the posting of grades, and course lecture materials.
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
The materials stored on WebCT are for your eyes only. None of the work on WebCT (notes, exam, etc.)
should be reproduced for or shared with others outside of this class, whether in an online format or
otherwise.
Evaluation
Assignment
Weight Due Date
Participation
10%
Participation marks will be determined by any (not necessarily all) of the
following over the term:
(1) unannounced in-class quizzes (2) overall participation in course, e.g.,
willingness to voice opinion, challenge assumptions, and (3) random
homework assignments.
Homework assignments, while low in grade value, relatively speaking, will
usually be time-consuming and thought provoking. They are meant to
help prepare you for your two projects in the course.
Missed quizzes/homework cannot be made-up except with medical
documentation.
Note: always bring paper and a pen to class.
Homework will be collected at the end of class and will not be returned.
Students will be notified of the grade value/weight of each assignment
when they are distributed. Usually each will be a pass/fail assignment.
Online Exam
(WebCT)
25%
To be done online (WebCT) May 28th, Friday. Available starting at 6pm for
24 hours. Covers all course materials to this point.
25%
Integrative Process Project; details to be given in class and posted on
WebCT.
This is to be handed in at the end of class, June 23rd OR June 30th, “and”
uploaded to Turnitin.com (before class), which is accessible through our
course’s main page on WebCT.
If you hand your project in on either date you will receive a mark without
late penalty. However, if you hand your paper in after June 23rd, you will
not receive any comments on your project.
40%
Intellectual—Interdisciplinarian—Autobiography; details to be given in
class and posted on WebCT.
This is a lengthy narrative that will take the whole term to develop. It will
involve self-analysis, the setting of clear career goals, integrating course
insights into your own autobiography and career goals, and much more.
This is to be handed in at the end of class on July 26th, the final day of class
“and” uploaded to Turnitin.com through WebCT (before class).
Late assignments will only be accepted for a very short period and “must”
be accompanied with medical documentation—no exceptions!
This project will not be returned.
Integrative Process
Project
Major (Research/
Autobiographical)
Project
Learning Objectives
By the end of the course students will have a sense of main topics, methods, practices, theories, vocabularies,
and assumptions in interdisciplinary studies and they will be able to examine and analyze important
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contemporary questions through an interdisciplinary approach—especially in so much as such issues relate to
their own lives.
Learning Outcomes
After taking this course students will be able to answer specific questions:
1. What are interdisciplinary studies?
2. How did interdisciplinary studies begin, what does it do now, and where is it going?
3. How does one do interdisciplinary studies?
4. What does interdisciplinary studies offer me in regard to the job market?
5. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a degree in interdisciplinary studies?
After taking this course students should be able to express new/refined abilities such as:
1. increased humility and sensitivity to prejudgement (bias, prejudice);
2. clarity of thought through better critical thinking;
3. greater creative and unconventional thinking that is relevant to one’s life-context;
4. greater tolerance for ambiguity and paradox (especially among competing disciplines);
5. sensitivity to ongoing problems of research, education, the sciences, etc.;
6. greater/expanded personal horizons, i.e., clarity of self-understanding (Who am I? What am I good at?)
Performance Expectations
Students are expected to:
1. attend class on a regular basis and engage in critical dialogue on the issues relevant to the given week;
2. come prepared for discussions having read the relevant materials and thought about the issues;
3. learn how to identify parts of arguments and critically examine arguments;
4. defend their own views and consider the views of others in light of ongoing class discussions;
5. show that they have thoroughly read and considered all of material covered in the course by fulfilling
the course terms of evaluation (exams, essay).
Students are therefore responsible for:
1. knowing the material presented in lectures, readings, and online notes;
2. participating in course discussions and developing critical-rational skills necessary for academic thinking
and dialogue.
Dual Character of Course
 Each class will typically have a large lecture component as well as an open discussion component.
 The readings (course text, online notes, etc.) are only part of the whole-course-experience.
 Class discussion and dialogue makes the course readings relevant, connected, and living.
 Ignoring either side of the course will significantly reduce the benefits of your university
education.
 Discussion and debate is an essential part of the course so students should expect a great deal of both.
 Sometimes discussion will lead off into areas that may not seem on topic.
 Generally speaking such sidetracks are important and related to the issues at hand.
 If the connections are not clear, please ask. Feeling lost in a discussion is rarely a good thing.
 Also, students will be given plenty of time to express their own views and beliefs. Patience and
understanding on behalf of others is important.
 Mutual respect is expected of all participants in this course.
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Projects/Assignments
For details, see assignments sheet. To be posted on WebCT within first two weeks of class.
Due Dates
 There are two due dates for the Integrative Process Project:
If you hand in your paper by the correct date you will (a) receive a grade without a “late mark” penalty
and (b) comments on what I thought about it.
 HOWEVER, you may hand it in up to one week late and still receive a grade “without a late mark.” The
catch is that you will not get any comments on what I thought of it. So, for the extra week extension, the
only thing you lose is the comments, not marks.
 A final note. If I get your paper even one or two days late, you should not expect comments unless it is
(a) a failing paper, (b) a close-to-failing paper, or (c) an exceptional paper.
Online Exam
 Note: A lengthy review of the course materials relevant to the exam will not be given. Instead students must
come to class prepared with questions of interest/concern. A complete (or half) course review beyond only
a most superficial level would prove impossible, thereby making any such attempt frustrating at best.
 In short, if students would like a review in some form I will expect any outstanding questions to be
presented to me in class so that I might answer them (which I’m very happy to do, even if it takes a
whole class). This approach will offer a much more focussed and in-depth review.
 The exam will be accessible through WebCT for a 24 hour period, after that the window is closed and it will
not be re-opened. The exam will become available to you at 6pm on the day indicated.
 Please pay careful attention to the schedule. If you miss the exam, only extreme and documented
emergencies will qualify you for alternate consideration.
 Given that you have a 24 hour period in which to complete the exam—which can be done almost anywhere
in the world—technical problems will not be accepted as grounds for re-consideration.
 Do the exam earlier rather than later.
 The exam will be timed. Once the time limit has been reached you will be unable to change your answers or
answer more questions. The time limit will make the exam very challenging, so you must prepare for the
exam thoroughly.
 If you save each answer in WebCT but fail to submit the exam I “may” submit it on your behalf but a 10%
deduction in your score will be made to the quiz/exam.
 You can expect true/false, multiple choice, and perhaps other kinds of questions.
 Questions will reflect course lectures and text readings covered up to that point.
 Exam questions are randomly generated by a database of questions, so no two quizzes are the same.
(Even I do not know what the questions will be)
 I recommend becoming familiar with WebCT prior to your first exam.
Technical Problems:
 Do not email me asking for help with technical issues. You must resolve those on your own. I cannot be
responsible for your technical conflicts. There are no exceptions.
 If you experience a technical problem it is most likely your browser. Use the recommended browser
with updated flash software (see WebCT section of course website for suggestions).
 Be sure to save your answers in WebCT—individually and later through submitting it. If you submit
your exam without saving each individual question you may end up submitting a blank exam. This “does
not” qualify you for doing another exam.
 If for some reason WebCT is down for all or part of the day in which an exam is to be written, the exam will
be opened “instead” on WebCT the following day for the same period of time.
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
If, after the posting of the exam marks (which I will notify you about in class), your results are not there, you
are responsible for notifying me asap (no more than two weeks).
Other Course Related Information
I
Late Penalties, Missed Assignments, Etc.
For policies on these issues refer to the course website at www.openthought.ca (Courses)
If you miss an assignment or exam—you’ve missed the assignment or exam. You will need to support an
extraordinary circumstance by which to justify an alternative assignment.
For all essays and class projects that are late there will be a 10% per day reduction in grade, with the exception
of any final course projects to be handed in on the last day of class. Those will receive a 25% per day reduction
in grade for a maximum of three days. After which the project will receive a failing mark of 0.
II
Examination Deferrals
There is no final exam for this course.
III
Student Awareness of the Accessible Learning Centre
Students with disabilities or special needs, are advised to contact Laurier’s Accessible Learning Centre for
information regarding its services and resources. Students are encouraged to review the Calendar for
information regarding all services available on campus.
IV
Academic and Research Misconduct
Students are expected to be aware of and abide by University regulations and policies, as outlined in the
current on-line Undergraduate Calendar (see http://www.wlu.ca/calendars). Academic misconduct is an act by
a student, or by students working on a team project, which may result in a false evaluation of the student(s), or
which represents a deliberate attempt to unfairly gain an academic advantage.
Laurier uses software that can check for plagiarism. Students may be required to submit their written work in
electronic form and have it checked for plagiarism. Students are to adhere to the Principles in the Use of
Information Technology.
V
Staying Safe on Campus
FOOT Patrol (519-751-7875). "After class, call 751-7875 for a walk or drive home - No Walk is Too Short or Too
Long!!!"
VI
Email
Students must use their WLU account for all correspondence. Any email sent from Hotmail, Gmail or any other
web based email system outside of Laurier is NOT supported and WLU is not responsible for any lost email due
to this factor. If you do not have a WLU account, contact the LB Support desk at lbsupportdesk@wlu.ca
Do not use WebCT email.
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Schedule of Dates, Readings, and Assignments *Readings and schedule may be adjusted during the term. If the
schedule changes, students will be given notice in class.
Weeks
Topics
Readings (done before class), see
Assignments
course text or WebCT.
BI=Becoming Interdisciplinary
SECTION ONE
What are Interdisciplinary Studies?
The History, Methods, Language, and Theories
One
May 3rd,
May 5th
Two
May 10th,
May 12th
Defining Interdisciplinarity; How is Interdisciplinarity Different from
Disciplinarity, Muiltidisciplinarity, and Transdisciplinarity; Tracing the Origins
of Interdisciplinarity; The Birth of the University and its Disciplines; The Basic
Parts of Interdisciplinarity—Language and Concepts;
3rd Introduction to the Course
3rd—NO Readings
5th How to Begin Thinking About
Interdisciplinary Studies
 Kinds of definitions
“interdisciplinarity”—limits and
possibilities
 The history of interdisciplinary
studies
(when, why, where?)
 Watch BBC4 “Inside The Medieval
Mind—Education”
 The medieval university and the
rise of disciplines
 Tracing the origins and definitions
of “university,” “disciplinarity,”
and “interdisciplinarity”
 What is a discipline? What is a
“disciplinary perspective?”
 An outline of interdisciplinarity
 The role, purpose, and usefulness
of interdisciplinary studies
 Interdisciplinary values
5th—BI Chapter One
All pages up to 17.
(There is a lot of material here so
start reading right away!)
Week One Continued ... (maybe into
Week Three as well)
BI Chapter Two
Pages 18-26.
Week Two
Interdisciplinary Studies—Kinds and
Forms
 The birth of interdisciplinarity
 Common definitions, terms and
concepts—interdisciplinarity
multi-, trans-, cross-, inter-, antidisciplinarity
Also, start Week Three readings.
There is a fair bit!
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Three
May 17th,
May 19th
 Making useful and practical
distinctions (E.g., Multi/Trans)
 The case for and against conflict
and confusion
 Epistemological maps, ways of
knowing
 Common criticisms of disciplines
Your Life as an Interdisciplinarian
 Thinking autobiographically
 What might your story be at 88?
 Are you prepared for the
discontinuities in your life?
 How do you define progress and
success?
The Nature of Interdisciplinary
Language
 Metaphors, symbols, and analogies
 Characteristics of successful
interdisciplinarians
 Coping with change,
incommensurability, and academic
fundamentalism
Chapter Five
Telling Your Story as an
Interdisciplinarian IB p. 43-45
Thomas H. Murray’s (1986)
“Confessions of an Unconscious
Interdisciplinarian” IB p. 63-69.
New York Times Obituary “Isaiah
Berlin, Philosophy and Pluralist, is
Dead at 88” by Marilyn Berger BI 4651
“Fred Rogers, Host of Mister Rogers’
Neighborhood, Dies at 74” BI 51-54.
“Construing Continuity” by Mary
Catherine Bateson BI 56-63
Chapters Three and Four
Pages 27-41
Four
No Class
May 24th,
May 26th
Pros and Cons of Interdisciplinary
Study
BI Chapter Six
BI Supplementary Readings Cluster 3
pages 187-192
Types of Intelligence for the
Interdisciplinary Workplace
Rate yourself against the chart on
192.
Online Exam
May 28th
(Friday at
6pm)
“Five Arguments against
Interdisciplinary Studies” by Thomas
C. Benson IB 76-79. Originally in
Issues in Integrative Studies 1 (1982)
available online.
“The Case for Interdisciplinary
Studies” by William H. Newell
Originally in Issues in Integrative
Studies 2 (1983) available online.
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“Sample Integrative Process
Worksheet” by Joseph Allred
BI 100
SECTION TWO
Theme I
Integrating the Human, Social, and Natural Sciences—
Major Modern Methods and Modalities
Theme II What is the Interdisciplinary Research Process and How
is it Achieved
The Assumptions and Biases of the Sciences; Major Methods, Theories, and
Practices of the Sciences; Decoding the Language of the Disciplines
Five
May 31st,
June 2nd
Six
June 7th,
June 9th
Seven
June 14th,
June 16th
Continue Week Four
Begin Week Five
What is Science?
Objectivity and Method
 What are they? What do they
do? How do they work?
 What are the problems?
Qualitative and Quantitative
Research Processes
 What do they look like?
 How to do them well?
 The unknown future of
research.
What is the Interdisciplinary
Research Process and How is it
Achieved
 The priority of “the question.”
 The nature of human
interpretation
 Structural pre-conditions for
asking questions.
 How does one integrate
insights?
 What is being integrated?
 What is the interdisciplinary
understanding that is
produced?
Read “Objectivism” on WebCT
(J. C. Robinson dissertation selection)
NO text readings for this week.
(may assign short online reading)
NO text readings for this week.
SECTION THREE
How to do Interdisciplinary Studies: The Interdisciplinarian’s
Method, Values, and Purpose
Disciplinary Methods vs. Interdisciplinary “Research Process”
How to Draw on the Disciplines; How to Create Common Ground; How to
Integrate Insights (not disciplines); How to Produce an Interdisciplinary
Perspective;
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Eight
June 21st,
June 23rd
Nine
June 28th,
June 30th
Ten
July 5th,
July 7th
Eleven
July 12,
July 14th
Twelve
July 19th,
21st
Interdisciplinarity in
(a) the Job Market;
(b) University Research;
(c) In Life.
Methods vs. Process
 What is synthesis?
 Can we have a method?
 Should we seek a method?
 What is process?
 Dead Poets Society
Understanding and Doing
Interdisciplinary Research
 Creating common ground and
identifying the conflicts.
 Identifying relevant
disciplines.
 How to research a discipline.
 The most difficult part of
doing interdisciplinary work is
creating common ground.
NO text readings for this week.
Integrative
Process
Project
Due June 23rd
or June 30th
BI Chapter Seven
Pages 103-127
Integrative
Process
Project
Due June 30th
“Do You See What I See?” by Hugh G.
Petrie. BI 106-113.
“Prospect Theory” by Dirk Olin. BI 120121.
Integrating Insights—Drawing on
the Disciplines
(Hermeneutics and
Interpretation)
 Mediating conflicts and
insights
 Beginning the research
process
 Analyzing the problem and
evaluating disciplinary
insights
 Understanding the nature,
role, and importance of
integration
Catch-up Week
“Teaching for Transfer” by D.N. Perkins
and Gaviel Salomon. BI 146-154.
Trends in the 21st Century
Interdisciplinary Workplace
 What does Interdisciplinary
offer me and my employer?
 Who am I? Where am I going?
 Am I intuitive, creative,
integrative, and adaptive?
 What do employers want?
“Breaking the Job Lock,” by Andrew
Kimbrell. BI 155-158.
No text readings for this week, but
start next week’s materials this week.
“The Interdisciplinary Needs of
Organizations” by Randolph T. Barker,
Glenn H. Gilbreath, and Warren S.
Stone. BI 159-167.
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

False expectations in me, my
parents, and in university?
Changing jobs; changing
minds.
“The Creative Class” by Richard Florida.
BI 167-176.
“The Machine Shop and The Hair
Salon” by Richard Florida. BI 176-186.
“Success Secret: A High Emotion IQ” by
Anne Fisher. BI 187-190.
“Mastering New Forms of Intelligence”
by Jennifer James. BI 190-192.
July 26th
Make-Up
Class (for
Victoria
Day)
Summation, Review, Class
Discussion
“How Successful Leaders Think” by
Roger Martin. In Harvard Business
Review 85 (2007):60-67. ISSN 00178012
Get this through our online Library
subscriptions (you must figure out how
on your own).
NO Assigned Readings
Intellectual
Autobiography
40% of course
grade
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