Page 41 - Interdisciplinary Studies 11-12 (2002)

INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES, GRADE 12, OPEN (IDC4O/IDP4O) 39
Theory and Foundation
Overall Expectations
By the end of this course, students will:
• demonstrate an understanding of the key ideas and issues related to each of the subjects or disciplines studied;
• demonstrate an understanding of the different structures and organization of each of the subjects or disciplines studied;
• demonstrate an understanding of the different perspectives and approaches used in each of the subjects or disciplines studied;
• demonstrate the skills and strategies used to develop interdisciplinary products and activities.
Specific Expectations
Ideas and Issues
By the end of this course, students will:
– critically analyse the major concepts and ideas held by pre-eminent theorists and researchers in each of the subjects or disciplines studied and describe their con- temporary application (e.g., for an interdis- ciplinary studies course on education and society: Plato’s use of the Socratic method, Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s notion of progres- sive education, John Dewey’s concept of learning by doing, and the educational role of elders within Aboriginal communities);
– describe and critically analyse the ways in which each of the related subjects or disci- plines studied contributes to the finding of practical solutions to key contemporary issues and themes in the interdisciplinary course (e.g., a course on arts administration might include a cost analysis of a dramatic production, the implementation of inven- tory control of drama company assets, and the presentation of suggested marketing strategies for a new production; a course in studies in education might investigate the emphasis on particular learning styles in a variety of education systems in differ- ent cultures);
– analyse significant changes from the past in the role of information and communica- tion in contemporary society and describe
ways in which practitioners in each of the subjects or disciplines studied meet infor- mation challenges (e.g., creating new dis- ciplines or fields of study, developing new networks for learning and sharing infor- mation, harnessing new technologies to solve problems);
– identify the principles, practices, and sys- tems regarding the safe, ethical, and legal use of information technologies (e.g., in terms of ergonomics, personal privacy, and computer security) and describe the consequences of their appropriate and inappropriate use for each of the subjects or disciplines studied.
Structures and Organization
By the end of this course, students will:
– analyse and describe the strengths and limitations of the ways in which knowl- edge is classified within each of the sub- jects or disciplines studied (e.g.,“In what ways does the classification of knowledge vary in different cultures and at different time periods?”,“How do classification systems affect the knowledge we obtain, expect, or accept?”,“How does interdisci- plinary endeavour clarify or question classifications of knowledge?”);