Undergraduate Course: Reflections on Interdisciplinary Practice 1: Foundations (EFIE07003)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh Futures Institute |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 7 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | *Programme Core Course: Interdisciplinary Futures (MA)*
Please Note:
This course is only available to students enrolled on the Edinburgh Futures Institute's undergraduate programme Interdisciplinary Futures (MA) degree.
In this course you will discover approaches for reflecting on and growing in your interdisciplinary practice. You will do this by sharing and collaborating with peers to increase your insights as an interdisciplinary practitioner, while building confidence in taking ownership for your learning and interdisciplinary practice.
Topics will include frameworks and models for reflection, personal and collective goalsetting, wellbeing, and different ways in which knowledge and knowledge creation are approached across academic fields. |
| Course description |
Interdisciplinary learning is key to the MA (Hons) in Interdisciplinary Futures, with this course helping you link the discrete programme components to make sense of it as a whole. The course's primary function is to provide you with the theories, tools and methods to integrate and consolidate your learning and development from across the programme, linking it to your own goals for your studies and beyond.
The course supports you in your academic and personal growth by giving you the space and tools to reflect on your learning and development from across the degree and beyond. It encourages you to synthesise the discrete components of the programme and to share your reflections with your peers, in order to develop your skills and deepen your insights as an interdisciplinary practitioner.
The main focus of 'Reflections on Interdisciplinary Practice: Foundations' is on transitions into university. You will learn about the foundations of study at university level, and how this may differ from prior study. This will include the fundamentals of critical thinking, sourcing data and effectively working with evidence to construct an argument. You will learn how to effectively use the library and other sources of information (e.g. databases, online resources) and how to evaluate these critically. You will be introduced to different methods and frameworks for reflection, and frameworks for setting goals and evaluating progress against these goals. You will learn about team working and collaboration, including team dynamics and how to look after yourself and others in diverse contexts - learning which can subsequently be applied to work elsewhere in the programme. Throughout all this, you will build some key skills that are needed by any interdisciplinary practitioner.
In the lecture series that is part of this course, you will learn about complex questions to do with our overarching theme for the year (inequality, sustainability, conflict or global health). You will hear from researchers in those fields, and you will be able to see what their and other peoples' interdisciplinary practice looks like.
All this will lead to a critical understanding of how different personal and discipline-based perceptions, biases, and ways of looking at the world shape our thinking and behaviour, and will support you in skilfully harnessing this understanding to successfully engage with global challenges.
Student Learning Experience:
This course consists of two parts: firstly, a series of lectures with some panel discussions or practical demonstrations thrown in as well. In these lectures, all students from the programme, across all year groups, come together. And secondly, weekly two-hour interactive seminars, or workshops, that will contain a mix of activities including presentations, practical exercises and activities with peers as well as time and space for writing and individual reflections. You will learn alongside your peers from your own year group in these sessions. They are structured around a series of separate thematic blocks linked to the Interdisciplinary Practitioner's sources and resources, the lecture series and 'Life Design', each offering its own, specific approach to supporting you in becoming an interdisciplinary practitioner.
All timetabled classes - both lectures and seminars/workshops - will take place in person. The attendance at the classes is compulsory. There may be some recorded content or slides that can be shared after the sessions, but key learning experiences will be offered in class only, and all students are expected to attend all sessions.
Throughout the year, you will be encouraged to apply the knowledge and skills gained in this course to other parts of the degree programme, through a cycle of learning where you are introduced to foundations of a topic, observe, and then reflect on other programme components through this lens. Reflections and insights will be shared with peers on the course, leading to a deeper understanding of the theories and frameworks. You will be aided in your progress by staff who you will meet individually or in groups at key stages throughout the year to discuss your personal goals, and to help assess your progress.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Please note this course is only available for students on Interdisciplinary Futures (MA) programme.
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Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2026/27, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Full Year |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 66,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
130 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
The course is assessed on a pass/fail basis. This means that no numerical marks will be given.
1) Reflective Outputs (pass/fail)
Students will be required to complete 2 summative outputs, one each towards the end of each semester and equivalent to up to 1500 words each
In addition, students are required to submit a series of (formative) reflective submissions detailing the exploration of Knowledge Creation and accompanying Personal Growth, how their learning integrates across these, and across the programme as a whole, incorporating relevant evidence as appropriate (see below).
2) Evidence Portfolio (Pass/Fail)
Students are also required to submit a portfolio of work evidencing the activities and application from across this course and other courses, linked to the reflective submissions, with relevant evidence also expected to demonstrate the course Learning Outcomes. |
| Feedback |
Feedback will be given on the reflective outputs (including one half-way through the course). Students will also receive feedback - both from staff and their peers - on the formative outputs.
In addition to this feedback linked to specific components of assessment, students will also receive feedback on their ideas and their formative work during workshop sessions and discussions (formal and informal).
A key element of the course is individual goal setting: students will learn about different frameworks for this and also learn how to apply such frameworks to the setting and evaluation of their own individual goals. Feedback on these goals (and the reflection on them) will be given at least twice each year. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate an awareness and understanding of the dynamic nature of knowledge creation and how this is embedded in key theories and principles of interdisciplinary research.
- Apply knowledge, skills and understanding of key methods in practical contexts, reflecting on and understanding the usefulness of these.
- Present and communicate arguments and ideas using formats appropriate for a range of audiences and contexts.
- Work collaboratively within interdisciplinary groups, while exercising initiative and independence when carrying out specific research tasks relevant to group and individual work.
- Understand and apply models and theories of personal and professional development, including wellbeing, and develop and reflectively work towards their goals in order to meet personal, academic and professional challenges.
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Reading List
Bassot, B. (2013). The Reflective Journal. Basingstoke: Palgrave
Moon, J.A. (2004). A handbook of reflective and experiential learning: theory and practice. London: Routledge Falmer.
Schön, D. (1983). The reflective practitioner: how professionals think in action. New York: Basic Books.
Thompson, S. & Thompson, N. (2008). The critically reflective practitioner. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
By taking this course, you will have opportunity to further develop, apply and practice your Skills for Success in the following areas in particular:
- Collaboration: many of the activities on this course ask you to work in groups, and you will learn how to understand and respect the perspectives and needs of other people, and learn from others
- Communication: you will learn how to communicate complex issues to a range of different audiences and through a range of different formats
- Inclusivity: we teach you, and you will have opportunity to practice, how to listen to and engage with other people in a way that shows respect for different points of view and encourages you to see the benefits of diversity
- Individuality: you will be asked to set and reflect on your individual goals, to identify your strengths and existing experiences, and to build on those whilst also creating plans for future growth
- Reflection: this is at the core of the course you will regularly reflect on how your learning and experiences (on this course, but also on the programme as a whole and even wider life experiences) contribute to your development as student, interdisciplinary practitioner and person.
- Critical thinking: by engaging with our lectures and reading materials on the complex problem explored each year, but also through classes on, e.g., systems thinking, you will develop your ability to see wider themes and patterns in information and learn to question norms, practices and opinions
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| Keywords | Interdisciplinary,Futures,MA,UG,EFI,Interdisciplinary Practice,Reflection,Foundations |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr Tobias Thejll-Madsen
Tel:
Email: Tobias.Thejll-Madsen@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr Matt Bryant
Tel:
Email: Matt.Bryant@ed.ac.uk |
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