Integrating disciplines in an undergraduate curriculum

Abstract

Given the cross-disciplinary nature of natural resource management, integrating fields of knowledge in natural resource curricula has become an important challenge for universities. We developed three models for integrating ecological and social science courses. The models varied in the degree to which they achieved integration in process, disciplinary content, methods of analysis, and relationship of integration to disciplinary distinctions. They were implemented sequentially, and course structure, pedagogy, and content were altered to emphasize particular aspects of integration and respond to students' comments and administrative concerns.