UMass Boston

Course Overview

Description

Transdisciplinary research "transcends disciplinary borders and open[s] up totally new research pathways and prioritizes[s] the problem at the center of research over discipline-specific concerns" (Leavy 2011). This course provides a transdisciplinary, problem-centered spin on conventional research methods training. Through this course, students will develop advanced research skills in transdisciplinary methods and approaches, to understand transdisciplinarity as a research principle, and to examine in-depth the development and application of transdisciplinary research methods in the arts, humanities, and sciences. This course offers students hands-on experience in transdisciplinary research, which emphasis on developing methodological versatility across multiple levels of inquiry: 1) self/identity; 2) community/relationships; and 3) global/transnational. This course accompanies TRIP 2 in the second semester of the MA/PhD programs. The research approaches, data collection, and data analysis methods will synergize to the extent possible with topics and activities of TRIP 2. As such, the course content is meant to complement and support students' work on their community-centered projects.