Introduction Cognitive science is a relatively young field. Its beginnings are typically dated in the 1950s, and it did not become a large-scale activity (with a society, meetings, and degree programs) until the late 1970s or early 1980s. As in most young fields, one of the salient features of cognitive science is its interdisciplinarity. All definitions of cognitive science make important ment...

“Interdisciplinarity” is now a buzzword for more than 40 years since Erich Jantsch coined the term for a broader audience, together with “transdisciplinarity” (Jantsch 1970; see also Apostel et al. 1972). The exact meaning of these and related terms seems to be still in flux. However, as Britt Holbrook explains in the first contribution to this special issue, we can observe a convergence in the...

This paper highlights the importance of interdisciplinarity for innovation and change in the work of Universal Design in housing. It puts particular emphasis on a grant provided by the Norwegian State Housing Bank (NSHB).

Business education faces shortcomings that can be mitigated through the broad perspective of interdisciplinarity, fulfilling a call for greater orientation toward Education Sustainable Development (ESD). Despite relevance and urgency, current frameworks cannot embed context-related problems into their design, increasing detachment wicked management education, falling short goal-oriented preroga...

This paper examines the recommendations contained in Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) aimed at encouraging the integration of knowledge, skills and understanding across different areas of the curriculum. It first outlines what is said in the official CfE documentation and supporting materials produced by Education Scotland, noting the absence of references to earlier work on curriculum integrati...

This paper suggests that there is a need for innovative approaches in the complex field of housing and health. It suggests that current shortcomings in academic research and professional practice are mainly the result of a narrow vision that does not address the fundamental issues at stake. In contrast to traditional disciplinary approaches which are sectoral, interdisciplinarity offers a broad...

In this paper, we target the problem, which has been much debated not only in the field of natural sciences, but across the whole comprehensive school curriculum – interdisciplinarity and interdisciplinary teaching. We first render an overview of some fundamental issues concerning the definition of interdisciplinarity and interdisciplinary teaching. We also consider its virtues and deficiencies...