Mentat, to your second point, I have had the same experience.
Even in classes and curricula that are supposed to be interdisciplinary, the boundaries are still rigid and the connections superficial. That compromises learning. And, I think one of the reasons for that is professors are afraid of being wrong and they're not trained to travel outside their domain of expertise. The ivory tower thrives on specialization. If the gatekeepers are not bold enough to cross-pollinate ideas, students are disadvantaged.
Even in classes and curricula that are supposed to be interdisciplinary, the boundaries are still rigid and the connections superficial. That compromises learning. And, I think one of the reasons for that is professors are afraid of being wrong and they're not trained to travel outside their domain of expertise. The ivory tower thrives on specialization. If the gatekeepers are not bold enough to cross-pollinate ideas, students are disadvantaged.