My Love Letter to Interdisciplinary Studies
I arrived to my orientation at Plymouth State University, and was told by one of the Communications professors that the Interdisciplinary Studies (IDS) program would be a better fit for me. That’s when everything changed for me academically.
In short, the IDS program at PSU, allows students to self-design their own majors, by combining different disciplines together. I was able to create a Sports Communication major, which was approved by my college’s IDS council. There’s several steps before this, and one of those is taking a interdisciplinary studies course that goes over what exactly we major in.
If I’m being honest, I wasn’t exactly sure what this course would be like. I had a friend who was also an IDS major, and she took this class. She told me it was a lot of independent reading, and there were blog posts, but other than that I wasn’t sure what I was walking into. I wasn’t expecting to learn so much about interdisciplinary studies, but I can understand now why knowing so much is so important.
Prior before taking this course and becoming an IDS major, I did look up the definition. I figured it may be nice to know what my major meant. I defined it before taking this class, that it was when you took multiple disciplines, and blended them together to create a new discipline. Boy did I underestimate.
My understanding of IDS has advanced greatly. Before, I understood it as just a simple one sentence definition. Now, I’ve learned the history of it, why it has become such an important part of higher education curriculum, and all the complex parts and layers to IDS. I learned that “interdisciplinary studies” isn’t just a fancy name for wanting to create your own major, or discipline. It’s about combining different disciplines together, to create a new one, and to take different perspectives from these different disciplines to better problem solve. I am able to take the perspective I get from my sports management classes, and bring them to my communications classes. I have different approaches on problems, that other more traditional students do not have.
My program, Sports Communication, relies heavily on IDS theories, and ways of thinking. One of the biggest ones is the Perspective Taking theory. I am able to take the different perspectives I get in my three different disciplines, and apply them to my other fields of study. Marketing students have a different approach to work than Communication students. My background in both fields will be useful. All IDS students become better critical thinkers, and this is another important part. We have a different approach on problems, which enables us to become better problem solvers as well. We look at the entire picture rather than just a small part of it.
Another IDS theory that my program relies on is the Common Ground theory. It’s important to relate different problems to yourself, and what you are studying. Finding the common ground between your different disciplines, for me communications, sports management, and marketing, is essential to becoming a better critical thinker, and IDS student.
As Ethan Kleinberg said in his article called, Interdisciplinary Studies at a Crossroads, “interdisciplinarity has risen as the best model for a dominant education.”
Interdisciplinary studies is becoming more important in universities across the country. I can see that here at PSU, with the addition of academic “clusters.” Many other universities are implicating the same ideas, and paving the way for interdisciplinary learning. All of this matters because, the job market has become increasingly more competitive, and so has higher learning. It has become more important than ever to integrate our disciplines, so college graduates have more of a diverse background.
The world needs interdisciplinary studies. Especially for research, today’s world has become very complex. There has to be an interdisciplinary approach to solving these problems. For an example, global warming, calls for an IDS approach. Biologists, environmentalists, and even philosophers are all needed to find research for global warming. The world needs IDS so we can become better critical thinkers, world problem solvers, and more diverse learners and teachers.
I have a lot of hopes for my future. I hope that the rest of my years at PSU are successful, academically and socially. I hope that I can mentor other students coming into PSU who are looking at an IDS degree, and help them find what they really want to do. I have always had ambitious goals professionally. I want to work for a professional sports team, or a competitive collegiate sports team. I hope to progress in my job, and field, and keep improving. I hope to become a better person. By this I mean, I hope that my ideas are more diverse, and I’m able to become a better critical thinker. I think these things will improve, thanks to my IDS education here at PSU.
I hope that IDS grows. Not just at PSU, but beyond as well. I can already see that it is more universities are implementing interdisciplinary studies programs, and ideals. I hope that the IDS major grows at PSU. I’d like to see the major be brought to more students’ attention, and for it to really be noticed. Don’t get me wrong, I love our IDS program, but I find many students don’t know what it is, or know its here. I hope we are able to change that, and make it a better known major. I think this needs to go beyond just students as well; professors should be made more aware of the program, especially those that advise students.
The IDS program here at PSU is very progressive, and current. I can see that more and more students are becoming IDS majors, and creating their own majors. This is exciting to see, and I hope this trend continues. I hope that we are able to implement a mentoring program here at PSU. Thinking back on the month or so when I was applying to the program, I wish I had someone there to help me out, and advise me.
Interdisciplinary studies has helped me tremendously. I have a great love for my major. I put my heart and soul into it, and it shows. I take great pride in it, and what I’m doing here at PSU. I hope more students are able to find what they are truly looking for in a future career, and I hope they find that in IDS like I have.
