Module manager: Maddy Mossman
Email: m.mossman@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
This module is not approved as an Elective
The LISF Project Labs module provides you with the conceptual foundation and skills required to investigate complex real‑world issues through an interdisciplinary lens. You will explore how different disciplines produce, interpret, and communicate knowledge, and how these perspectives can be combined to address complex issues. You will examine the future of knowledge, considering issues of integrity, preservation, and how knowledge and information continue to evolve. Through the completion of a research project you will develop key research skills such as critical analysis, cross‑disciplinary communication, collaborative problem‑solving, and reflective inquiry. By the end of the module, you will understand how interdisciplinary methods can support rigorous, ethical, and impactful research across academic and professional contexts. You will have the choice to undertake a research project, a research project written in the style of a journal article of a relevant discipline or a practice based project.
The module aims to equip you with the analytical, reflective, and collaborative skills needed to investigate complex real‑world problems through an interdisciplinary lens. It will develop your understanding of how different disciplines construct, interpret, and apply knowledge, and to build your confidence in using interdisciplinary approaches to analyse emerging challenges and contribute to evolving knowledge futures. You will analyse interdisciplinary research approaches, developing your awareness of how assumptions, values, and disciplinary perspectives shape knowledge and influence future practice. You will also consider how thinking across disciplinary boundaries can inform professional, academic, and societal decision‑making.
This module offers advanced training in essential interdisciplinary research skills, including critical thinking, effective cross-disciplinary communication, collaborative problem-solving, and reflective practice. It is designed to provide you with the knowledge and abilities required to integrate multiple perspectives and address complex, real-world challenges with competence and assurance.
You will undertake interactive workshop activities to develop your interdisciplinary research skills, including critical analysis, cross‑disciplinary communication, collaborative problem‑solving, and reflective inquiry. You will engage with contemporary issues surrounding the shifting landscape of knowledge creation, evaluating the opportunities and limitations of emerging tools and practices and learning how to apply them appropriately and ethically within research contexts.
You will learn to work effectively in diverse teams, negotiate shared values, and contribute to inclusive learning communities. Through real‑world scenarios and project‑based activities, you will apply research concepts to produce either an independent research project, an independent research project presented in the style of a disciplinary journal article, or a simulated real‑world project. Completing one of these pathways will strengthen your transferable skills and build the confidence needed to undertake further research or enter professional practice.
On successful completion of the module you will be able to:
1. Critically analyse and integrate different disciplinary perspectives, applying theory to evaluate interdisciplinary approaches to complex real‑world issues;
2. Apply interdisciplinary perspectives to investigate complex real‑world issues, drawing on theory to justify methodological and conceptual choices;
3. Explain and articulate the significance of knowledge futures in contemporary academic and professional contexts, demonstrating an awareness of how knowledge evolves over time;
4. Plan, manage and deliver a substantial independent research project within a defined timeframe, demonstrating effective time‑management, organisational skills and adaptability;
5. Apply problem‑solving and project‑management skills to complex, real‑world and future-facing challenges, selecting appropriate methods and approaches;
6. Work collaboratively in interdisciplinary teams, demonstrating effective communication and contribution to group learning;
7. Apply systems thinking to analyse complex, interconnected issues, integrating interdisciplinary perspectives to identify relationships, interdependencies and consequences, to inform decision making;
8. Communicate research concepts, decisions, and findings clearly and effectively, using appropriate disciplinary and interdisciplinary conventions.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seminar | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Seminar | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Seminar | 2 | 1.5 | 3 |
| Seminar | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Seminar | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Seminar | 4 | 2 | 8 |
| Practical | 3 | 6 | 13 |
| Studio Time | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Studio Time | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Supervision | 6 | 0.5 | 3 |
| Private study hours | 555 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 45 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 600 | ||
555
January - formative project proposal to small groups for peer-feedback
May – conference style presentation on current progress of project for formative feedback, providing also an opportunity for peer-to-peer feedback.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Coursework 1 | 10 |
| Coursework | Coursework 2 | 10 |
| Coursework | Coursework 3 | 80 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 30/04/2026
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team