The King’s Green Pad

According to Dictionary.com, “interdisciplinary” is:

1. combining or involving two or more academic disciplines or fields of study: The economics and history departments are offering an interdisciplinary seminar on Asia.
2. combining or involving two or more professions, technologies, departments, or the like, as in business or industry.

Without an interdisciplinary approach, research in a certain field can easily become overly narrow as specialists lock themselves in their own academic or professional room without the ability to see beyond its walls. Academics or practitioners in other fields may be attempting to solve similar problems, and so an interdisciplinary approach could stimulate new insights and applications.

“We are not students of some subject matter, but students of problems. And problems may cut right across the borders of any subject matter or discipline.” – Karl Popper

The book Facilitating Interdisciplinary Research (2004) reveals that “one of the overarching themes in facilitating interdisciplinary research is finding ways to bring together researchers who would not otherwise meet. In the committee’s survey, the top recommendation was for institutions to foster a collaborative environment—to provide opportunities for interaction across disciplines and allow greater movement of faculty among programs and departments.”

Solving the environmental crises facing creation will require interdisciplinary thinking and multi-faceted response. We must listen to one another and foster holistic, collaborative efforts in order to move forward. The King’s Green Pad seeks to be interdisciplinary by bringing together faculty members from the following disciplines: English, Economics, Management and Commerce, Biology, Psychology, Piano, Political Science, Eco-Psychology, Ecology, Choir, Environmental Sociology, Theology, History, Geography

Come back January 1, 2009 for official launch of The King’s Green Pad.

Links:
The Interdisciplinary Environmental Association
OIKOS Interdisciplinary Conference in Calgary, AB
The Environment and Art (Israel)

This post was written by Michael Ferber, Assistant Professor of Geography and Director of Environmental Studies at The King’s University College in Edmonton, AB.