The Oxford Handbook of Interdisciplinarity

Interdisciplinarity is fast becoming as important outside academia as within. Academics, policy makers, and the general public seek methods and approaches to help organize and integrate the vast amounts of knowledge being produced, both within research and at all levels of education.

Taking stock of interdisciplinarity as it nears its century mark, The Oxford Handbook of Interdisciplinarity constitutes a major new reference work on a topic of growing academic and societal importance. The collection is distinguished by its breadth of coverage, with chapters written by leading experts from multiple networks and organizations. The volume is edited by respected interdisciplinary scholars and supported by a prestigious advisory board to ensure the highest quality and breadth of coverage.

The Oxford Handbook of Interdisciplinarity provides a synoptic overview of the current state of interdisciplinary research, education, administration and management, and problem solving-knowledge that spans the disciplines and interdisciplinary fields, and crosses the space between the academic community and society at large. Its 37 chapters and 15 case studies provide a snapshot of the state of knowledge integration.

Offering the most broad-based account of inter- and transdisciplinarity to date, its original essays bring together many of the globe's leading thinkers on interdisciplinary research, education, and the institutional aspects of interdisciplinarity, as well as reflections on how knowledge is integrated into societal needs.

Robert Frodeman is Professor of Philosophy in the Department of Philosophy and Religion Studies at the University of North Texas. He specializes in environmental philosophy, science policy, and questions concerning interdisciplinarity. Holder of advanced degrees in philosophy (a PhD, from Penn State) and geology (a masters from the University of Colorado), he has held positions at the University of Texas, the University of Tennessee, and the University of Colorado. He served as a consultant for the US Geological Survey for eight years, was the 2001-2002 Hennebach Professor of the Humanities at the Colorado School of Mines, and was an ESRC Fellow at Lancaster University in England in the spring of 2005. He is the author of 'Geo-Logic: Breaking Ground between Philosophy and the Earth Sciences' (2003), and co-editor of the 'Encyclopaedia of Environmental Ethics and Philosophy' (2008). He is founding Director of UNT's Center for the Study of Interdisciplinarity.

Julie Thompson Klein is Professor of Humanities at Wayne University and has been a Visiting Professor in Japan, Fulbright professor in Nepal, Distinguished Visitor at the University of Auckland/New Zealand, and Senior Fellow at the Association of American Colleges & Universities. Klein is an internationally recognized expert on interdisciplinarity and teaches interdisciplinary humanities, American cultural studies, and digital humanities. She received the Kenneth Boulding Award for outstanding scholarship on interdisciplinarity and the Ramamoorthy & Yeh Transdisciplinary Distinguished Achievement Award. She has lectured throughout North America, Europe, Latin America, and the South Pacific, served on national task forces, and advised public and private agencies. She has written and edited several books.

Carl Mitcham is Professor of Liberal Arts and International Studies and Director of the Hennebach Program in Humanities at the Colorado School of Mines. He is also a faculty member of the European Graduate School and has held visiting appointments in Spain and the Netherlands. His major publications include Thinking through Technology: The Path between Engineering and Philosophy (1994) and the four volume Encyclopedia of Science, Technology, and Ethics (2005).