Week One - Definitions of Module Related Words

So for our first task, I was required to do research on the definitions of the given terms in class.

The terms and their respective definitions are as follows;

1) Cross-disciplinary

This discipline refers to information that explains aspects of one related discipline in terms of another discipline. In other words, it describes any method, project and research activity that examines a certain subject outside the extent of its own discipline without any sort of reference or integration from other relevant disciplines. Most widespread examples of cross-disciplinary advances are the studies of the physics of music or the politics of literature.

2) Inter-disciplinary

This discipline refers to new knowledge extensions that exist between or beyond existing academic disciplines or professions. Other than that, inter-disciplinarity also occupies the merging of two or more academic fields into one single discipline. Basically, inter-disciplinarity is involved where the subject is felt to have been disregarded or misrepresented in the traditional disciplinary structure. Common examples of these subjects are women’s studies, global warming and the epidemiology of AIDS which require the understanding of varied disciplines to solve their respective difficulties.

3) Trans-disciplinary

This subject refers to relating to or involving more than one discipline. In other words, it applies to research efforts that focus on problems that cross the limits of two or more disciplines to produce a holistic approach.

4) Qualitative Research

This research is used in many different academic disciplines, usually in social sciences. Furthermore, this type of study is a gathering of an in-depth perceptive of human behavior and the explanations that govern such behavior. The method of carrying out a qualitative research is through data collection, data analysis, paradigmatic differences and validation.

5) Ethnographic Research

This type of research is the study of people in their own respective environment through the use of a few methods. Traditional examples of data collections are often participant observation, interviews sessions, etc. This research usually involves a detailed account of a community or society to get a better understanding of the people being studied.

My references:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disciplinary
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossdisciplinarity
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interdisciplinarity
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/transdisciplinary
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transdisciplinarity
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qualitative_research
http://www.nps.gov/ethnography/aah/aaheritage/ERCb.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnography