I will be quite frank with you, I did not enjoy the process of writing the abstract or proposal at all; not, however, because of my group, we get along just fine, but because of how false and hollow this whole endeavor feels. Calling what we are doing interdisciplinary or research just feels like a misnomer, what it feels as if we are doing is writing four papers on a subject broad enough that we could all find something to write on and yet still narrow enough that our papers are vaguely connected. This feeling is only further compounded by the fact that I am nowhere near capable enough to apply the types of math that interest me to any sort of other discipline and so I have to resort to doing things like statistical analysis instead. When I compare how I feel about the work our research and writing families are doing and the work my department research group is doing the only word for it is hollow, the abstract and proposal on swine housing my group wrote feels hollow and as a result I feel completely unengaged in the project. I think that at the core of it the problems is simple we are too immature in our respective disciplines to truly bring our two subjects, mathematics and animal science, together in any meaningful way; the result being a process which feels more akin to a term paper for an undergraduate course in a subject you don't particularly care for as opposed to a collaboration of disciplines.
Before you get the impression that I only have negative feelings toward the process, let me say that it has been a learning experience in its own way. After all if it take you a hundred tries to make a lightbulb you never failed you just found ninety-nine ways not to make a lightbulb and you learn things along the way. I have no doubt that while the process may not produce the desired result there will still be something to learn in my group, even if it is just one way not to do interdisciplinary work; maybe we will even learn something about how to along the way.
This is a space where UIUC SPI participants in the Summer 2013 Research Methods and Writing Seminar engage each other as researchers, intellectuals and members of a cross disciplinary knowledge producing community.
I feel you, it does feel forced and honestly it is not what I was expecting. As to your comment that "we are too immature in our respective disciplines," I was expecting to come in and get a head start and on my own discipline. Also having us read a bunch of writings about how DIFFICULT it is to do interdisciplinary work is probably not the best way to build confidence in people who are just starting to do interdisciplinary. I'm just saying though...
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the honesty on this thread. Please come to office hours so we can discuss ways of making this work more meaningful to you - it is possible. Also, if the readings on challenges are making you feel less confident I am sorry. My intention is for you to read about what the challenges are in doing this kind of work (which by know you seem to be getting an awareness of!) and work through those challenges by learning how others have processed the same challenges. Please do visit office hours or make an appointment however, with any of the three of us.
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