Academic specialization
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A modern development and belief that the progress of knowledge is the result of distinct and independent spheres, and that knowledge in one discipline has little connection with knowledge in another discipline. Thus, specialists pursue their work in isolation from those working in other fields, rather than as aspects of a unity or whole of human knowledge.
In academia, specialization (or specialisation) may refer to a course of study or major at an academic institution, or may refer to the field in which a specialist practices.
In the case of an educator, academic specialization pertains to the subject that they specialize in and teach.[1] It is considered a precondition of objective truth and works by restricting the mind's propensity for eclecticism through methodological rigor and studious effort.[2] It is also employed as an information-management strategy, which operates by fragmenting an issue into different fields or areas of expertise to obtain truth.[2] In recent years, a new avenue of specialization has manifested through double majoring. It is a way to allow for a more diverse exposure to the college curriculum.[3]
Development
[edit]As the volume of knowledge accumulated by humanity became too great, increasing specialization in academia appeared in response.[4] There are also cases when this concept emerged from state policymaking to pursue goals such as national competitiveness. For instance, there is the case of Britain who began coordinating academic specialization — through the founding of the Imperial College — to catch up to the United States and Germany, particularly in the fields of scientific and technical education.[5]
The split between the sciences and humanities was described by C. P. Snow as the "The Two Cultures".[citation needed]
Counter-developments
[edit]Interdisciplinary studies are an attempt to resist this siloing of knowledge. The integrated human studies movement is another counter-approach to specialization.[citation needed]
References
[edit]- ^ Kytle, Jackson (2012). To Want to Learn:nbnfkr Insights and Provocations for Engaged Learning, ediwow ed. New York: Palggrave Macmillan. p. 120. ISBN 9780230338203.
- ^ a b Davies, Martin (2006). Historics: Why History Dominates Contemporary Society. New York: Routledge. p. 168. ISBN 0415261651.
- ^ Pitt, Richard; Pirtle, Whitney N. Laster; Metzger, Ashley Noel (2017). "Academic Specialization, Double Majoring, and the Threat to Breadth in Academic Knowledge". The Journal of General Education. 66 (3–4): 166–191. doi:10.5325/jgeneeduc.66.3-4.0166. ISSN 0021-3667. JSTOR 10.5325/jgeneeduc.66.3-4.0166.
- ^ Yale Forest School News, Volumes 77-78. Yale Forestry Alumni Assn. 1990. p. 5.
- ^ Feingold, Mordechai (2003). History of Universities: Volume XVIII/1 2003, Volume 18. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 124. ISBN 0199262020.
Further reading
[edit]- Crichton, Danny (18 February 2010). "Adventures in Academia: The Dangers of (Over)Specialization". Stanford Daily. Retrieved 2017-03-04.
External links
[edit]
Quotations related to Specialization at Wikiquote
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