The Research On The Concept Of Interdisciplinarity And Practical Approaches To Cultivating The Talents

The strategic value of interdsciplinarity in leading the innovative development of science and technology has become increasingly evident,and the world's leading science and education powers are taking effective measures to facilitate the development of interdisciplinarity in order to enhance their capacity of scientific and technological innovation.Due to its academical and social value,interdisciplinarity has long been a focus in the arena of STS.This dissertation employs the comprehensive perspectives of philosophy,sociology and history in explaining the connotation of interdisciplinarity,and analyzing the major problems emerging in the development of interdisciplinarity in China.The relevant case studies are consequently complemented under the guidance of the theoretical research,serving as the reference for the solution to the problems.The research as documented in this dissertation consists of four parts:The first part begins with analysis of the concepts of science and discipline,and it proceeds to clarify the connotation of interdisciplinarity from "general theory of social systems"(GTSS)perspective with theoretical framework composed by system,environment,boundary,autopoiesis,functioning and communication.With the conceptual implications of interdisciplinarity revealed,its relationship with China's traditional academic culture and value idea is identified as well.Secondly,by sorting out the evolution of the institutionalization of modern science in China,this dissertation sums up the phased characteristics of abnormality,crisis and translocation of the Chinese learning paradigm with Western learning in terms of Kuhnian paradigm.After examing the social and cultural factors motivating this phased evolution,the chapter three categorizes the historical causes of the obstacles of sectarian bias in scientific concepts encountered in the development of interdisciplinarity in China.Finally,from the perspective of interaction between science and culture,the discussion on the relationship between the concept of"Botong" and interdisciplinarity in China is introduced.Thirdly,from the perspective of instructional programs in colleges and universities,chapter four is to explore the reasons why the development of China s interdisciplinarity lags behind in modern time,focusing on the problems including that college majors are too narrow and enclosed as well as that interdisciplinary category is absent from the directory of instructional programs over a long time.Then the paper summarizes the experience of interdisciplinary practice and instructional programs management overseas for reference,aiming at solving those problems.Fourth,chapter five concludes that the development of interdisciplinarity is inseparable from talents cultivation.Arizona State University(ASU)of the USA is chosen as a case to study,focusing on the problem that is confronted by China's interdisciplinarity in the process of development.The key point is to briefly present the measures that ASU takes to facilitate its interdisciplinarity and interdisciplinary graduate education.To analyze the organizational mechanism on which the "New degrees" depend,the "Trading zone" theory and virtual organization theory are adopted in the study which is designed to optimize the mechanism for the improvement of interdisciplinarity in China.The results of this research mainly include the following aspects:first of all,the revealing of the connotation in epistemology of interdisciplinarity;secondly,the discussion of the connection between interdisciplinarity and "Botcom" concept;thirdly,the influence of the paradigm shift of Chinese learning and Western learning on the concept of disciplines of China;fourth,the analysis of the dilemma of interdisciplinary development,and finally the case study of interdisciplinary talents cultivation practice.