You may be asking yourself, "OMG WHAAAT IS THE POINT OF THIS?" Well, the reason we study a subject is to be able to use what we learn in real-world situations. Applying our acquired knowledge is the whole point of going to college! With that said, think about your disciplines and how you would integrate them in order to apply them to what it is you want to do.
This week’s post is about inderdisciplinarity in the real world. Keep this in mind as you answer the following questions:
•How do you apply your interdisciplinarity in daily situations?
•What is interdisciplinarity not?
•Who do you know who has an interdisciplinary profession? If you can't think of someone personal, discuss someone famous.
•How are you integrating your disciplines, or are you?
After you’ve answered the above questions, consider this: in the very first blog post back in Week 1, you analyzed two pictures (a smoothie and a fruit salad) and explained how they are or are not good representations of interdisciplinarity. Now, come up with your own example! What would be a different metaphor you could use to explain interdisciplinary studies? Be creative, and make sure you’re giving an example of interdisciplinarity, not multidisciplinarity!
Be sure to answer everything clearly and concisely. Also, remember to comment on at least two other posts!
•How do you apply your interdisciplinarity in daily situations?
ReplyDeleteIn daily situations I seem to come across questions that need me to think from all different points of views and different areas from which I’ve learned. These situations come up in class, work, and personal home life. I may be asked about a problem a friend is dealing with, in which I combined the different things I’ve learned in life which relation to the problem and sum them together into a whole as a response. My friend was having a problem with a boy she likes and I took personal past experiences with guys, stirred them into the pot with ideas I’ve learned from many psychology courses about the different genders and cooked up a stew/response to try and help her out.
Aside from personal, I combined my classes which each come from different focuses to relate them into my future teaching career, so as to prepare myself for when I enter the work force.
•What is interdisciplinarity not?
Interdisciplinarity
is
NOT: Easy
NOT: Blending only obviously similar ideas together
NOT: Exclusively used in school, under this major
NOT: Only for people who cannot make up their minds
NOT: Random ideas thrown together without finding a common ground and blending them together.
There are so many things interdisciplinarity is not, but most people do not know or understand the concept so they tend to think that such examples above are true to what it is. A little knowledge can go a long way.
~Joy Perez
These are all important facts to understand about interdisciplinary studies. It will help you in your academic career at UCF as well as later on in life to apply these skills and concepts in other situations and tasks. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and knowledge.
DeleteIt seems like you are a good friend gathering all that information to make a good valid response. In the near future I also will be teaching and as teachers we need to be ready for any situation that may need our education background.
Delete•Who do you know who has an interdisciplinary profession? If you can't think of someone personal, discuss someone famous.
ReplyDeleteThis might be a little silly but Beyonce. Her overall profession may be looked at as an entertainer but she is so many different styles of entertainment in one let alone she is also an entrepreneur by being an entertainer. As an entertainer she can: sing, dance, act, etc…She also uses her fame to sell products, tickets to shows, sell her name (appearances),etc… I can think of sooooo many other people including personal friends and family who have an interdisciplinary profession but this was the first person to pop to mind for some reason when asked.
•How are you integrating your disciplines, or are you?
I’m integrating my disciplines all into one main idea of using them as my tools to become a teacher. I don’t seem to be doing it all in the idea of thinking about the integration while I perform it but in fact I am doing just that. I thinking I’ve always been doing that just never really stopped to acknowledge it before since I never had to nor was asked.
~Joy Perez
I think Beyonce is a pretty good example of 'pop culture professions,' if you will. She sells herself, so she needs to be aware of what her fans want, she needs to be aware of her competition, and you're right, she does sell stuff. She has a perfume, doesn't she? With this, she has to be aware of the market and of business. Naturally, she can hire people to take care of these things for her, but with everyone working togther, Beyonce represents herself as a whole through a variety of outlets, such as the ones we both just discussed. Good job at supporting your example! ;-)
Delete@ Joy -
DeleteI too never really thought I was integrating my skills or discipline but once you do start to think about it we are. Everyone experiences different things at different times in their life and they all act the way they do because of these experiences. So I think everyone is a bit interdisciplinary in one form or another we just don't realize it.
- Zenya Moreira
Beyonce, or most entertainers for that matter, is a good example. Not only does she bring her talent to the table, but business and marketing savvy as well. Sure, she can just be a triple threat and be successful, but by adding the business side she is able to diversify her "name brand."
Delete~Sara Lopez
Joy,
DeleteI think it's wonderful that you are an IDS major, whom is going to be a teacher. I think that this degree will allow you students to be more open minded, because of your back ground. I think it is important for children to be opposed to abstract thinking and the freedom to explore in the fundamental and educational gain. This will allow them not to be limited in what they choose to study.
After you’ve answered the above questions, consider this: in the very first blog post back in Week 1, you analyzed two pictures (a smoothie and a fruit salad) and explained how they are or are not good representations of interdisciplinarity. Now, come up with your own example! What would be a different metaphor you could use to explain interdisciplinary studies? Be creative, and make sure you’re giving an example of interdisciplinarity, not multidisciplinarity!
ReplyDeleteThere are so many examples one can come up with to use as a metaphor towards interdisciplinary studies, but here is mine:
Take a stage.
Add some people.
Add some scenary.
Add some lights.
Add some choreography.
Add some music.
Add some lyrics.
Add a Script.
Add some cues.
Blend them all together into one…
You have a musical show (aka: Hairspray, Rent, Chicago, Book of Mormon, H2$, etc…) Without ALL these pieces you don’t have the final out come yet each piece is a separate entity which can stand on its own and be used in other forms. Each piece would be like a discipline and the show would be the integrated outcome.
I’m a HUGE Broadway aficionado, so I really wanted to find a way to relate it. I hope this makes sense and is correct…
~Joy Perez
That word is "scenery" btw...I realized the typo after I has hit publish
DeleteGreat example! These 'areas' of broadways CERTAINLY overlap each other in order to form the actual show. I like how you took something you are personally interested in and applied what you're learning in cornerstone to see the integration. This is a good way to practice such, almost like starting small. Once you've mastered this, you can branch out and begin to pick out the integration of much larger scale things, including issues, and determining what areas would be needed to find a solution. Good job, Joy!
Delete@Joy
ReplyDeleteI love your metaphor. What an interesting and creative way to put it together. I can see putting on the show as the interdisciplinary goal and all the different disciplines coming together to make it happen. Yet, all the different disciplines (components of the show) can be used seperately in other contexts or situations such as lights, which is a component of putting on a play, or show but it is also a component for shooting models. Good job.
I believe that everyday one uses their interdisciplinary skills, whether there are situations you face at work, academically or in your personal life. I know I do personally when making life decision as well as academic one. Especially at my place of work, I work for a special events company and though my “title” is specific, I definitely am taking other roles every moment of the day. There are times that I am scheduler, warehouse manager, sales rep, accounting, human resource, personal assistant, coffee maker, toner changer… and the list can go on. So it’s seems like everyday I am faced with a new problem or issue that needs to be addressed and because of my knowledge in different areas of the company I am able to find a better solution rather than if I was just looking at it from one perspective. Hence I would have to say that my profession can be classified as an interdisciplinary one.
ReplyDeleteI thought about a couple of things that Interdisciplinary cannot be but after thinking about it for some time the simplest answer would be that Interdisciplinary is not just ONE THING! Not one single experience or discipline can be interdisciplinary it would take a combination of these things to make it so.
I definitely feel that in the position I currently hold I am integrating my disciplines of Sociology and Business. Whether it’s dealing with clients or personnel and at times they cannot fulfill their part of our contract or what they were hired to do. And though you can feel for them when they tell you their story but there comes a point that actions have to be taken because at the end of the day we are in the business of making money and keeping the doors open. I also believe that once I get into my minor I will be working my way to prepping for my future which is to be a teacher. I’m not sure how exactly I will integrate my business discipline but I’m sure there will come a day when I will need it.
When thinking of a new metaphor for interdisciplinary my first thought was one of our events for school. It all starts with the venue, then you bring in the drape, staging, lighting, audio, furniture and then décor and you are left with one fancy high-end event. Each element can be used alone but when you bring all of them together you create one grand event!!
- Zenya Moreira
I like the simplicity of what you think interdisciplinarity is not. It just plain isn't only one thing! Some things really are that easy to explain sometimes ;-)
DeleteI really like your metaphor and how you end it with "one grand event!" The whole event would fall apart or would not be successful if you didn't have one of those components.
Delete~Sara
Hi Zenya,
DeleteI can definitely sympathize with you about feeling unprepared about knowing what Interdisciplinary Studies was about before getting into it. Like many of you, I had trouble settling on one major, and ended up choosing this degree because it made sense with my many degree changes and diverse classes.
One of the things that I really like about this degree though is its flexibility. For example, I started out as a Business Major, and although I am not really interested in Business per se anymore, I have pulled "Technology" out of the larger discipline of "Business" to use as one of my focused areas of concentration (which melds much better with my other areas, literature and education). While I can easily borrow business concepts and tactics to enhance my instruction in literature, I am much more interested in technology specifically.
I say all that to say. Perhaps you could use a sub-category of one of your content areas that would fall in line better with your interests and other areas. Also, being an Interdisciplinary thinker is a process, and all of these concepts are still pretty fresh, so give it some time for these complex, abstract ideas to settle in.
I can tell you that it was not until the end of Cornerstone for me that I had any concrete idea for how I could approach my content areas from an interdisciplinary perspective. Then again, once you have the tools for how to approach problems from an interdisciplinary perspective, you can take and apply what you have learned to any discipline or area of interest that you choose in the future.
-Lauren :-)
-Lauren
•How do you apply your interdisciplinarity in daily situations?
ReplyDeleteAs a stay-at-home mom, I homeshool my youngest son, I become a ‘single parent’ every time my soldier husband is deployed, I am a student, and a volunteer so I have to wear many hats. One example is when teaching my son I may use one situation to teach him something that may not seem related. Last week I had him help cook. The recipe was for four servings and we needed 6 servings. He was doing math, while learning to cook and even learned some chemistry as part of the desert had caramel, so we had to turn sugar into caramel.
•What is interdisciplinarity not?
As I am learning what Interdisciplinarity is, I definitely know that Interdisciplinarity is not as simple as I thought before I got into this program. It is definitely more complex than just selecting some interesting disciplines.
•Who do you know who has an interdisciplinary profession? If you can't think of someone personal, discuss someone famous.
The one person that I can think of that has an Interdisciplinary profession is my dad. He is retired now, but as a pharmacist and a business owner he had to be behind the counter and manage his own stores. He had to dispense, do the accounting, manage employees, order inventory, and more. Without being able to accomplish any of these duties the business would suffer.
•How are you integrating your disciplines, or are you?
My disciplines are anthropology, health services administration and women’s studies. Sometime in the distant future I would love to work with a women’s organization, or a women’s clinic, or somewhere where I get to help other women. I can see integrating all my disciplines in many of these areas quite well. I’m sure as I get deeper into studying these disciplines I will be able to see the integration much better.
After you’ve answered the above questions, consider this: in the very first blog post back in Week 1, you analyzed two pictures (a smoothie and a fruit salad) and explained how they are or are not good representations of interdisciplinarity. Now, come up with your own example! What would be a different metaphor you could use to explain interdisciplinary studies? Be creative, and make sure you’re giving an example of interdisciplinarity, not multidisciplinarity!
One thing I can think of is a house. To build a house you need to put up walls, have a roof, install a door and windows. All these things come together to make the basic shell. Without the walls you cannot put up the roof, without a door you cannot get inside.
~Sara Lopez
I definitely agree with your what is not disciplinary. To be honest when I first signed up for the program I had no idea what I was getting into all I know it was a way to get done quickly. As you said this program is more than just choosing disciplines. And now that I am actually learning what this program is about I wish someone would have told me about it sooner. Then I could have choosen different disciplines that better that mesh better.
Delete- Zenya Moreira
Hi Sara,
DeleteLet me just start by saying thank you for your sacrifice as a military wife. It must be very difficult to be separated from your husband, so thank you! Our country could not be safe without people like you and your husband.
I think your example about cooking with your son is a great example of an interdisciplinary approach to an everyday activity. Not only are you pulling from multiple disciplines (math, science, culinary) to teach your son about cooking, but also, by providing your son with a tangible experience, he will be able to better to grasp, otherwise abstract math concepts. Not to mention the extra benefit of spending time with mom!
-Lauren Stroup
Sara,
ReplyDeleteGood point on the example of you teaching your son. This is a great interdisciplinary example to everyday to day life tools. Not only is he learning to be an abstract thinker he is also learning basic survival skills. In the long runs he is learning how two make useful all the information he learns and how to integrate them into everyday life, social and critical skills.
Sandy Cilliac
I am still trying to figure out on a daily basis how my interdisciplinary is used on a daily basis. As of lately I am so busy with classes from each of my 3 areas that it is hard to decide where they are morphing together. Interdisciplinary not a “replacement” or “settle for less” major which is what I have heard from some people. It is not random areas of study for the sake of wanting to take different courses. An interdisciplinary occupation can easily be seen in the life of an actor. Take Angelina Jolie for example. She is an artist, performer but which those talents she has fame. Her fame has allowed her to be involved with charities as well as being a spokes person for ethical issues and problems in other countries. One could also say she is a business woman in regards to how she manages her money from the fame and where it goes to the work she does outside of acting.
ReplyDeleteWhen I looked at the areas that I am focusing on which are Marketing, Mass Communications and Political Science I knew that the marketing and communication go hand in hand. Marketing to the masses and learning the tools from mass media marketing are pretty self explanatory. As for the political science portion I believe if you can understand how the government works and how the system works one can understand how a business works and how to deal with people in sometimes a corrupt field.
Interdisciplinary studies are like a tiered wedding cake. The bottom layer is your main focus for me that would be the marketing field since that is what I am most interested in and I believe I understand the best. So there I have my foundation. The second layer is the mass communications tier. This is my second area that I understand and just have niche for. Building on top of the marketing tier this allows my cake to grow higher and more developed. The top tier is political science and it is the smallest portion. It is still important and completes the cake but because its smaller what it offers is harder to integrate with the others. The fundamentals and concepts it teaches are similar to one in the business world along with mass communication and marketing.
Cayce Connolly
Cayce,
DeleteI think you will find your meaning of your degree, when you are about to be finished. That is what happened to me.I like your example of how IDS is like a wedding cake. I think you should know that all majors have a system that can co-inside with one another. I think that the areas of studies you choose are fine and will work good in the real world.
Good luck,
Sam
I really like your example of interdisciplinary studies. The wedding cake is perfect describe all your disciplines and how they connect. I didn't think about Angelina Jolie that way. She does all these different things, but in the end they all integrate. When you keep going further on with your education you will see how each of your disciplines work together to solve future issues.
DeleteInterdisciplinarity is vital in my daily life situations. As a paraprofessional (teacher assistant), I have the duty to recognize problems when being given. For example, just a couple of days ago I had a situation that consisted of my current knowledge of how to integrate several disciplines an it felt good knowing I had solved a situation. Many people use interdisciplinarity in their daily lives without knowing it. Interdisciplinarity is something we might see on TV or even hear on the radio.
ReplyDeleteInterdisciplinarity is not many things such as it’s not only about one academic discipline. It’s not involving two professions. I think someone who continues their education with interdisciplinary studies should really know what it consist of and how that person can put it into work as a career.
Someone who has interdisciplinary professions is my cousin Henry. He lives in New York as a fireman, paramedic, and now a private investigator. He has all of these disciplines that are being combined with each other to act as one. The knowledge he has is great because he can understand many different things and put them into action.
Yes, I am integrating my disciplines according to what I have learned recently. Before I didn’t know what interdisciplinary was and or even existed, but now I can understand to the point that I can see the bigger picture through the views of the disciplines.
One thing that popped into my head as interdisciplinarity is making a sandwich. With one slice of meat and another of cheese including the bead will make one whole sandwich. Interdisciplinarity is about two or more elements and that’s why making a sandwich would be a good metaphor because were combing the meat, cheese, and bread and coming up with one outcome which is a sandwich.