Two central challenges that arise in an introduction to interdisciplinarity module (and responses to them)

In this article, I will discuss two important challenges that appear in a module designed to introduce undergraduates to interdisciplinarity by following the research process set out in Allen F. Repko and Rick Szostak’s (2021) Interdisciplinary Research: Process and Theory. The first challenge is the heavy burden placed on students to develop adequacy in disciplines with which they might be unfamiliar, in addition to learning a new research process and the advanced skills involved in integration. The second challenge is the late appearance, in the process, of creating the common ground; this is arguably the most difficult Step and without it integration is not possible; however, in Repko and Szostak’s (2021) process, it is the eighth step out of ten, and therefore appears later on in a module. Both challenges indicate the demanding nature of this research process, which seems – to begin with, at least – to be incompatible with an introductory module.