Weave interdisciplinarity into the identity of your humanities department

Let’s breathe new life into traditional humanities disciplines with a holistic approach to departmental structure. At the department of Chinese history and culture at my institution, we have embraced interdisciplinary research and teaching through self-definition, programmes centred on coherent and holistic themes, and social outreach. Our approach can serve as a model both institutionally and to structure individual departments. By doing so, we introduce fresh perspectives, highlight new avenues of enquiry and develop life skills for beyond academia.

Arts and humanities disciplines hold a special position within my university, which is broadly STEM-focused. Although we have a core group of historians, the department also includes colleagues who work in the fields of fine arts, literature, religion, gender and the history of science and technology. What ties us together is a common interest in China.

However, we differ from a traditional area studies programme. Being a department, we have considerable control over curriculum and personnel decisions, including staffing needs and inducting new hires. As a result, we remain grounded in our disciplines, yet have the space, flexibility and incentive to branch out beyond them.

• How to balance tension in interdisciplinary teaching and learning
• A framework to develop communities of practice
• How to successfully develop and run interdisciplinary research teams

The department has clearly defined specific research themes. These include art history, visual culture and media studies in China and Asia; China’s cultural and political interactions with other parts of Asia; and Chinese literature and cultural history. An interdisciplinary component is embedded within each theme, which essentially groups together the research interests of colleagues into clusters. 

These, in turn, serve as the basis for knowledge production and dissemination, and curriculum development. 

For undergraduates, we cover science and civilisation in China, women in China and Buddhism and Chinese culture. Professors may teach the courses in their area of interest, but they have the freedom to select those outside of their comfort zones if they wish to explore new topics.

Our colleagues have established two journals, encouraging discussion with academics of all disciplines, from across China and around the world. “China and Asia” is indexed in Scopus and features contributions on China’s place in Asia and the world. We are also starting a journal focusing on science and technology.

The department’s adaptable structure allows us to link up with other departments. Our parent unit, the Faculty of Humanities, recently established the Division of AI and the Humanities. Since its staff hold joint appointments from each of the departments involved, our department plans to recruit a scholar or identify existing colleagues with the requisite expertise and experience to concurrently serve in the division. The division offers an MA programme to equip students with the knowledge and experience to work with generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) across the arts and humanities. As it’s situated between the faculty and departments, it also serves as a resource for integrating GenAI and digital humanities into our research and teaching.

How has this structure impacted how we conduct interdisciplinary research and teaching? One colleague worked with computer scientists, from the department of data science and artificial intelligence, to create a database of Chinese women writers from the 16th to 18th centuries. Another created documentaries on themes such as Hong Kong society and its islands – they have gone on to win awards at international film festivals in Japan and Korea. Another started a new project on video games on Chinese historical events, such as the Opium Wars, and how 1990s game developers worked around state-sanctioned narratives to create contingencies and counter-factual situations. 

Granting more autonomy to interdisciplinary programmes, and allowing them to determine their own curriculum and make staffing decisions, is key to developing the framework they need to focus on interdisciplinary work. While institutional arrangements can be rigid, staff can be grouped into clusters across several departments, and form the basis for research collaboration, team-taught subjects and external grant applications. 

Find a way to incentivise these initiatives to keep them consistent. Incorporate them into the department’s strategic vision, tying fulfilment to performance indicators and merit-based salary increases. At the same time, mobilise support from alumni and non-profit organisations. They can provide resources and networks, and bargaining power with university administration.   

Cross-disciplinary collaboration has been woven into the very structure and identity of our department. Our experience, we hope, will serve as a useful reference for any higher education staff looking to promote interdisciplinary research and teaching. Instead of undermining the specialisation of our staff, this approach encourages them to branch out and explore other subjects in arts and humanities, and beyond.