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The challenge of an interdisciplinary curriculum: a cultural analysis of a doctoral-degree program in neuroscience

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Abstract

Drawing on data collected through 45 interviews with faculty, doctoral students, and administrators affiliated with an interdisciplinary neuroscience program, I examine the structure of the interdisciplinary graduate curriculum. The data presented here highlight the challenge of such programs. I review the purpose, organization, and content of the interdisciplinary curriculum, noting those challenges that arise. Not only do such programs require collaboration among faculty who traditionally has been highly invested in their individual discipline or department, but they also require an active, deliberate process to foster interdisciplinary integration and student learning.

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Correspondence to Karri Holley.

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Holley, K. The challenge of an interdisciplinary curriculum: a cultural analysis of a doctoral-degree program in neuroscience. High Educ 58, 241–255 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-008-9193-6

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