“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 (1902-1994) (one of the most influential philosopher of science in twentieth century) In the face of the complex challenges the world has faced since the second half of twentieth century and in twenty first century, we require directions/solutions that transcend disciplinary boundaries. Interdisciplinarity has had, for some time already, a high priority for science policy and research funding. It is also an upcoming area in studies on knowledge production and circulation. Twenty-first century represents the post-disciplinary era. For example, gender studies and environmental studies, health studies are classic examples of this significant shift. Examples also include quantum information processing an amalgamation of quantum physics and computer science; and bioinformatics-combining molecular biology with computer science. Even if interdisciplinarity is widely accepted today, many still show distrust towards researches that depart from the status quo. The lack of guidelines and literature on how to perform interdisciplinary research greatly hinders the affirmation of this approach to social sciences.

Need for Interdisciplinary Studies and Research

To begin with, interdisciplinarity comes in different names, such as multidisciplinarity, pluridisciplinarity or cross-disciplinarity. Interdisciplinarity aims at identifying, structuring, analyzing and handling issues in problem fields with the following aspirations:-

1. To grasp the relevant complexity of a problem.
2. To take into account the diversity of life-world and scientific perceptions of problems.
3. To link abstract and case-specific knowledge.
4. To develop knowledge and practices that promote what is perceived to be common good.

Interdisciplinary research involves organization of knowledge around real world problems rather than disciplines itself. Since the world is interconnected, the problems are also indubitably interconnected. An interconnected world needs new forms and patterns of intellectual inquiry that challenges existing disciplinary and institutional boundaries. The collaboration across disciplines increases the likelihood that the proposed solutions will also be more effective than discipline-based solutions. Interdisciplinarity enhances creativity, and helps researchers to rethink their own discipline in new ways. There are various important but complex problems, phenomena and concepts that resist understanding or resolution when approached from single disciplines. Accordingly, interdisciplinarity is a form of research that transcends disciplinary boundaries to address and solve problems related to the life world. Interdisciplinarity generally refers to the appropriate combination of knowledge from many different specialities – especially to shed new light on an actual problem. It is a new field of research emerging in the ‘ knowledge society’, which links science and policy to address issues such as, uses and abuses of new technologies, digitization and its impact, public health policies, social changes in major structures (family, education, workplaces etc.), environmental degradation and others. Interdisciplinary research has grown in no small part due to the demand for this kind of approach by firms, organizations and policy-makers, especially after the 1970s. Research is becoming an integral component of innovation and problem solving strategies in the life world, affecting not only the private sector, public agencies, and civil society, but also

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Mission & Vision of the Centre (CISRS)

The center seeks to become an international leader in the facilitation of interdisciplinary scholarship. We aim to develop relationships with funding sources that enable us to support projects on campus and in our community through grants and mentorship programs. We seek to create cutting-edge research and opportunities by connecting researchers from disparate fields and locations at SNU and beyond. Through a combination of technologies, we will provide interdisciplinary researchers at SNU with information resources, venues for promoting their work, and access to funding, opportunity to participate in conferences, and training opportunities. To empower students/scholars/faculty to create innovative academic pathways is a goal so that they become successful and adaptable leaders with a lasting impact on society.

Objectives of the Center

The major objective of the centre will be to forward a unifying approach that focuses on the world through a combination of related disciplines. The core principles of interdisciplinarity can be called a combination of three' Cs: Collaboration, Cooperation and Communication among disciplines in addressing a particular complex issue. One classic example for the centre could be gender studies, which might combine gender studies, history, literature, biology/physiology, sociology and media studies. Or, in case of public health, which might combine medicine, pharmacy, sociology, politics, and psychology. Another would be Science and Technology Studies (STS) which is an academic discipline in the social sciences that purports to analyze how society, politics and culture influence scientific research and technological innovation, and how these, in turn, affect society, politics and culture. STS scholars argue that one of its key strength is its interdisciplinary approach. STS has developed into a versatile and heterogeneous research field in recent years. One of the strengths of STS is its ability to travel between spheres, encourage conversation and enable novel gatherings of things and people. The very nature of the development process requires that the special skills and perspectives of the engineer, the physicist and the chemist be harmonized with those of the economist, the historian, the sociologist and the anthropologist. We hope that the centre will enlist the talents of natural and social scientists and technologists globally.

Proposed Programs of the Center

1. Offering PhD Degree
2. Refresher courses and Orientation programs for faculty
3. Adda Baithaks / Sesame Club-type free discussions and interactions on relevant interdisciplinary issues
4. Short courses (for example, UGC/HRDC conducts short-term courses of about two to six days duration in specialized areas for the professional development of faculty members)
5. Summer and Winter schools / Refresher courses and Orientation programs
6. Certificate courses
7. Bringing projects of interdisciplinary nature funded by different types of organizations