Hollingsworth 1

Jada Hollingsworth
21 March 2016
Dr. Miller

Interdisciplinary Studies Glossary Terms

1. Strong Sense Critical Thinking- directing your attention inward, causing you to
examine assumptions and premises you have used to construct the logical argument
presented in your work (Repkeo, 2013)
2. Association for Integrative Studies (AIS)- an interdisciplinary professional organization
founded in 1979 to promote the interchange of ideas among scholars and administrators
in all of the arts and sciences on intellectual and organizational issues related to
furthering integrative studies (AIS, 2014)
3. Assumptions- things that are accepted to be true, or certain by their respective disciplines
(Repkeo, 2013)
4. Blooms taxonomy- a set of three hierarchical models used to classify educational
learning objectives into levels of complexity and mastery. The three lists cover the
learning objectives in cognitive, affective and sensory domains. (Bloom, 2016)
5. Boundary crossing- a discipline crossing over into another discipline for information on a
certain thing that may have more information than the other discipline
6. Close Reading- careful analysis of a text that begins with attending to individual words,
sentence structure, and the order in which sentences or ideas unfold (Repkeo, 2013)
7. Communication- connecting or exchanging information (Oxford)
8. Concepts- abstract ideas generalized from particular instances or symbols expressed in
language, that represent phenomena (Repkeo, 2013)
9. Context- the circumstances or setting in which the problem, event, statement, or idea
exists (Repkeo, 2013)

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10. Contextual Thinking- the ability to view a subject from a broad perspective by placing it
in the fabric of time, culture, or personal experience (Repkeo, 2013)
11. Critical Interdisciplinarity- questions disciplinary assumptions and ideological
underpinnings; sometimes aims to replace the existing structure of knowledge and the
system of education based upon it (Repkeo, 2013)
12. Critical Reflection- the process of analyzing, questioning, and reconsidering the activity
that you are engaged in (Repkeo, 2013)
13. Critical Thinking- the capacity to analyze, critique, and assess (Repkeo, 2013)
14. Cross disciplinary- involving two or more academic disciplines; interdisciplinary (Cross
Disciplinary, 2016)
15. Curriculum- the courses that are taught by a school, college, etc. (Curriculum)
16. Defining elements of a discipline- the phenomena it studies, its epistemology, how it
validates truth, the assumptions it makes about the natural and human world, its basic
concepts, its theories about the causes and behaviors of certain phenomena, its methods,
and the kind of data it collects (Repkeo, 2013)
17. Dialectic- a form of a language that is spoken in a particular area and that uses some of
its own words, grammar, and pronunciations (Dialect)
18. Disciplinarity- the system of knowledge specialties (Repkeo, 2013)
19. Disciplinary assumptions- what different disciplines believe to be true or certain
20. Disciplinary Bias- favoring one disciplines understanding of the problem at the expense
of competing understandings offered by other disciplines (Repkeo, 2013)
21. Disciplinary Categories- natural sciences, humanities, social sciences, fine and
performing arts, applied fields, and professions (Repkeo, 2013)
22. Disciplinary Inadequacy- the view that the disciplines by themselves are simply not
equipped to address complex problems comprehensively (Repkeo, 2013)
23. Disciplinary Jargon- using technical terms and concepts that are not generally understood
outside of the discipline (Repkeo, 2013)
24. Disciplinary Perspective- a disciplines unique view of reality that is like a lens through
which it views the world; it embraces and reflects the ensemble of its defining elements

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that include the phenomena it prefers to study, its epistemology, assumptions, concepts,
and favored theories and methods (Repkeo, 2013)
25. Discipline- a branch of learning or body of knowledge such as biology, or English
(Repkeo, 2013)
26. Discourse
27. Domains
28.
Dualism- belief that knowledge is objective, certain, and absolute (Repkeo, 2013)
29. Empiricism- holds that all knowledge is derived from our perceptions, experience, and
observations (Repkeo, 2013)
30. Epistemic Position- understanding the nature of knowledge and how you determine truth
(Repkeo, 2013)
31. Epistemology- the study of the nature and basis of knowledge (Repkeo, 2013)
32. Externalizing the problem- drawing a picture of the problem (Repkeo, 2013)
33. Generalist Interdisciplinarians- understand interdisciplinarity loosely to mean any form
of dialogue or interaction between two or more disciplines, minimizing, obscuring, or
rejecting all together the role of integration (Repkeo, 2013)
34. Hegemony- influence or control over another country, a group of people, etc.
(Hegemony)
35. Heuristic- using experience to learn and improve (Heuristic)
36. Holistic- relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than with
the analysis of, treatment of, or dissection into parts (Holistic)
37. Inductive Approach- begins with making systematic observations, detecting patterns,
formulating tentative hypothesis about these patterns and then formulating a theory that
explains the phenomenon in question (Repkeo, 2013)
38. Insights- scholarly contributions to the clear understanding of a complex problem, object,
or text (Repkeo, 2013)
39. Instrumental Interdisciplinarity- a pragmatic conception of interdisciplinarity that focuses
on research, borrowing from other disciplines, and practical problem solving in response
to the demands of society (Repkeo, 2013)

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40. Integration- the cognitive process of critically evaluating disciplinary insights and
creating common ground among them to construct a more comprehensive understanding
(Repkeo, 2013)
41. Integrative Thinking- a defining characteristic of interdisciplinary learning that is the
ability to knit together information from different sources to produce a more
comprehensive understanding or create a new meaning (Repkeo, 2013)
42. Interdisciplinary Research- to study a topic or question that is inherently complex and
whose parts are the focus of two or more disciplines, to integrate their insights, and
construct a more comprehensive understanding of the topic or question (Repkeo, 2013)
43. Interdisciplinary Studies- to integrate two or more disciplines to solve a complex real
world problem
44. Intergrationist Interdisciplinarians- regard integration of the key distinguishing
characteristic of interdisciplinary and the goal of fully interdisciplinary work (Repkeo,
2013)
45. Knowledge- facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or
education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject (Knowledge)
46. Knowledge Society- one in which the development and creative application of
knowledge is the primary engine of economic growth, prosperity, and empowerment of
all developing sectors of society (Repkeo, 2013)
47. Metacognition- the awareness of your own learning and thinking process, often described
as thinking about your thinking (Repkeo, 2013)
48. Metaphor- a figure of speech in which a word or phrase, a story, or a picture is likened to
the idea that you are trying to communicate (Repkeo, 2013)
49. Methods- particular procedures, processes, or techniques used by a disciplines
practitioner to conduct, organize, and present research (Repkeo, 2013)
50. More Comprehensive Understanding- a cognitive advancement that results from
integrating insights that produces a new whole that would not be possible using single
disciplinary means (Repkeo, 2013)

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51. Multidisciplinarity- the placing side by side of insights from two or more disciplines
without attempting to integrate them (Repkeo, 2013)
52. Peer Review- a process in which researchers scrutinize and critique each others work in
search of possible shortcomings or alternate explanations (Repkeo, 2013)
53. Perspective- the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance
(Perspective)
54. Perspective Taking- the intellectual capacity to view a complex problem, phenomenon, or
behavior from multiple perspectives, including disciplinary ones, in order to develop a
more comprehensive understanding of it (Repkeo, 2013)
55. Philosophy- the study of ideas about knowledge, truth, the nature and meaning of life,
etc; a particular set of ideas about knowledge, truth, the nature and meaning of life, etc; a
set of ideas about how to do something or how to live (Philosophy)
56. Polemical- to be controversial or disputable (Polemical)
57. Practical Intelligence- the ability to apply an idea in an effective way, whether in business
or everyday life (Repkeo, 2013)
58. Problem Centering Approach- also known as the instrumental approach to integration that
uses issues of public debate, product development, or an intervention such as one
designed to improve health and wellbeing as focal points for making connections
between disciplines and integrating their insights (Repkeo, 2013)
59. Problem Focused Research- distinct from what it is called basic research or pure
theoretical research because it focuses on societal needs and practical problem solving
(Repkeo, 2013)
60. Recursive- relating to or involving the repeated application of a rule, definition, or
procedure to successive results (Recursive)
61. Reductionism- the strategy of dividing a phenomenon into it constituent parts and
studying them separately in the expectation that knowledge produced by narrow
specialties can be readily combined into the understanding of the phenomenon as a whole
(Repkeo, 2013)

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62. Relativism- belief that there is no such thing as objective knowledge and that beliefs,
theories, and values are inherently relative, contingent, and contextual (Repkeo, 2013)
63. Research- the process of gathering information to understand how some aspect of the
natural or human world functions (Repkeo, 2013)
64. Researchable in an Interdisciplinary Sense- when experts from two or more disciplines
have written about the problem (Repkeo, 2013)
65. Revolutionary Insights- those ideas that have the capacity to transform how we learn,
think, and produce new knowledge (Repkeo, 2013)
66. Scope- refers to the parameters of what is included or excluded from the study (Repkeo,
2013)
67. Social Content of Disciplines- the community of scholars who engage in the work of the
discipline (Repkeo, 2013)
68. Social Science Research Council (SSRC)- an independent, international, nonprofit
organization founded in 1923. Governed by a board of directors, it fosters innovative
research, nurtures new generations of social scientists, deepens how inquiry is practiced
within and across disciplines, and mobilizes necessary knowledge on important public
issues (SSRC, 2016)
69. Subdisciplines- branches of or specialties of disciplines (Repkeo, 2013) Example: A
subdiscipline of Biology would be premed or research.
70. Systems Thinking- the ability to break down a problem into its constituent parts to reveal
internal and external factors, figure out how each of these parts relates to the others and
to the problem as a whole, and identify which part different disciplines address (Repkeo,
2013)
71. Taxonomy- grouping things according to their common characteristics (Repkeo, 2013)
72. Theory- a generalized scholarly explanation about some aspect (Repkeo, 2013)
73. Theory of Conceptual Integration- explains the innate human ability to create new
meaning by blending concepts (Repkeo, 2013)

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74. Transdisciplinarity- the cooperation of academics, stakeholders, and practitioners to solve

a common complex societal or environmental problem of common interest with the goal
of resolving it by designing and implementing public policy (Repkeo, 2013)

References
Repkeo, 2013. Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. Repkeo, A.F., et al. Sage Publications.
<https://nsu.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/pid-1760473-dt-content-rid31166465_1/courses/INT-470-90-152B/INT-470-90141B_ImportedContent_20141010031452/GlossaryTerms.2013.pdf>
AIS, 2014. Association for Integrative Studies. Oakland University.
<http://wwwp.oakland.edu/ais/>
Bloom, 2016. Blooms Taxonomy <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloom%27s_taxonomy> 20
March 2016

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Oxford. Communication.
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/communication>
Cross Disciplinary, 2016. <http://www.dictionary.com/browse/cross-disciplinary>
SSRC, 2016. Social Science Research Council. <http://www.ssrc.org/about/mission/>
Recursive. Oxford Dictionary. https://www.bing.com/search?
q=recursive&qs=n&form=QBRE&pq=recursive&sc=8-9&sp=1&sk=&cvid=6290481122FB4DD195F453D122073717
Curriculum. Merriam Webster. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/curriculum>
Philosophy. Merriam Webster. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/philosophy>
Polemical. Merriam Webster. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Polemical>
Perspective. Merriam Webster. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perspective>
Dialect. Merriam Webster. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dialect>
Hegemony. Merriam Webster. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Hegemony>
Heuristic. Merriam Webster. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Heuristic>
Holistic. Merriam Webster. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Holistic>
Knowledge. Oxford Dictionaries. https://www.bing.com/search?
q=knowledge&form=EDGNTC&qs=PF&cvid=a7c0b47db5454d918658c7fc6cfb47ba&p
q=knowledge

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