Communication Studies, Interdisciplinarity Debates, and the Quest for Knowledge

Abstract

This article focuses on interdisciplinarity as a “future field” and what it means for the communication discipline. It argues that, whereas interdisciplinarity has the potential to produce “high-risk, high-reward” research outcomes, communication studies has more to gain refining the vast body of knowledge that has shaped its conceptual and institutional particularities across time and space. Whereas this argument is not anything new, I contribute to these debates by emphasizing anthropological questioning, epistemological formulations, ethical reasoning, and the quest for meaning as potential modalities of consolidating the epistemic and political views that have guided the intellectual impetus of communication studies. The proposed refinement is predicated on the assumption that communication studies is already a boundary-crossing discipline; the very reason it arguably lacks coherent historical roots and scientific rationality. The article contributes to the debates on how to operationalize communication studies as a scientific domain without losing its unique boundary-crossing appeal.

Untitled

“…The Bauhaus period (1919 to 1933), however saw a shift of focus from skill attainment to learning how to design, while working on design works with conceptual frameworks [31]. Studio-based Learning (SBL) agrees with transformative learning theories such as Experiential Learning [32] and Symbolic Interactionism [33]. SBL learners practice analysis, integration and critique sessions with peers and facilitators to produce new knowledge advancing beyond the lecturers or teachers' level.…”