Comments on: Interdisciplinary Island http://aspectwebsite.com/interdisciplinary-island/ A Publication from the School of Arts & Sciences at Salem State College Thu, 16 Jun 2011 21:44:04 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: David Kaufman http://aspectwebsite.com/interdisciplinary-island/comment-page-1/#comment-673 David Kaufman Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:42:44 +0000 http://aspectwebsite.com/?p=915#comment-673 Kara, I really liked your article. Your writing style and ideas are very engaging. Great work! And congrats! Kara,
I really liked your article. Your writing style and ideas are very engaging. Great work!
And congrats!

]]> By: Alice Bianchi http://aspectwebsite.com/interdisciplinary-island/comment-page-1/#comment-669 Alice Bianchi Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:03:16 +0000 http://aspectwebsite.com/?p=915#comment-669 Kara, wonderful interpretation of academic reality. Enjoyed it immensely. I think you should be on "Survivor". Kara, wonderful interpretation of academic reality. Enjoyed it immensely.

I think you should be on “Survivor”.

]]> By: Jon Aske http://aspectwebsite.com/interdisciplinary-island/comment-page-1/#comment-668 Jon Aske Tue, 08 Dec 2009 00:15:59 +0000 http://aspectwebsite.com/?p=915#comment-668 Hi, Kara. I enjoyed your article, but I have major problem with it, namely that I do not identify with the metaphor of islands where there is a single recipe in each island that nobody questions and that doesn't change. I am a linguist and in my field there are so many recipes and so many different types of ingredients, that's enough to make anyone crazy. I can't imagine it's not the same thing or even more chaotic in History and other softer sciences. Hi, Kara. I enjoyed your article, but I have major problem with it, namely that I do not identify with the metaphor of islands where there is a single recipe in each island that nobody questions and that doesn’t change. I am a linguist and in my field there are so many recipes and so many different types of ingredients, that’s enough to make anyone crazy. I can’t imagine it’s not the same thing or even more chaotic in History and other softer sciences.

]]> By: Jim Gubbins http://aspectwebsite.com/interdisciplinary-island/comment-page-1/#comment-667 Jim Gubbins Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:49:19 +0000 http://aspectwebsite.com/?p=915#comment-667 Kara--lots of fun. The separate islands would be fine except for two major problems. First, they're all in competition with each other when times are tight, such as now. The islands compete for funds, students, space, and all kinds of resources. Unfortunately, those who have the difficult job of deciding which fields get more and which get less have no simple calculus for their choices. Second, fields are not objects that have inside, outsides, and borders. If there is such a thing as reality, it is very complex and our discrete fields are inadequate to cover much of reality. We who go into depth in any subject and on any phenomenon are likely to find that a single field is inadequate. Many researchers--be they scientists, humanities scholars, or freelance intellectuals--find that their work requires them to be interdisciplinary. Kara–lots of fun. The separate islands would be fine except for two major problems. First, they’re all in competition with each other when times are tight, such as now. The islands compete for funds, students, space, and all kinds of resources. Unfortunately, those who have the difficult job of deciding which fields get more and which get less have no simple calculus for their choices. Second, fields are not objects that have inside, outsides, and borders. If there is such a thing as reality, it is very complex and our discrete fields are inadequate to cover much of reality. We who go into depth in any subject and on any phenomenon are likely to find that a single field is inadequate. Many researchers–be they scientists, humanities scholars, or freelance intellectuals–find that their work requires them to be interdisciplinary.

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