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By Root 430 0

traditional organization of the faculty into three divisions—natural sciences, social sciences and arts and humanities—by the formal institution of a fourth division called “Emerging Zones.” This new division would differ from other divisions in significant ways, promoting collaboration among faculty members and students who work in traditional departments and disciplines. These new zones of inquiry would be organized around problems and themes that lend themselves to interdisciplinary investigation. They would be designed to maximize the openness and flexibility necessary to adjust to the constantly expanding and evolving intellectual landscape. Whenever possible, these Emerging Zones of inquiry should focus on questions and problems that have practical relevance and prepare students to become responsible citizens who are capable of pursuing creative and productive careers. Bringing together people with different expertise who usually do not collaborate creates new possibilities for innovation. While novel insights and discoveries cannot, of course, be planned or programmed, they often occur through what some scientists aptly describe as “promiscuous combinations.” The challenge in redesigning departments and disciplines is to establish areas of investigation that facilitate productive cross-fertilizations. This new structure would also have the advantage of providing institutional support for graduate students and young faculty members who are often discouraged by their mentors and senior colleagues from taking risks by exploring emerging areas of investigation and instead encouraged to stick to traditional subfields and methods of research.

Many colleges and universities already have what they describe as interdisciplinary programs and, paradoxically, even departments. In most cases, however, these initiatives are counterproductive because they further fragment research and the curriculum. Consider, for example, East Asian Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, American Studies, African American Studies, Gay and Lesbian Studies, Science Studies, Jewish Studies, Buddhist Studies and Christian Studies. While claiming to differ from traditional approaches, these programs are often politically motivated and quickly become as isolated, divisive and ossified as the departments they are designed to replace, rather than opening lines across disciplinary boundaries and encouraging constant change.

On a formal level, the Emerging Zones program would be university- or college-wide, and all faculty members as well as undergraduate and graduate students would be required to participate. In addition to completing a major or concentrating in a specialized field, students would have to do significant work in at least one Emerging Zone. Faculty members’ contributions to these programs would play an important role in hiring, renewal and promotion decisions.

One of the obstacles to change in higher education is the fact that once departments and programs are instituted, they become permanent. I cannot recall a single time when faculty members voted to close a department. The harsh reality is that unless institutions have unlimited resources, new programs cannot be introduced without closing some departments and eliminating some programs. As I will explain in the next chapter, the problem of inflexibility is exacerbated by the policy of tenure. In order to prevent this from occurring, all programs in Emerging Zones should be approved for no longer than seven years, at the end of which they would be evaluated and discontinued, renewed or folded into other programs. The decision about the fate of a particular zone would be made by a committee that includes faculty, administrators, graduate students and undergraduates from participating departments as well as selected representatives from related departments and programs across the university.

To further enrich interdisciplinary and cross-cultural exchange, it is also important to sponsor programs like intradepartmental faculty and student seminars as well as interinstitutional conferences that