DOWNLOAD ~ Interdisciplinarity and Wholeness: Lessons from Eco-Research on the Hamilton Harbour Ecosystem. " by Environments ~ eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free

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Title: Interdisciplinarity and Wholeness: Lessons from Eco-Research on the Hamilton Harbour Ecosystem.
Author : Environments
Release Date : January 01, 1996
Genre: Art & Architecture,Books,Arts & Entertainment,
Pages : * pages
Size : 212 KB

Description

That the academic world accepts the need of in-depth, non-sectoral approaches to the study of the environment, appears to be a given. Witness the Tri-Council program of awards to universities across Canada, explicitly dedicated to the funding of interdisciplinary studies of large-scale ecosystems. (1) As part of Canada's Green Plan, over $30 million has been provided over six years, to support research grants, university faculty chairs and doctoral fellowships. The principal aim of the awards is "to strengthen Canadian research and training focusing on environmental issues, with particular emphasis on developing greater understanding of critical interactions between humans and the environment and of how these interactions may best be managed." (2) As research is still underway, it may still be too soon to seek any conclusive evaluation of the program's success. Nevertheless, it might be opportune to raise some philosophical questions about the nature of interdisciplinarity per se and about some of the problems which have emerged in the collective attempt to achieve a holistic approach to the study of a complex ecosystem. This paper seeks to clarify some aspects of terminology in discussions of interdisciplinarity. It shows how different terms may imply distinct taken-for-granted value assumptions, leading to possible conflicts regarding methodology and the goals of interdisciplinary research projects. Acknowledging these different expectations, the paper considers the problems and opportunities of providing an integrative, holistic synthesis of the multifarious perspectives which emerge in interdisciplinary settings. Finally, an example is offered of an integrative framework developed for the "Ecowise" project, based at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario and funded through the Tri-Council program, where over 30 investigators are collaborating on a three-year study of the sustainability of the Hamilton Harbour Ecosystem. (3)

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