What is interdisciplinary? – a discussion

As part of “Open Education Month”, Soaib Grewal(RISD ID ’11) and myself organized this discussion to explore the issues surrounding interdisciplinary collaboration. We generated a small community of students interested in the topic and continue to push the ideas forward.

A brief manifesto on interdisciplinary study at RISD

The short:
Students are interested in more interdisciplinary collaboration, and need more platforms for facilitating an interdisciplinary community, as well as more permeability.

The long:
RISD has a diverse network of creative individuals – students, faculty, administration alike. Students who have found ways of working across disciplines have seen powerful results. As artists and designers, our work exists always within context – globally, locally, within RISD, within our disciplines, classrooms and so on. The unique perspectives and skill sets that interdisciplinary work can provide enhances our understanding of the context, the problem, and the solutions. The results and insights of interdisciplinarity can be brought back to the discipline as a way to understand the creative process differently, and enhance the discipline. The idea of “the box” that our disciplines brand us with is both useful and problematic. It is useful to understand notions such as medium, technology, skills, what someone brings to the table. Our disciplines are important, and create knowledgeable, proficient, and creative individuals who can bring their skills into the interdisciplinary arena.

RISD students have sometimes had success with interdisciplinary studies, but have largely found difficulty pursuing their interests. At the core of these difficulties are cultural conditions. Students become entrenched in their studio work, and feel a pressure to stay within their department. Students have expressed a sense that crossing the line of their department is frowned upon, and is diluting their focus. Having critically engaged faculty on your side, and involved in your work is a crucial part of our education here, which can be put on the line when studying across departments. From the other side of the fence, students meet resistance trying to take classes within other departments, or even just using resources and facilities. Aside from road blocks and red tape, there is simply a lack of critical discourse surrounding interdisciplinarity, and a lack of programs that successfully approach it.