Interdisciplinary Work
Further Guidance on Coursework for Students, Supervisors and Assessors
The HMS is a unique MPhil in that it is multidisciplinary in terms of the structure of the taught modules, but interdisciplinary in terms of the thinking and working we aim to cultivate in our students. What this means in practice is that academics based in each discipline offer teaching on their subject matter, focusing on that discipline’s discourses, thinkers and related canon. Through this targeted approach to medical history, medical philosophy/bioethics, medical sociology and medical anthropology, HMS students are also introduced to the writing conventions, argument structures and reference styles appropriate to each discipline in turn.
The cross-curricular nature of taking all four disciplines at the start of the HMS degree means that students are, from the very beginning of the HMS MPhil, cultivating an interdisciplinary understanding of health, medicine and society; over the course of the MPhil, such interdisciplinarity becomes embedded in our students as a way of thinking and doing research.
This is, in the main, overwhelmingly positive and in fact is a key aim of the programme. However, the treadline between multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary becomes a challenge where coursework development and assessment are concerned. For this reason, we ask that students, supervisors and assessors bear the following in mind:
Essays:
Students write three essays over the course of Michaelmas and Lent terms. The first of these is a shorter essay which, while it is assessed with the same energy of the latter two essays, is formative but not summative – this means a mark will be agreed and critically constructive comments given in the same way as the latter two essays, but the exercise does not count toward the student’s overall mark. This is thus a unique opportunity for students to go outside of their better-known subject or subjects to try a newer-to-them discipline, inclusive of its writing style and literature. Many students can become nervous or unsure when attempting this – that is entirely the point. Stepping out of our disciplinary boxes hastens the onset of interdisciplinary thinking. The latter two essays can be from any of the offered disciplines, and students are welcome to try as many different ways of thinking as they wish.
All essays should be linked to a course module and therefore grounded in a single discipline.
The reasons for this are:
Module leaders are aware of those within their discipline who possess both expertise in the subject matter on which the student wishes to focus, as well as who has worked with HMS students in the past. Those students who choose to work with experts who have not supervised or assessed for the HMS MPhil may find the chosen supervisor will need some time to get up to speed on how this degree differs from other courses;
As stated, each discipline has its own writing conventions, ways of crafting an argument, and key discourses which should be held in mind. The supervisors will guide the student on these, and the assessors will look for appropriate usage of these;
Though students are very much encouraged to employ interdisciplinarity throughout coursework, from the first essay through the dissertation, the subject in which the student chooses to work should be its recognisable anchor. E.g.: If one is writing an essay in medical anthropology, the expectation will be that the student will engage with anthropological literature as the foundation of the essay, signposting when they introduce an additional idea from sociology, philosophy or history. This is both good scholarly practice and ensures that novel interventions are recognised by the readers and assessors;
The examining board takes great pains to ensure that appropriate assessors are available to examine student work; by linking to course modules, the examining committee ensures that each piece of coursework is appropriately assessed.
Dissertations:
- Dissertations are a key part of not just coursework; they are central to the HMS knowledge-acquisition and contribution process which leads to a degree award. As advised above, the discipline in which students decide to execute their dissertation research and writing will need to reflect that discipline’s key approaches, thinkers and conventions. The dissertation may also be enriched by the interdisciplinarity the student has cultivated over the course of their studies.
Supervisors should bear in mind: Your work with an HMS supervisee may be their first foray into your discipline. The student may require additional guidance on discipline-specific conventions, formative ideas, and key thinkers to consult in addition to topical literature. Do not assume that the student will come with this knowledge already in hand.
Students should bear in mind: It is advisable to work with a supervisor who not only possesses the disciplinary expertise but also has an understanding of the HMS course. Your seminar leaders or subject managers can direct you if you are unsure. You will need to anchor your essays and dissertation in the discipline you have chosen for that particular piece of coursework. This is in no way meant to discourage you from thinking, analysing and writing in an interdisciplinary way. But you will need to show your discipline-specific assessors that you understand the expectations of that discipline, that you have engaged with these conventions and that your interdisciplinary thinking is part of your innovation on and contribution to what has been said and done in the discipline before.
Assessors should bear in mind: Though it is important for the essay you are assessing to represent an awareness of key approaches, thinkers and conventions in the discipline in which the student is writing, interdisciplinary approaches beyond this baseline, clearly signposted as such, can be understood as innovative rather than a diversion, and are in keeping with the aims and ethos of the HMS MPhil degree. Ambition and execution should simultaneously be taken into account.