Interdisciplinary studies and research have become increasingly essential in today’s world as complex problems require approaches from multiple disciplines to solve them. While disciplinary research does allow for a lot of information and problem solving on various topics, as you discovered while working on your problem statements, sometimes problems or topics are so complex that they cannot be viewed through a single disciplinary lens. In this research paper, you will explore the value of interdisciplinary studies and interdisciplinary research and they can be applied to a specific topic of your choice. Please feel free to work with the topic you liked most while completing your problem statements, or to come up with a new one. You want to make sure that your topic is one that justifies interdisciplinary research, has multiple disciplines you could look at and that make sense for you to look at as you investigate the topic, and is one that you could research give the time and resources you have.
The paper should address the following:
1). What is interdisciplinary research, and how does it differ from traditional disciplinary research?
2). Identify a topic that requires an interdisciplinary approach to fully understand and solve.
3). What are the benefits and challenges of interdisciplinary research in general and for the topic you want to look at? Some challenges can include communication barriers, the need for a shared vocabulary, and the differences in methodology and research culture
4). Select at least two disciplines that you think are relevant to the topic. Explain why you chose those disciplines and how they are related to the topic.
5). Conduct research on your chosen topic and the disciplines you have identified. Discuss the strengths and limitations of each discipline’s approach to your topic. You will be doing a literature review that will help with a lot of this.
6). Using your research, explain how an interdisciplinary approach to your topic is superior to disciplinary approach. Discuss the benefits of integrating multiple disciplines, including a broader perspective, a better understanding of the complexity of the problem, and more creative and innovative solutions.
Ultimately you are going to be writing an argument in which you introduce the topic/problem of
your choice and make the case for why interdisciplinary studies is needed and beneficial. You
will want to make sure to address everything listed above, but do not want to just address them
point by point. Instead create a well-written essay that introduces the topic of interdisciplinary
studies and its value, sets up your problem/topic as an example, provides background information on your topic, chosen disciplines, etc., and outlines three or so points that argue why/how an interdisciplinary approach would be superior to a disciplinary approach.
Your research paper should be 8-10 pages long and should include an introduction, problem statement, use of information and sources from your literature review, body/argument with research (at least 6 sources), conclusion, and works cited page.
Grading Criteria:
1). Identification of a relevant topic that requites an interdisciplinary approach.
2). Selection of appropriate disciplines for the topic.
3). Demonstration of knowledge of the chosen topic, disciplines, and their methodologies.
4). Analysis of the strengths and limitations for disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to
the chosen topic.
5). Identification of the benefits of interdisciplinary studies and research.
6). Discussion of the challenges of interdisciplinary studies and research.
7). Clear and concise writing, proper use of APA or MLA style, and appropriate citations.
