Richards, Mary E;
Hussein, Mandekh;
Castro-Sánchez, Enrique;
Martin, Olwenn;
(2024)
Breaching boundaries: reflections on the journey towards a transdisciplinary arts and sciences undergraduate degree programme to address global challenges.
Humanities and Social Sciences Communications
, 11
, Article 709. 10.1057/s41599-024-03165-4.
Preview |
Text
s41599-024-03165-4 (1).pdf - Published Version Download (1MB) | Preview |
Abstract
This commentary reflects upon the progress, limitations, and some of the pitfalls of one UK London-based HE institution’s development of a trans-disciplinary arts and sciences undergraduate degree programme specifically designed to build knowledge and confidence in students to both reflect upon and effectively respond in constructive and just ways to some of the ‘global challenges’ facing society. It does not challenge the importance and necessity of specialist expertise but sees the potential of a trans-disciplinary approach to education as not just complementary but increasingly valuable to a wider range of graduates. Graduates needed to lead systems change and facilitate wider appreciation and practical understanding of multidimensional problem-solving, the importance of stakeholder engagement and more holistic systems thinking, something that should not be limited to those who have the opportunity and means to study Masters or PhD degrees. As one of a few UK universities that offer inter-disciplinary or trans-disciplinary undergraduate degrees and with some added insights from a former colleague who now works on University College London’s (UCL) interdisciplinary BASc, we offer the following suggestions and advice for those interested in working towards developing trans-disciplinary provision. This includes the development of a financial model that allows students and staff to work between departments or faculties; an administrative structure that promotes communication and information sharing between different departments without compromising the requirements of data protection; the buy-in and support of senior leaders who both understand and can advocate for the benefits of a trans-disciplinary approach and explicit university-wide recognition of the staff who work on such programmes in terms of career progression and support for the trans-disciplinary research they undertake.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Breaching boundaries: reflections on the journey towards a transdisciplinary arts and sciences undergraduate degree programme to address global challenges |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1057/s41599-024-03165-4 |
| Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03165-4 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of Arts and Humanities UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Arts and Sciences (BASc) |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10197280 |
Loading...
Loading...Loading...Loading...Archive Staff Only
 |
View Item |
