Interdisciplinary Research: The What, the How and the Who

Interdisciplinarity has become a buzz word, everyone is talking about it, some are increasingly enthusiastic, others are suspicious or do not understand its nature and issues. Research in the field of inter- and transdisciplinary studies is now providing theoretical and practical answers on the issue of interdisciplinary work: its definition, the underlying process, evaluation issues and the skills of researchers who venture between and beyond disciplinary boundaries. This course aims to provide answers to the following challenging questions: - What is interdisciplinarity and how does it differ from a monodisciplinary approach to the complex issues of our changing world? - How does the research process unfold (steps, theoretical and conceptual development, methods, etc.)? - What are the skills, capacities, added value and identities to be developed for interdisciplinary researchers? This course presents theoretical approaches, but also examples and individual and collective experiences of interdisciplinary research. External speakers and young interdisciplinary researchers will share their theoretical considerations and practices. Participants will also explore the interdisciplinary dimension of their own projects. 

Dates

The online course will take place on 26 and 27 April 2021 from 9am to 4:30pm. A link to the course and further information will be provided to the participants after successful registration.  

About the lecturer

Frédéric Darbellay is Associate Professor in Inter- and Transdisciplinary Studies at the University of Geneva (Switzerland), Head of the Inter- and Transdisciplinarity Unit at the Centre for Children’s Rights Studies (CIDE) and the CIDE Deputy Director. His research and teaching focuses on the study of inter- and transdisciplinarity as a creative process of knowledge production between and beyond disciplines. He authored multiple publications on the theory and practice of inter- and transdisciplinarity through various scientific fields, across Arts, Humanities, Social, Natural, Life and Technical Sciences. Frédéric Darbellay is member of the Td-net (Network for Transdisciplinary Research) Scientific Advisory Board of the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences and the Association for Interdisciplinary Studies (AIS) Bord of Directors. 

*Please note that the registration period has closed.