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Transdisciplinary Research: Challenges of Interdisciplinarity and Stakeholder Engagement
Last Updated: 2026-02-05 16:01:03
Abstract
This seminar is designed for PhD students and PostDoc researchers involved in inter- or transdisciplinary research. It addresses and discusses challenges of this kind of research using scientific literature presenting case studies, concepts, theories, methods and by testing practical tools. It concludes with a 10-step approach to make participants' research projects more societally relevant.
Objective
Participants know specific challenges of inter- and transdisciplinary research and can address them by applying practical tools. They can tackle questions like: how to integrate knowledge from different disciplines, how to engage with societal actors, how to secure broader impact of research? They learn to critically reflect their own research project in its societal context and on their role as scientists.
Content
The seminar covers the following topics: (1) Theories and concepts of inter- and transdisciplinary research (2) The specific challenges of inter- and transdisciplinary research (3) Collaborating between different disciplines (4) Engaging with stakeholders (5) 10 steps to make participants' research projects more societally relevant Throughout the whole course, scientific literature will be read and discussed as well as practical tools explored in class to address concrete challenges.
Resources
Literature
Literature will be made available to the participants. The following open access article builds a core element of the course: Pohl, C., Krütli, P., & Stauffacher, M. (2017). Ten Reflective Steps for Rendering Research Societally Relevant. GAIA 26(1), 43-51 doi: 10.14512/gaia.26.1.10 available at (open access): Link Further, this collection of tools will be used https://naturalsciences.ch/topics/co-producing_knowledge
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- DR , SHE , MSC
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- ungraded semester performance
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| seminar |
Transdisciplinary Research: Challenges of Interdisciplinarity and Stakeholder Engagement
Irregular course
|
|
2 h weekly |
Offered In
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Biology Teaching Diploma (Detailed information on the programme at: )
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Compulsory Elective Courses (Further course offerings from the category Educational Science are listed under "Programme: Educational Science for Teaching Diploma and TC".)
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Doctorate Environmental Sciences (More Information at: )
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Doctorate Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering (More Information at: )
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Subject Specialisation (In addition to the courses listed below, D-BAUG doctoral students are free to choose from the entire range of subject-specific courses offered by ETHZ and the University of Zurich, provided that it is an offering specifically designed for doctoral students or a course of the regular Master’s program or of the third year Bachelor’s program.)
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Doctorate Architecture (More Information at: )
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Doctorate Biology (More Information at: )
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Doctorate Humanities, Social and Political Sciences (More Information at: )
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Doctorate Health Sciences and Technology (More Information at: )
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