Reflections on Learning in Interdisciplinary Settings

In the present article, we will reflect on some didactic challenges and possibilities that emerge when teaching in interdisciplinary settings, and we will use and discuss the journey as a metaphor for learning. We argue that teaching in interdisciplinary studies rests on movements between different understandings, and that it gives ample opportunities for beneficial learning processes. This does not only apply to interdisciplinary studies. The metaphor of taking a journey can be used to illustrate the learning process and the dimension of personal change associated with moving between different understandings and discourses of knowledge. Some of the questions we will raise are: In what ways can differing disciplinary backgrounds be of help or create a hindrance? What are the specific didactic challenges one faces? What happens to one’s understanding of one’s own subject after having been confronted with something new and different?