Growing an Interdiscplinary Hybrid: The Case of Acoustic Ecology

Authors

  • Marcia Jenneth Epstein University of Calgary

Abstract

The author presents a case for the theoretical development of interdisciplinarity to include inherently interdisciplinary fields of study, or "interdisciplines." These are primarily emerging fields for which there is no single "home base" in an academic discipline. As an example of such a field, the emerging science of Acoustic Ecology - the study of sound and its effects on health, cognition, culture, and the environment -- is analyzed according to a variety of methodological parameters. A case is then presented for the necessity and utility of collaborative work between the sciences and humanities in such interdisciplinary fields.

Author Biography

Marcia Jenneth Epstein, University of Calgary

Marcia Jenneth Epstein epstein@ucalgary.ca is a cultural historian, musicologist, and musician with the Faculty of Communication and Culture at the University of Calgary. As a researcher and instructor in the emerging field of Acoustic Ecology, she also holds adjunct appointments with the faculties of Environmental Design and Nursing.

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Issue

Vol. 3 No. 1 (2003): History of Intellectual Culture

Section

Articles