INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES IN THE HUMANITIES (IRANIAN JOURNAL OF CULTURAL RESEARCH)
Year:2011 | Volume:3 | Issue:2-3 (10-11)|Papers Count:8

Islamic Republic of Iran is demanding to create a knowledge based society and a developed country by implementation of Development Plans and reaching the goals of the National Twenty Year Outlook Plan. This vital affair needs knowledge management in the universities and higher education centers.Knowledge management is an approach that is stemmed from business sectors and is slowly accepted in the university environments for quality scientific activities’ improvements. The purpose of this study was to examine the knowledge management principal factors in the university setting. A graduate public university with 383 faculty members was selected. A total of 100 individuals participated in this study. A researcher-made questionnaire، including 49 closed and 3 opened questions was used as an information gathering instrument. Factor analysis is used to uncover the dimensions of knowledge management.Based on research findings، knowledge management principal factors at the sample university were creation (research)، dissemination (teaching)، applications (social services) and storage of knowledge.

Different developments in recent years have provided protection for participative and interdisciplinary research from research and educational institutes and other organizations which invest in research. Because of the need for having a comprehensive look in solving problems and understanding complexities and also multidimensionality of problems which societies encounter some special ideas have evolved. Based on these ideas if researchers who are involved in one discipline, without being helped from experts of other disciplines, may come to ineffective solutions without sufficient consideration in all aspects of the problems. So research policy makers have come to these conclusions that: first, researches relating to social problems should be conducted with helps of researchers from other scientific fields. Second, researchers should work cooperatively and having interaction with each other. Third, their research finding should be so integrated that as much as possible a comprehensive and agreeable solution could be advanced. And finally, all above said will be achieved through interdisciplinary research.In this paper, based on validated scientific texts, authors have tried to provide a comprehensive look at the nature of interdisciplinary research in higher education. The basic subjects offered are: development of the ways of conducting academic research, moving of academic research to interdisciplinarity, consideration of academic disciplines for understanding interdisciplinary research, considering the nature of interdisciplinary research, early and late interdisciplinarity, and the motives of reflection of interdisciplinarity in policy making.

A battle of ideas on the conceptualization of producing، sharing، dissemination and application of knowledge in universities and higher education institutions is a complex issue that a lot of attention in the academic literature and management areas has focused on. On the basis of studies، knowledge sharing in higher education as an interdisciplinary field of study that links between the two major "knowledge management" and “higher education" especially in higher education management، has been emerged. Many scholars and researchers have tried to respond to these questions: What are the factors that influence people in knowledge sharing? What are factors and possible reasons for sharing or not sharing? This paper discussed and explored the knowledge sharing phenomenon in higher education in an interdisciplinary field of study and، it has analyzed the factors affecting knowledge sharing among faculty members. The article ends with this conclusion that to explore the knowledge sharing phenomenon in higher education and theorizing in this field، understanding and analyzing the nature of knowledge، motivation and opportunity for sharing of knowledge are essential. The study has reviewed the results of two decades important empirical research in academic environment. Finally، with focus on current situation and potentiality of future research on knowledge sharing in academic environment a conceptual model has presented.

It is for some years that urban management major is conducted in some Iranian famous universities. The goal of the major is to educate students to become good urban managers because the city is a complex system that contains a lot of unexpected variables. Although this major conducted for some years، but there is still ambiguities among expertise and executive associations about its essence. Furthermore it seems that this major has a lot of gap with a preferred interdisciplinary major and therefore lots of the obligations of interdisciplinary majors are not considered. This paper has three goals، first determining the nature of urban management major; second، studying the essences and obligations of the major as an interdisciplinary and challenges of its current situation; and third، developing an analytical framework for the philosophy of urban management major in Iran.The research methods that used are observation، theoretical and comparative study، surveying and interviewing with urban experts and managers. The results emphasis that interdisciplinary nature should be of more concern in our universities. Also، findings show that lots of interdisciplinary mandates such as professors، educational methods and syllabus are not dedicated for specific nature of urban management and should be revised. Based on the theoretical framework، the essence of urban management in Iran has four pillars that are the need of urban management organizations to a comprehensive major، the possibility of resolving lots of currnt urban challenges and problems، non-comprehensiveness of other majors that is related to cities and finally successful experience of conducting urban management major in abroad universities. The essence and validity of all these items are approved.

The purpose of this study was assessment and prioritized inter discipline of Najafabad azad and Isfahan universities. The statistical population of this study was teachers and avalable students in higher education of Najafabad azad & Isfahan universities in academic year 1388-89.Research method was descriptive survey. The sample of this study was 105 that divided in two parts: 55 of teachers and 50 of students that selected in randomic technique. The research tool was aquestioniar that made with researcher. The finding showed that there is enough motives and tendency among teachers & students about inter discipline and only for 5 inter discipline terms of information resources، Educational space feasibility، culture and management is more feasibility. The prioritized inter discipline was show: Editorial، political and addiction psychology، philosophy analysis of the language & management of international contracts are the first priority & another inters discipline is the second priority.

Disability is a social phenomenon that in medical science interpreted as a physiological disability. There is this social reality in every society and interpret differently according with social conditions and thoughts of individuals in society. These interpretations effect on interaction of people with disabilities، attitude of disabilities to self-disability and him/her reaction to this situation. Family، friends and entourage can effect on “self-image” of disabilities. In This research، subjective dimension of disability considered as a social problem through emphasis on knowledge factor and structure of mind of disabilities. So has been used of Constructionist theoretical approach. The aims of this research are recognition of Social construction of disability، reaction of disabilities to that and highlighting subjective dimension of disability. Methods of data collection include participatory observation، partnership in group therapy meetings and depth interview and have been used of grounded theory for data analysis. Results show disabilities image themselves unable by other people، which always needed help. They thought only time they can have happiness life is when earn their healthy.