Organizational and social challenges in the implementation of interdisciplinary postgraduate curricula

Mackey, Eileen

Organizational and social challenges in the implementation of interdisciplinary postgraduate curricula

Master Thesis

2005

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

School of Education

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Abstract

The institutionalization of interdisciplinary programmes is one way in which attempts are made to deepen the socially responsive nature of South African higher education. In this minor dissertation, two postgraduate interdisciplinary programmes that appear to be socially responsive in nature are examined to better understand the challenges of implementation that such programmes face. The aim is to gain insight into the ways in which these challenges may stem from the inherent difficulty of cross-disciplinary work, and to understand ways in which the institutional context works to support or inhibit such initiatives. The formal method of research is the case study; two case studies are made for comparative purposes. The data collected for this study suggests that both cases experienced some difficulty as a result of the social and epistemological differences which often arise when individuals from varying disciplines are brought together.

Keywords

Education

Reference:

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Masters

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