Fostering academic interdisciplinarity : Italy's pioneering experiment on sustainability education in schools and universities
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Date
Authors
Fioramonti, Lorenzo
Giordano, Claudia
Basile, Francesco Luca
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Frontiers Research Foundation
Abstract
The world needs a systemic transformation from a social, economic and environmental
point of view in order to deal with present and future challenges, which are crosscutting
in nature. Education and research can become powerful drivers for this radical change,
provided they can break free from narrow disciplinary approaches and cultivate the
interconnectedness of knowledge. With a view to repurposing teaching and research
toward an integrated approach, Italy has introduced a number of reforms, including a
mandatory module for all schools and an interdisciplinary course for universities, largely
modeled on the interdisciplinary concept of sustainability. Italy was the first country in the
world to do so and the news had resonance throughout the globe, indicating a thirst for
innovative methods in education and research. This article discusses the approach and
the obstacles faced, with the aim of encouraging debate over its structure and contents
and potentially replicating its implementation in other parts of the world.
Description
Keywords
Interdiscipinarity, Transdisciplinarity, Integration, Education, Schools, University, Sustainability
Sustainable Development Goals
Citation
Fioramonti, L., Giordano, C. & Basile, F.L. (2021) Fostering Academic
Interdisciplinarity: Italy’s Pioneering
Experiment on Sustainability
Education in Schools and Universities. Frontiers in Sustainability 2:631610.
DOI: 10.3389/frsus.2021.631610.