Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies

Gunilla Öberg, Professor and Director of the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability at the University of British Columbia, is a scholar recognized for her groundbreaking research on chlorine biogeochemistry, her work on interdisciplinary research and higher education, as well as for her leadership of interdisciplinary environmental programs.

• Foreword x Preface xiChapter 1: Introduction 1Challenges and opportunities 3On quality 4Background 5A note on terminology 7Notes 9Chapter 2: Beyond CP Snow 11Quantitative and qualitative studies 12Improved understanding and quality 13Drawing on commonalities 14Context dependence and quantifi cation 18Interpretation and context 21Notes 23Chapter 3: Questioning to learn and learning to question 24Part I: Interdisciplinary expectations (Questions 1 to 3) 25Part II: Transacademic aspirations (Questions 4 and 5) 26Part III: Academic rigour (Questions 6 to 10) 27Notes 29Chapter 4: Why do you conduct interdisciplinary work? 30Where do you position yourself on the refl ection scale? (Question 1) 30To what end are you using knowledge from different disciplines? (Question 2) 37What makes your work interdisciplinary? (Question 3) 42Notes 46Chapter 5: Why do you interact with society? 48Academic knowledge and decision-making 48Who participates in which part of the study and how? (Question 4) 51Why do you interact with society? (Question 5) 56A word of warning: Don’t be snobbish 58Notes 59Chapter 6: Rigorous but not rigid 61On quality assessment 63Confusing form and credibility – an example 64Communication 67Notes 73Chapter 7: Marking your playground 74Framing 75Aim 79Operationalizing the aim 82Confusing interdisciplinarity with "Everything" 84Notes 85Chapter 8: Evidence that holds for scrutiny 86How or why? 87Common procedures 90Mixing various types of empirical evidence 100Notes 100Chapter 9: Anchoring your canoe 101Clarifying your sources 102Anchoring your frame 103Anchoring your method 106Notes 110Chapter 10: Analysis 111Defi ning “analysis” 112Clarifying the own, the new 115Relevant literature – your canon 116Common knowledge 119Original research 119Textbooks 122The style of recognized scholars 124Passive and active voice 126Notes 129Contents ixChapter 11: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder 131Headings 132Where do I place the refl ections? 135Where do I describe the context? 136References 137Notes 141Chapter 12: Being interdisciplinary 142Creating an open and respectful climate 143Hierarchies that impair 144Humbleness and courage 147Outstanding studies 148Dialogue, feedback and how to manage supervisors 149Notes 150References 152Primary sources 152Secondary sources 154Index 158

“Although it does not reveal a prescriptive path for interdisciplinary work, for our group, this volume served as a valuable catalyst for thinking about interdisciplinary research. We look forward to future conversations that build on Öberg’s examples of how to navigate problem-oriented, interdisciplinary research.”  (The Quarterly Review of Biology, 1 September 2012)