Deck 8: Thinking Critically About Disciplinary Insights

Question 1

When you challenge your own beliefs and worldview

A) it can lead to uncertainly and takes intellectual courage.
B) you should remember your convictions and stick to them.
C) you should ask your friend what she thinks and go with that.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Awareness of the limitations of expertise means that

A) you know that when something is published in a peer reviewed journal or book, the author must be completely all knowing and free from bias.
B) you know that just because something is published in a peer reviewed journal or book, the author is neither all knowing nor free from bias
C) you know that when something is published in a peer reviewed journal or book, the author must be interdisciplinary.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

One advantage that an interdisciplinary reader has over a disciplinary colleague is that

A) the interdisciplinary reader can compare and contrast insights generated by different disciplines.
B) the interdisciplinary reader can use the insights of one discipline to critique the insights of another.
C) both "a" and "b" are correct.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following statements on interdisciplinarity are accurate?

A) It encourages making connections between otherwise isolated disciplines
B) It addresses conflicts where disciplines overlap
C) It may identify relationships or even phenomena that deserve to be studied in greater detail than they are by disciplines
D) None of the statements is accurate.
E) All of the statements are accurate.

Question 5

What is interdisciplinary critical thinking?

A) Interdisciplinary critical thinking includes critical thinking but also it requires awareness of the limitations of expertise, self-awareness, intellectual courage, and respect for different viewpoints.
B) Interdisciplinary critical thinking includes critical thinking but also it requires awareness of sources, disciplinary adequacy, and metacognition.
C) Interdisciplinary critical thinking is the same as critical thinking.

Question 6

Why does mapping interdisciplinary connections help when conducting research?

A) It helps map relationships among phenomena.
B) It clarifies which relationships among phenomena many be the most important.
C) It identifies which set of relationships a particular work addresses.
D) "a", "b", and "c" are correct.

Question 7

There are set of 4 critical thinking questions you should ask of every scholarly
work that you read. In addition there are 6 types of statements used in disciplinary work. Name 4 of them.
1.
2.
3.
4.

Question 8

Interdisciplinarians stress the importance of breadth of vision, broad context, and systemic thinking. By contrast, disciplinarians

A) emphasize the need to have a deep understanding of a particular subject matter, which we have called "disciplinary reductionism
B) emphasize the need to have a deep understanding of a particular subject, which we have called "disciplinary adequacy"
C) emphasize the need to publish in disciplinary journals.

Question 9

There are 4 key questions you should ask when reading disciplinary work. Name 3 of them:
1.
2.
3.

Question 10

One of the most common problems with disciplinary insights is that they contain jargon that makes the insight unclear. In this case, it might be helpful to

A) Make a guess based on what the word means in everyday speech
B) use a dictionary
C) look the word up in a key reference work of that discipline

Question 11

When someone completely disagrees with your point of view on something

A) You should just walk away and remember never to discuss this topic with her or him again.
B) You should incorporate their ideas into your worldview.
C) You should recognize there is probably a kernel of truth in what she or he is saying, and recognize this as an opportunity to identify common ground.

Question 12

An economist calculates the potential burglar's costs and benefits. The benefits are the money the burglar can receive by selling what he steals. The costs are the probability of being caught multiplied by the penalty imposed for burglary. The economist calculates the penalty that needs to be imposed in order for the costs to exceed the benefits and thus crime to be deterred. We can make the following statements about this disciplinary insight

A) The insight uses effective evidence to support the assumptions.
B) This insight on crime is an incomplete assessment of the complex topic of crime of burglary.
C) Both "a" and "b" are correct.

Question 13

Self awareness

A) means you are aware of the views you have on complex problems.
B) means you are aware of the disciplines you know about.
C) means you are aware of your own biases and you treat all arguments with the same degree of skepticism.

Question 14

What is critical thinking?

A) Analysis and induction
B) Deduction and induction
C) Analysis and evaluation

Question 15

A disciplinary insight is

A) A conclusion or conclusions in a work-both main conclusions and supporting arguments.
B) An opinion.
C) A conclusion but not its supporting arguments.

Question 16

If you find yourself confronted by a disciplinary insight that is unclear, you should

A) Find another insight.
B) Ask yourself why there is a lack of clarity in the insight.
C) Try to figure it out. A muddy understanding is better than nothing.

Question 17

Interdisciplinarians contribute to the evolution of new fields by

A) Evaluating disciplines.
B) Making connections between disciplines in tackling problems that no one field of discipline is capable of addressing
C) Suggesting synergies between disciplines that may lead to the evolution of interdisciplinary fields.
D) "b" and "c" are correct.

Question 18

Are there differences between disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to critical reading and thinking?

A) Yes
B) No they are the same

Question 19

If after mapping the phenomenon associated with a complex problem to reveal its disciplinary parts you see that two of the disciplines disagree on an aspect of your complex problem, you should

A) Choose another problem.
B) Ask yourself whether the disciplines are actually studying different aspects of the phenomenon.
C) Attempt to reconcile the conflicting points of view.