IDS 201 Elements Disciplines Pt 2

Now, the next key
element that you'll

find in any academic
discipline are concepts.

And concepts are a construction
or invention in language

that represents a phenomenon
or an abstract idea generalized

from particular instances.

And what you need to know
is that we invent concepts.

Concepts don't exist in
nature by themselves.

And each discipline has
created a large number

of concepts that
act, in many ways,

as the language of
that discipline.

So if you want to
understand what

the scholars in your
areas of study are saying,

you've got to
learn the concepts.

So here are some examples.

In biology, which is the study
of life and the natural world,

a central concept in
biology is a cell.

Cells are the basic unit
to understanding life.

Another example.

In history, a central concept is
change or continuity over time.

And so if you can
grasp that concept,

you get a sense of how
historians approach the world

and how they try to
analyze the world.

And for those of you
who study economics,

what's the central
concept in economics?

Yep.

You guessed it--
supply and demand.

Supply and demand are
very basic concepts

of economics as a discipline.

So when you research
for the areas

of study paper, you
want to ask, what

are the basic concepts
in the disciplines you

are investigating?

If you're not able to
identify the basic concepts

of the disciplines
you're studying,

you won't be able to understand
the discipline at all.

And on top of that,
I also want you

to strive to go beyond
the obvious concepts

if you can, because the more
disciplinary concepts that you

can recognize and understand,
the more knowledgeable

you'll be and the easier it will
be for you to understand what

experts in your
areas of the study

are saying and also writing.

Now, concepts are the most
fundamental building blocks

of any theory.

And this is the next
defining element

of an academic discipline.

And a theory here refers
to a generalized scholarly

explanation about some aspect
of the natural or human world,

how it works, and
why specific facts

are related that are supported
by data and research.

In short, theories
explain something.

They explain a general
or universal phenomenon,

usually by identifying
relationships between concepts.

Many of you are already
familiar with theory.

So you have theory of
relativity, the Big Bang

theory, theories about race,
and Maslow's hierarchy of needs,

for example.

And most importantly,
what I want

you to understand about theory
at this point in your IDS

career is that it's
absolutely critical

to the interdisciplinary
research

process for three main reasons.

The first is that
it's a major component

of what any discipline is.

And what I mean by that is
that it's virtually impossible

to conduct research in any
discipline on any topic

and not have to deal with
or encounter some theory.

It's just not possible.

So you will encounter it as
you progress as an IDS major.

The second reason
is that theory is

so fundamental to
disciplinary scholarship.

And so if you can know the
basics of theories and schools

of thought within
your areas of study,

you'll be able to
better understand what

each scholar is trying to say.

And finally, the third reason
is that disciplinary insights

are rooted in theories.

Theories help scholars
produce insights

into a specific problem.

And you'll eventually
have to do the same.

Now, that doesn't mean
you're going to have

to create your own theories.

It just means that
you'll rely on theories

to make your arguments as well.

And when you're investigating
theories, if you look closely,

you'll notice that many
scholars in your areas of study

are basing their arguments and
claims on the same theories.

And it's not always
visible, but it's there.

It's like one of my
dissertation advisors

used to tell me about theory.

Theory is like underwear--

you have to have it, but
you don't need to show it.

And yes, that's correct.

I am asking you to identify and
find out what type of underwear

each scholar is wearing.

And the final defining
element of any discipline--

methods.

And methods refers
to how one conducts

research, analyzes
data or evidence,

tests theories, and
creates new knowledge.

There's an underlying logic
to how disciplinarians

go about creating
new knowledge that's

quite different than
how interdisciplinarians

go about it.

In essence, each discipline
has their own ideas

about how to best
investigate a problem

and to find or gather evidence
to support their arguments.

So for example, all scholars
in the natural sciences

use the scientific method.

But for many of you, as well as
for many other areas of study,

you'll rely on quantitative
and qualitative methods.

And so quantitative
methods refers

to evidence that can be
expressed numerically

over a specified time
frame, so the number

of molecules or the number
of people living in poverty.

So when you think quantitative,
think quantity, or numbers.

As for qualitative methods,
qualitative methods include

an analysis of evidence and data
that cannot be easily measured

in numbers.

So for example, any kind
of cultural expression

or a personal experience
of racism or sexism.

You can't necessarily measure
those things in numbers.

And so how would you
go about analyzing it?

You would have to use
qualitative methods,

such as an interview.

So in your areas of
study paper, you'll

be asked what research
methods are used to carry out

research in your discipline.

Does the discipline
use qualitative

or quantitative
research methods?

When does it use
quantitative and when does it

use qualitative?

So these are the
kind of questions

that you'll need to be able
to answer before you can truly

understand how researchers
in a particular discipline

conduct research.

And it's not an easy task,
which is why the IDS program has

actually devoted an
entire course, IDS

240, Interdisciplinary
Research Methods, to exploring

and analyzing various
research methods

available to interdisciplinary
study scholars.

So to conclude.

Knowing the elements
of discipline

is extremely
important because when

you start the interdisciplinary
research process,

you start by choosing a topic.

But especially when you have
to identify common ground

to achieve integration--

this is going to be the
topic for module four--

at least one of
these elements will

serve as your foundation in
which you will then integrate

to create new knowledge.

So don't beat
yourself up right now

if these elements are really
fuzzy or confusing to you.

The areas of study assignment
will help you tremendously,

if you do it right, in grasping
what each of these elements

mean, but also how
they characterize

the culture of your
chosen disciplines.

And finally, also remember that
sorting out and identifying

the elements of a
discipline does not

mean that the disciplines
themselves don't change

or that they're static.

Always keep in mind that the
disciplines are constantly

changing their dynamic,
and their borders

and the boundaries that
define the disciplines

are porous and flexible,
just like any culture.