Issues in Interdisciplinary Studies Volume 15 (1997)
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Item Western and Contemporary Global Conceptions of Creativity in Relief Against Approaches from So-called "Traditional" Cultures(Association for Interdisciplinary Studies, 1997) Bailis, Stanley; Gottlieb, StephenFor the past few centuries, many in the West have defined their culture as "modern," "dynamic," and "creative," in opposition to other cultures which they have called "traditional," "backward," and of the 20th century, however, this distinction has revealed itself as misleading. This article attempts to determine what distinctions might legitimately be made about conceptions of creativity in so-called "traditional" It seeks to illuminate how creativity (as the West has commonly defined the term) is expressed in "traditional" cultures, and how some traditional activities might cause us to modify the commonItem Some Interdisciplinary Instructional Models Used in Primary Grades in Quebec(Association for Interdisciplinary Studies, 1997) Bailis, Stanley; Gottlieb, StephenThis article presents some interdisciplinary instructional models found in francophone literature on education. After a review of some basic distinctions between different types of interdisciplinary studies, a dozen instructional models are briefly presented and illustrated.Item In the Absence of a Paradigm: The Construction of Interdisciplinary Research(Association for Interdisciplinary Studies, 1997) Bailis, Stanley; Gottlieb, StephenItem Integrating in the Accusative: The Daily Papers of Interwar Hildesheim(Association for Interdisciplinary Studies, 1997) Bailis, Stanley; Gottlieb, StephenWhat are the benefits and drawbacks of using objects as sources for an integrative approach? This essay considers the example of the daily papers in interwar Hildesheim. One read the daily paper initially as a means to express the self, to create integration in the locality. and to negotiate reputation, patriotism, and neighborly concern. Yet daily papers in effect fetishized faceto- face neighborly relations, promoted a mass consumer regime, and helped transform a civil into a fascist society. What began as a form of everyday nonconformity against 'the system' helped create a more powerful form of hegemony and a more tragic system of destruction and terror. By exploring the life history of this everyday object, we gain insight into the dynamics at work in that past life world and into the relatedness and contradictions of things.Item Co-teaching Engineering and Writing: Learning about Programming, Teamwork, and Communication(Association for Interdisciplinary Studies, 1997) Bailis, Stanley; Gottlieb, StephenThis study describes the rationales, method, and outcomes of a software engineering course that was cotaught by professors from the disciplines of computer science and writing. The course emphasized both teamwork and communication skills as critical to success for career programmers. The rationales for the course included theory and research in both computer science and writing. Additional rationales were identified in differences between industry practice and prevailing computer science course designs, plus differences between industry practice and student assumptions about programming professionalism. The method of the course used an interdisciplinary process model grounded in Frederick P. Brooks' analysis of team programming practices. This model draws explicit links among teamwork, communication skills, and software engineering design practices. The outcomes of the course, reported by narration of representative learning experiences, included students' enhanced recognition of how technical writing and communication skills could improve programming performance. The authors recommend their interdisciplinary approach as a progressive course design for technology studies.