Interest in doing, funding, and studying interdisciplinary work has built to crescendo in recent years. But despite this growing enthusiasm, our collective understanding of the dynamics, rewards, and challenges of faculty conversations across disciplines remains murky. Through six case studies of interdisciplinary seminars for faculty, Interdisciplinary Conversations investigates pivotal interdisciplinary conversations and analyzes the factors that make them work. Past discussions about barriers to interdisciplinary collaborations fixate on funding, the academic reward system, and the difficulties of evaluating research from multiple fields. This book uncovers barriers that are hidden: disciplinary habits of mind, disciplinary cultures, and interpersonal dynamics. Once uncovered, these barriers can be broken down by faculty members and administrators. While clarion calls for interdisciplinary rise in chorus, this book lays out a clear vision of how to realize the creative potential of interdisciplinary conversations.
"Meeting the challenges of our global society in the 21st century often demands that we raise our sights above the confines of our academic disciplinary training. Myra Strober offers a unique perspective on the opportunities and hurdles associated with fostering such creative interdisciplinary dialogues among scholars. The issues that she raises are important not only at research universities, but
Mills College
"In this clear and lucid book, Strober illuminates the contributions of capable leaders to the work of interdisciplinary networks and projects. Drawing on her experience as a program officer, she has written a practically-minded and theoretically grounded book that will be particularly informative for academics interested in fostering successful interdisciplinary groups."
Harvard University
"This book offers readers new and intriguing insights into an overlooked critical aspect of interdisciplinary-the conversations among faculty from different disciplines-and provides concrete suggestions for overcoming the challenges of interdisciplinary communication."
