Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities

Abstract The business environment, especially in the industrial sector, is undergoing transformation, and job prospects are rapidly evolving. Changes in social conditions and transformations in the global, national, and local economies are among the influential factors on the new business ecosystem. In such circumstances, university education, particularly in vocational universities, requires restructuring in its programs and orientations to ensure the continuity of businesses with economic and social needs, thereby leading to an improvement in the economic and social situation. Private (non-profit) universities, due to their more agile structures and greater financial independence, possess characteristics that suggest they can operate successfully and effectively in this field. The ability of these universities to create a learning ecosystem based on local needs, their speed in designing and implementing new academic programs, and their capacity to employ diverse human resources can be instrumental in this regard. In this research, the dimensions of this issue have been studied using content analysis. This means that, after reviewing the research literature, indicators of university-industry collaboration, as the core driver of the university's relationship with businesses, were determined. Based on this, an effort was made to consider degrees of the impact of this collaboration on economic and social dimensions. Finally, the research findings indicate that, assuming the formation of effective and efficient university-industry collaboration, it can be expected that by establishing connections between top universities and large industrial sectors, and between medium and small universities with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), a more dynamic learning ecosystem will be created, and the effectiveness of universities on the economic and social environment will increase.

Abstract Understanding social behaviors enables to understand and facilitates mutual interaction; yet sometimes deceptive tactics by the counterpart alter this understanding. Analyzing the phenomenon of deception from an interdisciplinary perspective provides better comprehension and the ability to scrutinize it. This study investigates the hidden layers of text in a social context at two girls' high schools in Tehran, examining the role of deceptive ideology in normalizing the discourse. The research is organized around two main objectives: 1. Analyzing the discursive diversity formed in the deception discourse within Michel Foucault's critical discourse framework. 2. Examining the impact of ideological and power elements in shaping the deception discourse. Using an applied approach, comments from 233 high school students aged 15 to 17 about virtual cheating in exams, assignments, and educational activities in virtual education networks were collected and analyzed regarding the role and impact of ideological and power elements within Michel Foucault's theoretical framework. Findings indicate that deception discourse, supported by power in the virtual space, acts as an ideological institution, convincing students to collaborate in achieving false academic success. This process turns the discourse into a tool for deceivers, undermining academic integrity and promoting cheating. Interventions and educational efforts to increase ethical commitment among learners appear effective in reducing deceptive behaviors. These findings provide valuable insights for educational stakeholders aiming to reduce cheating in academic environments and have significant implications for ethical education.

Abstract The aim of this description-inductive study, is to draw forth implications for the purposes of scholarship in the social science based on critical realism with an emphasis on interdisciplinary studies. Critical realism, from an epistemological insight, is seen as the basis for scholarship references (teaching, research, application and integration) in social science. The results of this research indicate that critical realism, with its emphasis on mind-independent reality and the nature of the criticism of knowledge, focuses on an emancipator training in social science. In research, critical realism stresses philosophy and philosophical self-awareness. Therefore, social science researchers understand the hidden assumptions and outright lies in their own research better. In the field of integration, the emphasis is on understanding the reality on a large scale. Therefore, it recognizes the interdisciplinary science of knowledge and welcomes every science that can better explain and interpret the complex layers of reality. Thus, critical realism, in practice, has the potential to solve social problems thru its perspective on the science of integration. The reason for this is theorizing far from narrow-mindedness while, at the same time, in harmony with the critical realism. This is due to its critical nature which brings knowledge closer to practice.

Abstract Is identity a heritage inherited from the past or a choice for the future? In this question, the concept of ‘time’ is presupposed. Thus, my point of departure is analyzing the concept of time. Then the relation between the concept of time and social theory will be examined to maintain that ‘sociology’ is the science of ‘space’ rather than the science of ‘time. ‘History’, however, is the science of ‘time’ which, in its Hegelian version, has a strong connection with the paradigm of the ‘philosophy of consciousnesses’. This paradigm would not allow sociology to be established, because sociology is the theory of action rather than the theory of consciousness. For this very reason, the establishment of sociology in the late nineteenth century was contemporaneous with the crisis of the philosophy of consciousness. The focal point of this crisis was the concept of ‘subject’, which itself was both the base of modern philosophy and the focus of modern society. But Marx, Nietzsche, Freud and Romanticist Movement radically criticized the concept of ‘subject’ and thus brought about crisis for modern society. The establishment of sociology was a response to such a crisis. It was a turning point by which we became aware of the heaviness and harmfulness of ‘tempocentrism’ and instead point to the usefulness of ‘topocentrism’. After this theoretical discussion, some problems of tempocentristic approach to ‘identity’ in Iranian social science will be referred to show how this approach is laden with the past, and therefore, unable to regard the future. The Iranian social science’s inability to develop an ‘action theory’ seems to be rooted in its tempocentrism. In order to find a way out of this dead-end and open some new horizons in the sphere of theory and practice, the Iranian sociology need to throw down the approach to identity ‘as a heritage from the past’ and adopt it ‘as a choice for the future’. Finally, I will discuss ‘rational identity’ and its relation to social science.

Abstract Complexity theory is a new theory originally introduced in natural sciences; however, recently it has been widely used in social sciences, and has been of great interest to educators in the last two decades. Since complexity theory is yet fairly unknown in the majority of fields of science in Iran, especially in education and curriculum development, it is necessary to describe its concepts and implications. The objective of this paper is to determine how the complexity theory and its implications can provide solutions for the current curriculum problems. This work presents a basic research approach, in which two philosophical research methods of “conceptual analysis: conceptual structure assessment” and “deductive method: practical syllogism” have been used. The results of this paper show that the application of philosophical features of the complexity theory can enable us to improve the current curriculums. Some of the implications of the complexity theory are: paying particular attention to the complex aspects of learners and their interactions with the universe; developing general mental abilities, applying trans-disciplinary approaches and problem-based curriculums, promoting contextualized knowledge and selecting educational resources and materials related to ecological problems; replacing distributed, participatory and negotiating knowledge with controlled-based and hierarchy-based one; promoting lifetime learning and distance learning, emphasizing learning through feedback, connection and network interaction by applying the new complex network-based technologies, and being prepared for continuous changes in unpredictable situations.

Abstract This article, adopting an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach inspired by integral ecology, cultural ecology, and deep ecology, and influenced by the idea of integral education and pre-modern worldviews, delves into the fundamental assumptions, principles, and concepts of Iranian culture. When harmoniously integrated, these elements can lead to the creation of a unified and alternative educational approach, enabling an effective transition through contemporary ecological mega-crises for Iranians. This transdisciplinary harmonious integration has been endeavored by employing the methodological possibilities of problem-solving known as “design thinking.” Using “arts-based research,” this paper argues that pre-modern civilizations’ understanding of the “ongoing flow of the sacred in nature” led to a lasting relationship with the complex ecosystem network of life surrounding local communities. The primary goal of this research is to propose a “regenerative learning and education approach” that is “aligned with life.” This is achieved through recreating the profound interaction and connection between humans and the ecosystem of life, thus paving the way for the regeneration of ecosystems, with a focus on Iran’s local ecosystems.