Disciplinarity: Functional Linguistic and Sociological Perspectives

Disciplinary knowledge is under threat in the modern world. Claims abound that we are entering a landscape in which the division of disciplines is obsolete, implying a commitment to outdated values in scholarship. Notions of 'discipline' are critiqued as reflecting social power and representing the worldview of dominant social groups. By addressing and challenging such claims, this edited collection argues that proclamations of the death of disciplines have been greatly overstated. Not only are the notions of disciplinarity still important for understanding how we come to know the world, but this volume demonstrates how significant disciplinarity is to understanding different forms of knowledge if we wish to improve the building of knowledge and educational practice. Using analytical tools from systemic functional linguistics theory and social realist sociology, this volume illustrates how different disciplines can collaborate and cross-fertilize successfully, without losing their distinctive insights and disciplinary integrity. The subsequent theory developed will thereby extend both linguistic and sociological approaches to the topic and make a major contribution to educational theory.

1. Why Disiciplinarity? Frances Christie & Karl Maton \ 2. Through others' eyes: the fate of disciplines Johan Muller \ 3. Bridging troubled waters: interdisciplinarity and what makes it stick J.R. Martin \ 4. Theories and things: the semantics of disciplinarity Karl Maton \ 5. Making the break: disciplines and interdisciplinarity Rob Moore \ 6. Writing discipline: comparing inscriptions of knowledge and knowers in academic writing Susan Hood \ 7. Absenting discipline: constructivist approaches in online teaching Rainbow Tsai-Hung Chen, Karl Maton & Bennett \ 8. Discipline and freedom in early childhood education Susan Feez \ 9. Disciplinarity and school subject English Frances Christie & Macken-Horarik \ 10. Supporting disciplinary learning through language analysis: developing historical literacy Mary Schleppegrell \ 11. The semantic hyperspace: accumulating mathematical knowledge across semiotic resources and modes Kay O'Hallaran \. 12. Social Studies Disciplinary Knowledge: Tensions between state curriculum and national assessment requirements Beryl Exley &Parlo Singh \ Index