Crossing Boundaries: Developing Interdisciplinary Postgraduate Training across the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Dr Robin HumphreyDirector of the Postgraduate Research Training

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Newcastle University, UK

Interdisciplinarity at the ESRC: A current example Interdisciplinary early career research fellowship

scheme. The aims of the scheme are to:

Foster the development of interdisciplinary research capacity in selected priority areas for cross-Research Council research

Fund high quality, independent, relevant, innovative, interdisciplinary research cutting substantially across the remits of the ESRC and at least one other Research Council which will complement, and contribute to, one of the three major cross-Council research programmes

Interdisciplinarity at the AHRC: A current example Interdisciplinary Research Networks and Workshops

The Interdisciplinary Research Networks and Workshops scheme is designed to encourage and enable the discussion and development of ideas by researchers either through establishing new research networks or by running a series of workshops, seminars or similar events.

Postgraduate Research Training at Faculty Level, Newcastle University, UK Training Programme for Research

Postgraduates (PhD and MPhil students)

Modules for 1+3 Research Masters and IPhD (New Route) Programmes

Research Training Module for Taught Masters Programmes in Arts and Humanities

External Pressure 1: Heightened emphasis on research training by ESRC ESRC

Extensive training guidelines published since 1996 Only outlets who demonstrate extensive generic and

discipline specific training to receive recognition Prescriptive: All students have to receive wide range

of training 1+3 Doctoral Scheme (2001) and Quotas (2005)

(currently under review)

Newcastle Response

Multi-disciplinary social science training programme established (1996)http://www.ncl.ac.uk/hss/postgrad/training/

Pragmatic rationale Economies of scale Generic training deepened at disciplinary level

Intellectual rationale/promise Multi-disciplinary Programme Leading to Interdisciplinary awareness

Postgraduate Research Training Programme: Module summary

Year 1

Managing a PhD Information Skills Nature of Explanation and Enquiry Introduction to Qualitative Methods Introduction to Quantitative Methods Multi-disciplinary conference (oral

presentations)

The Nature of Explanation and Enquiry The Philosophical Foundations of Knowledge

Science and Pseudo-science (Politics)

Laws, Prediction and Explanation (Politics) Scientific Knowledge as a Social Construct

(Politics) Interpretation, Meaning and Relativism

(Geography) Objectivity, Hermeneutics and Reflexivity

(Sociology) Post-structuralism and Post-modernism (Politics)

Contemporary Debates Actor Network Theory

(Business School) Critical Realism

(Sociology) Feminist and Queer Theory

(Sociology) Post-Colonial Theory

(English Literature)

Internal Reorganisation: Radical Restructuring (2003)

9 Faculties to 3 New Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences established

31 Departments to 9 Schools Architecture, Planning and Landscape Arts and Cultures Business School Education, Communication and Language Sciences English Literature, Language and Linguistics Geography, Politics and Sociology Historical Studies Law School Modern Languages

Internal Reorganisation: Radical Restructuring (2003)

Rationale for Restructuring Rationalisation and streamlining of Management Promoting Interdisciplinarity

Amalgamation of Arts and Humanities and Social Science training programmes for PhD students

External Pressure 2: Heightened emphasis on research training by AHRC AHRC

At time of restructuring, training plan and open competition

Going down similar route to ESRC, although less prescriptive

Now, Block Grant Partnership Scheme

Qualitative Methodology in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Generic session: Philosophical roots and epistemological

frameworks (Anthropology and Sociology)

Social Science Option 1: Interviewing approaches Interviewing the less powerful (Education)Interviewing elites (Politics)Sensitive interviewing (Geography, Education)Biographical Methods (Sociology)Focus Groups (Sociology)

Social Science Option 2: Ethnography, Case Studies and Institutional Approaches Ethnographic traditions (Anthropology) Institutional Approaches (Planning, Politics) Case study approaches (Planning)

Qualitative Methodology in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Arts and Humanities Option 1: Museum, Galleries, Heritage and

Archives

Researching Museums (Cultural and Heritage Studies) Researching Galleries (Cultural and Heritage Studies)

A Guide to Using Archives (Historical Studies) Researching Heritage (Cultural and Heritage Studies)

Qualitative Methodology in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Arts and Humanities option 2: Texts, Images and Sounds

Word and Interpretation (English Literature and Linguistics)Text and Image (English Literature and Modern Languages)

Interrelationships Between Artistic Practices (Arts and Cultures) Performance, Audience and Reception (Modern Languages)

Image and Sound (Modern Languages)

Generic sessions: Analysing and Writing-up Qualitative Data (Sociology) Integrating different Data Sources (Education)

Other significant developments 2004: Roberts Skills Development Agenda

Joint Research Council Skills development agenda published Enhance employability £800 for each research council-funded student

In HASS, Joint Research Council agenda incorporated into already developed research training programme

Regional Collaboration, originally with Northumbria but now with all 5 North East Universities (Regional collaboration group) Writing across Boundaries: Explorations in Representations,

Rhetoric and Writing in Qualitative Research (ESRC Research Development Initiative Project)

Conclusion

Interdisciplinary postgraduate research training a laudable and largely obtainable aim.

Traditional academic boundaries need to be crossed.

Conditions for fostering Interdisciplinarity: External pressures Institutional arrangements: Disciplinary; Bureaucratic Champion