Debates, Issues and Practices
| Module title | Debates, Issues and Practices |
|---|---|
| Module code | SPA3001 |
| Academic year | 2024/5 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Professor Mike Michael (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
Module description
This module will provide you with an overview of interdisciplinary ways of conducting research. This will involve a review of recent literature on the emergence and practice of interdisciplinarity. The module will comprise a series of substantive topic-based case studies that are discussed from the perspective of different disciplines that are hosted within SPA (Sociology, Philosophy, Anthropology Criminology, and Science and Technology Studies), and addressed in terms of how the disciplines might collaborate in formulating a shared research approach. Central to the module will be a practical element in which students drawn from different programmes work together to discuss particular topics from their different disciplinary approaches, and to formulate a common interdisciplinary research agenda.
Pre-requisites: Core modules on any SPA 1st Year UG Programme.
Module aims - intentions of the module
SPA is marked by a variety of disciplines (Sociology, Philosophy, Anthropology Criminology, and Science and Technology). The Department is renowned for its inter-disciplinarity. This module serves to present the varieties of work that go on in the Department to students, and how these can cross over in numerous ways. In this respect, one rationale for the module is, through joint lectures in which there is multiple lecturer presentations and interaction around a pre-specified topic or issue, to expose you to the different insights sociologists, philosophers, anthropologists, criminologists, etc bring to bear on the same social issue, but also how they might go about developing a shared understanding of, and a robust common research approach to, that issue. The use of various practical exercises (such as identification of issues, discussion of differences and synergies across discipline-based perspectives, co-formulation of an interdisciplinary research project) will enable you to gain experience working with others from different disciplinary backgrounds, thereby developing skills for practical collaboration with peers with different interests and competences (as are likely to be encountered in post-undergraduate public, private or 3rd sector work settings).
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. demonstrate knowledge of multiple forms of research perspective as applied to a social issue, problem or debate.
- 2. show how their particular disciplinary interests are situated within the context of a broader inter-disciplinary environment.
- 3. discuss a selection of the practical issues that arise when working across disciplines.
- 4. discuss some of the issues raised in literature on interdisciplinarity.
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. demonstrate an awareness of the disciplinarity of inter-disciplinary research (ie how knowledges and practices associated interdisciplinarity vary across disciplines).
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 6. demonstrate competence in collaborating with co-workers with divergent forms of (disciplinary) expertise.
- 7. demonstrate competence in collaborating with co-workers with divergent forms of (disciplinary) expertise.
Syllabus plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:
What are disciplines? Overview of SPA and different disciplinary perspectives. Broader overview of the historical and institutional emergence and pliability of disciplines.
Approaches to Interdisciplinarity – inter, cross and multi-disciplinarity. Institutional and socio-political contexts for facilitating or undermining interdisciplinary initiatives. Examples of interdisciplinarity across social, natural, biomedical sciences and humanities. Logics of Interdisciplinarity.
Contemporary Research Topic or Current Issue – discussed from different disciplinary perspectives, and in terms of inter-disciplinary collaboration. The following topics/issues are suggestions but will be adapted in light of what is current.
- Health and Wellbeing (eg ageing population and dementia; recent pandemic outbreaks). Anthropology, Philosophy, Sociology
- Political and Economic Issues (eg Brexit; financial crisis; globalization). Anthropology, Sociology, Philosophy
- Disasters (eg Grenfell; Catastrophic flooding; chemical and nuclear accidents). Criminology, Anthropology and Science and Technology Studies (STS).
- New Media and Information Science (eg Big Data and Knowledge, machine learning and robotics; surveillance society). Philosophy, Criminology, Sociology
- Technoscientific Innovation and Society (eg Artificial Meat; stem cells; nanotechnology). Anthropology, STS, Philosophy
- Inequalities, Discrimination and Resistance (eg Me Too movement; Black Lives Matter; Educational Inequalities) Sociology (Q-Step), Anthropology and Philosophy
- Nature, Animals and Environment (eg Plastic pollution, badger culling, electric/self-driving vehicles). Anthropology, STS, Philosophy
- Employment, Families, State (eg Precarity/Precariat, neoliberal state and austerity, debt). Sociology (Q-Step), Anthropology, Criminology.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 22 | 11 x 2-hour workshops |
| Guided Independent Study | 68 | Reading Assignments |
| Guided Independent Study | 60 | Essay Preparation (including collection of materials, and essay writing) |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seminar Presentations | 5 minute collective presentation on interdisciplinary topics and collaboration process | 1-7 | In-seminar feedback on presentations of interdisciplinary topics and collaboration process |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay (Discussion of how a social issue could be approached from perspective of two disciplines; and advantages and disadvantages of interdisciplinary approach) | 50 | 1,800 words | 1,2, 4, 5 | Written |
| Essay (A report outlining a interdisciplinary research proposal, with reflection on process of implementation) | 50 | 1,800 words | 1-7 | Written |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay (Multiple disciplinary | Essay (1,800 words) | 1,2, 4, 5 | August/September reassessment period |
| Essay (Interdisciplinary research proposal) | Essay (1,800 words) | 1-7 | August/September reassessment period |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Barry, A. and Born, G. (eds) (2013). Interdisciplinarity: Reconfigurations of the Social and Natural Sciences. London and New York: Routledge.
Frickel, S., Albert, M. and Prainsack, B. (eds) (2017) Investigationg Interdisciplinary Collaboration. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
Lury, C. et al. (eds) (2018). Routledge Handbook of Interdisciplinary Methodology. London and New York: Routledge.
Anthropology and Interdisciplinarity
Bendix, R.F., Bizer, K. and Noyes, D. (2017). Sustaining Interdisciplinary Collaboration: A Guide for the Academy. University of Illinois Press
Engelke, M (2017). Think Like an Anthropologist. Pelican
Hendry, J. (1999). An introduction to social anthropology: Other people’s worlds. Macmillan.
Monaghan, J. and Just, P. (2000.) Social and cultural anthropology: A very short introduction (Vol. 15). Oxford Paperbacks.
Sociology and Interdisciplinarity
Alexander, Jeffrey C., Kenneth Thompson, and Laura Desfor Edles (eds). (2012). A Contemporary Introduction to Sociology: Culture and Society in Transition (Second Edition). Boulder, London: Paradigm Publishers.
Bauman, Z. and May, T. (2001) Thinking Sociologically. 2nd edition. Cambridge: Polity
Elias, N. (1978) What is Sociology? New York: Columbia University Press
Giddens, Anthony (ed.) 1992. Human societies: An Introductory Reader in Sociology. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Lemert, C. (2012) Social Things: An Introduction to the Sociological life, 5th edition, London: Rowman & Littlefields
Karen O'Reilly (2009) For interdisciplinarity and a disciplined, professional sociology, Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research, 22:2, 219-232,
Burawoy, M. (2013) Sociology and Interdisciplinarity: The Promise and the Perils. Philippine Sociological Review, 61, 7-20. http://burawoy.berkeley.edu/Universities/Interdisciplinarity.pdf
Lyle, K. Shaping the Future of Sociology: The Challenge of Interdisciplinarity beyond the Social Sciences. Sociology, 51, 1169-1185.
Philosophy and Interdisciplinarity
Crowley, S.J., Gonnerman, C., and O’Rourke, M. (2016), ‘Cross-Disciplinary Research as a Platform for Philosophical Research’, Journal of the American Philosophical Association, 2(2):344-363
Hoffman, M.H.G., Schmidt, J.C., and Nersessian, N.J. (2013), ‘Philosophy of and as interdisciplinarity’, Synthese, 190(11):1857-1864
Frodeman, R. (2013), ‘Philosophy dedisciplined’, Synthese, 190(11):1917-1936
Mäki, U. (2016), ‘Philosophy of interdisciplinarity. What? Why? How?’, European Journal for Philosophy of Science, 6(3):327-342.
Priest, G. (2006), ‘What is Philosophy?’, Philosophy, 81(316):189-207
Dotson, K. (2012), ‘Well, Yes and No: A Reply to Priest’, Comparative Philosophy, 3(2):10-15
Criminology and Interdisciplinarity
Walsh, A. and Ellis, L. (2006). Criminology: An Interdisciplinary Approach. Sage
Ellis, L., R. Hartley and Walsh, A. (2010) Research Methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology: An Interdisciplinary Approach. Rowman & Littlefield
Young, J. (2011) The Criminological Imagination. Polity.
Jefferey, C. R. (1978). Criminology As An Interdisciplinary Behavioral Science. Criminology, 16, 2, 149-169.
Science and Technology Studies and Interdisciplinarity
Biagioli, M. ed. (1999).The Science Studies Reader. Routledge.
Hess, D.J. (1997). Science Studies: An Advanced Introduction. New York University Press,
Latour, B. (1987). Science in Action, Open University Press
Sergio Sismondo, S. (2003). An Introduction to Science and Technology Studies. Blackwell.
Dear. P. and Jasanoff, S. (2010). Dismantling Boundaries in Science and Technology Studies, Isis: Journal of the History of Science in Society 101(4):759-774
Frodeman, R.; Thompson Klein, J.; Mitcham, C. y Tuana, N. (2007): “Interdisciplinary studies in science, technology and society: New directions: Science, Humanities, Policy”, Technology in Society, 29, 145-152.
Calvert, J. and Schyfter, P. (2017). What can science and technology studies learn from art and design? Reflections on ‘Synthetic Aesthetics’. Social Studies of Science, 47(2): 195–215.
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | At least 30 credits of compulsory SPA modules in philosophy (PHL), sociology (SOC) or anthropology (ANT) |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 6 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 10/10/2018 |
| Last revision date | 17/01/2022 |
