Eyeless in Academe: An American View of Disciplinary Myopia

Abstract

The division of universities into academic departments has deleterious effects on the educational enterprise. Our external publics perceive universities to be in disarray, irrelevant to current problems and preoccupied with academic squabbling. Disciplinary elitism is dysfunctional, leading to academic bigotry and disrespect of honest intellectual striving. Yet many scholars see the increasing need for interdisciplinary programs, and some even see the departmental structure of universities melting away.“Real world” professionals see the need for the development of multidisciplinary education increasing as the complexity of our “real world” problems grows. We need to educate our students so they will be able to manage the complex innovation challenges of the future.