Is Gerontology Interdisciplinary?
1079-5014
Abstract
UNIVERSITIES and colleges often espouse the value of interdisciplinary study, and gerontology is frequently cited as an exemplar of an interdisciplinary field of inquiry. It could be argued that this characterization has been good for gerontology in the academic milieu. Gerontology is viewed as intellectually vibrant and engaging, reaching across disciplinary boundaries. But is this characterization correct? Is gerontology interdisciplinary? What evidence exists to support such a claim? Answering this question might begin by defining multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary, terms that are often used interchangeably. Consider the distinction by Ferraro and Chan (1997, p. 374): A multidisciplinary field of study refers to an inquiry involving a plurality of disciplines where disciplinary boundaries are maintained and the unique contributions of each are highlighted. We refer to interdisciplinary as an inquiry involving a plurality of disciplines where disciplinary boundaries are often muted and the joint contributions of the synergy are highlighted.