Laurence E. Winters, Ph.D.
Director, Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary
Studies
Petrocelli College, Fairleigh Dickinson University

 Geology—Provides historical context for
climate changes and impacts since the dawn
of civilization and before
 Meteorology—contributes thermodynamics,
hydrostatics, and other experimental
perspectives on the atmosphere, and the
impact changes in atmospheric changes have
on the broader environment

 Genetic/Evolutionary Science—Provides the
mechanisms of the dynamic interaction
between speciation, extinction, and the
adaptation (or failure to adapt) of life forms to
environmental niches
 Ecology or Environmental Science—is the
largest perspective on issues of ‘climate
change’ and land, air, and water degradation

 Anthropology--Provides long-term records of how
humans interact with their environments, but also
explores what people value and how they behave
 Economics—Provides the mechanisms for
understanding and evaluating strategies for both short
and long term sustainability
 Geography--use of natural resources, natural resources
assessment, global and regional changes of
environment and climate, social-economical
geography, ecological regional planning, sustainable
regional development, applied aspects of geography
and ecology, geoinformatics and ecological
cartography, ecological problems of oil and gas sector,
preservation of biodiversity, health and environment,
and education for sustainable development

 Social Psychology—Provides an analysis of
‘social cognition’ in an effort to understand and
overcome the gap between environmental
beliefs and actions
 Philosophy—Provides understanding of
cognitive dissonance concerning nature and
our relation to it and to ourselves

 “Integration…involves critically evaluating
disciplinary insights and locating their sources
of conflict, creating common ground among
them, and constructing a more comprehensive
understanding of the problem.” Repko (2014),
p.52
 The problem or problems at hand are, then, the
guiding thread for the interdisciplinary
approach. The problem confronted and its
urgency help us avoid wandering and the one
more book syndrome

 The chosen problem when approached in an
interdisciplinary manner comes into focus in all
its inherent complexity through ‘multiple
perspective taking’.
 Repko argues that the problem centered
approach has “… no systematic process for
choosing the best theories, methods, or
disciplines, or for placing disciplinary insights
in contest.” p.187

 Later in his Introduction to Interdisciplinary
Studies (2014), Repko proposes a ‘broad model
to Integration’. In this proposal, he proposes
the creation of “…common ground among
disciplinary insights on the basis of one or
more key assumptions, concepts, or theoretical
explanations, thereby melding conflicting
insights until the contribution of each becomes
inseparable.” Repko (2014) p.188.

 Environmental sustainability--Improvements
in the standard of living that do not cause long-term
damage to the environment that impact
future generations
 Economic sustainability--Development that
includes everyone, where everyone has the
right of economic improvement. The
development should be long-term and devoid
of corruption and burdening debt

 Social sustainability--Development that is
inclusive and ensures an improvement in the
standard of living for all. It should incorporate
everyone and ensure equal access to healthcare,
education, resources, etc. while respecting
individual cultures.

 Environmental sustainability is the rates of
renewable resource harvest, pollution creation,
and non-renewable resource depletion that can
be continued indefinitely. If they cannot be
continued indefinitely then they are not
sustainable.

Interdisciplinary research is a mode of research by
teams or individuals that integrates information,
data, techniques, tools, perspectives, concepts,
and/or theories from two or more disciplines or
bodies of specialized knowledge to advance
fundamental understanding or to solve problems
whose solutions are beyond the scope of a single
discipline or area of research practice.
--National Science Foundation

 “…problems whose solutions are beyond the
scope of a single discipline or area of research
practice.”
 Climate change is just such a problem “beyond
the scope of a single discipline”

Designed and implemented the curriculum to
provide an integrated experience to the students
in a semester by semester and, even daily and
weekly way. So, students might move from a
course in environmental economics down the hall
to a course in natural resource management, or
from an introductory course in Interdisciplinary
studies to a course in ‘evolution, ecology, and
climate change’. This was only possible in a
curriculum constructed from scratch.

 Team building within the faculty, team
teaching, mutual consultation and assistance
were employed to enhance the
interdisciplinary nature of the curriculum and
the experience of the students. We have met on
a regular basis for socializing and to share ‘best
practices’.
 Rather than drawing the courses from existing
programs around the campus, most of the
sustainability courses were designed from the
start as interdisciplinary.

 Rather than creating a biology ‘lite’, or a program
in ‘green washing’ we chose a middle ground. The
environmental science will be extensive but
focused on the problem set surrounding
sustainability, and on the needs of our students in
their likely ‘green’ careers
 Our students will develop skills in advocacy,
conflict resolution, multiple stake holder
management, and community engagement
 As well, they will be exposed to the skills in GIS,
‘green’ accounting, and other sustainability
management technologies and techniques

 At Fairleigh Dickinson University, Petrocelli
College, our research has determined that our
students once graduated from the
Interdisciplinary sustainability program
would be working in the space between
community groups, public, and private
institutions.
 The curriculum for this reason includes such
studies as conflict resolution, public speaking,
and multiple stakeholder, public-private
management

Disciplinary and collegial territoriality
This has been the biggest obstacle. Departments
and colleges do not want to give up their territory
or there students to anyone, for any reason.
Anything new, let alone the object of political
disagreement is suspect, and the more deeply into
disciplinary research departments and
individuals are, the more threatened they feel
about some thing ‘new’.

Previously existing sustainability courses and
programs. Fairleigh Dickinson has several
sustainability programs with few if any students
and no interdisciplinary focus. Why do we need
anything new? I found very few individuals who
were not in agreement with the need for a
functioning sustainability ‘concentration’ and, as
few who were willing to commit the time to
getting our program off the ground.

Climate Change skeptics—political
disagreements. There are few at the University,
but they are in positions of authority with
effective veto power. Some faculty members are
contrarians, relishing debate, but holding up the
development and implementation of our
program.

Financial disincentives—promotion and tenure
decisions. Interdisciplinary programs do not fill
the image of ‘peer reviewed’, professional outlet
for professional productivity. Our instructors are
mostly adjuncts, with little commitment to the
institution. It is difficult to ask for the kind of
extra effort that a genuinely interdisciplinary
program needs.

 Cynicism and passive acceptance. Colleagues
have thrown up their hands about the
situation. Environmental groups selling out to
fossil fuel companies. (Klein, 2014)
 Missed deadlines and politicians caving in to
corporate donors and media ‘balance’ lead to
frustration and detachment

 First courses offered this semester. Courses chosen
for their potential to attract students from outside
Interdisciplinary Studies. Introduction to
Sustainability and Environmental Law
 Changes in the curriculum of our well populated
concentrations put students into the first courses
and will do so, again, in January
 Success or failure of the program going forward,
then, depends on recruitment of new majors
internally, and at the high school and community
college level

 Introduction to Sustainability
 Environmental Law
 Introduction to Environmental Science with lab
 GIS—Geomapping
 Environmental Policy, Public—Private
Cooperation

 Environmental Economics
 Ecological Economics
 Natural Resources
 Sustainability Operations and the Supply
Chain
 Sustainability Metrics and Reporting
 Sustainability and the Urban Community
 Introduction to Environmental Planning
 Sustainability Leadership and Change

 World Food, Water, Population, and Health
 Social Entrepreneurs, Innovators, and Problem
Solvers
 Public Relations
 Professional Communications