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The promise of interdisciplinary education: A case study of regional planning at Western State College
Abstract
This case study was undertaken to determine if the mission of the Regional Planning Program at Western State College is being fulfilled. The mission states that the Regional Planning Program should offer interdisciplinary, or integrated, education. The problem is the course work in the Regional Planning Program has become very specialized, creating fragmented education. The research methods, including historical review and in-depth interviews, indicate several findings that support the recommendation for a reorganization of the curriculum at Western State to implement interdisciplinary study. First, an historical analysis of the transformation of the college mission during the early 1900s reveals two major themes. One theme is the need for change in the academic programs to include practical applications. The justification for the creation of the Regional Planning Program at Western was based on the pragmatic aspects of the program. The other theme is the need for integrated education, or education that incorporates the theoretical with practical applications from several related disciplines, to solve problems. The historical review of the Regional Planning Program shows that integrated education is not being offered. Second, a review of the literature on interdisciplinary teaching, or cross-principles teaching, was conducted to determine how interdisciplinary programs are structured and how the Regional Planning Program at Western State compares to these programs. It was found that the interdisciplinary teaching techniques and curricular structure described in the literature are not part of the Regional Planning Program. Third, a series of in-depth, unstructured interviews were conducted with five professors. Two professors are members of the Regional Planning and Geography Department. The other three professors are members of the History, Biology, and Business/Economics Departments. It was found that these professors teach traditional, disciplinary courses. It was concluded from the case study that regional planning at Western State is not treated as an interdisciplinary field. Although the data indicate that the professors believe the Regional Planning Program should offer an integrated education, there have been few attempts to integrate course work. A reorganization to create an interdisciplinary approach at Western State is put forth in the conclusion.
Subject Area
Urban planning|Area planning & development|Curricula|Teaching|Education|Environmental science
Recommended Citation
Kelly, Stephanie Bronchuk, "The promise of interdisciplinary education: A case study of regional planning at Western State College" (1992). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9233080.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9233080