Navigating the Transdisciplinary Intersections of Engineering and the Arts With "Border Epistemologies"

• In Event: 28.090 - MTCC Roundtable Session Nine
  In Roundtable Session: 28.090-5 - Career Trajectories in the Professions

Abstract

This project explores the epistemologies of undergraduate students at transdisciplinary intersections of engineering and the arts. Specifically, we ask: what kinds of knowledge do students value/use/identify with in the context of an interdisciplinary arts, media, and engineering program? Using thematic analysis, this pilot project analyzes one-hour-long interviews of six students taking courses in an arts, media, and engineering program at a large southwestern university. Students tend to classify knowledge positivistically, constructivistically, and pragmatically, often in competing ways. Students develop what we term “border epistemologies,” which help them to navigate difficult problem-solving activities. We conclude that special consideration is needed when teaching students at disciplinary borders.

Authors

• Joshua M Cruz, Texas Tech University

• Suren Jayasuriya, Arizona State University

• Nadia Kellam, Arizona State University