The
University of Paris in 1231 consisted of four
faculties:-
Theology,
Medicine,
Canon Law and
Arts. Educational institutions originally used the term "discipline" to catalog and archive the new and expanding body of information produced by the scholarly community. Disciplinary designations originated in German universities during the beginning of the nineteenth century. Most academic disciplines have their roots in the mid-to-late-nineteenth century
secularization of universities, when the traditional
curricula were supplemented with non-classical languages and
literatures,
social sciences such as
political science,
economics,
sociology and
public administration, and
natural science and
technology disciplines such as
physics,
chemistry,
biology, and
engineering. In the early twentieth century, new academic disciplines such as
education and
psychology were added. In the 1970s and 1980s, there was an explosion of new academic disciplines focusing on specific themes, such as
media studies,
women's studies, and
Africana studies. Many academic disciplines designed as preparation for careers and professions, such as
nursing,
hospitality management, and
corrections, also emerged in the universities. Finally, interdisciplinary scientific fields of study such as
biochemistry and
geophysics gained prominence as their contribution to knowledge became widely recognized. Some new disciplines, such as
public administration, can be found in more than one disciplinary setting; some public administration programs are associated with business schools (thus emphasizing management), while others are linked to political science (emphasizing
policy analysis). As the twentieth century approached, these designations were gradually adopted by other countries and became the accepted conventional subjects. However, these designations differed between various countries. In the twentieth century, the natural science disciplines included:
physics,
chemistry,
biology,
geology, and
astronomy. The social science disciplines included:
economics,
politics,
sociology, and
psychology. Prior to the twentieth century, categories were broad and general, which was expected due to the lack of interest in science at the time. Most practitioners of science were amateurs and were referred to as "natural historians" and "natural philosophers"—labels that date back to Aristotle—instead of "scientists".
Natural history referred to what we now call life sciences and
natural philosophy referred to the current physical sciences. Prior to the twentieth century, few opportunities existed for science as an occupation outside the educational system. Higher education provided the institutional structure for scientific investigation, as well as economic support for research and teaching. Soon, the volume of scientific information rapidly increased and researchers realized the importance of concentrating on smaller, narrower fields of scientific activity. Because of this narrowing, scientific specializations emerged. As these specializations developed, modern scientific disciplines in universities also improved their sophistication. Eventually, academia's identified disciplines became the foundations for scholars of specific specialized interests and expertise. ==Functions and criticism==