Interdisciplinary Research & Writing and Communication
Interdisciplinary research differs from regular research in that, unlike many other college majors, it is not neatly boxed or organized. Like all real life issues, the interdisciplinary focuses on the holistic, enmeshed issues within one issue, how they relate, and how it can be solved. To effectively communicate this approach, one needs to be highly skilled in writing and communication, which this page will focus on showing that I am.
On My Way
A brief about my research, writing, and communication skills
Within my academic career, my skills in research, writing, and communication have all improved drastically. With my time at University of Washington, my interdisciplinary research skills have even further improved. Noting the difference between “regular” research and interdisciplinary research is that interdisciplinary encompasses more of the “big picture” when it comes to solving issues. Understanding that lived-world issues are not simple, it would not be in anyone’s best interest to solely look at an issue through a lens of business, technology, or even psychology – these along with many other subjects must be analyzed to solve an issue most efficiently. Communicating the rounded, interdisciplinary approach can be even more of a challenge. Anyone could read 5 articles from different subject specialists, but it takes practice and skill to collide these subject analyses into an all-encompassing interdisciplinary analysis. Well communicated and well written analyses should have it so that even those ignorant to the problem should understand the problem both quantitatively and qualitatively. Evidence will be provided to suggest that I hold the ability to do so.
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I first point to my research paper titled, American Education and Its Inefficiency for the Future of Labor with Special Consideration to Disadvantaged Groups written Spring of 2020. This topic was given in a class focusing on the future of labor as technology advances. Things such as automation replacing workers, gig jobs, and debate around companies such as Uber not classifying those who work with them as employees of theirs. This paper encompassed the history of education in the United States, education policy from the 1630s to current day, social structure changes and its impacts on education, technology, fiscal policy, and macroeconomics. Examples of subject collision can be found throughout the paper, one compounded example is found in the conclusion, “as time had passed and technology has advanced, public education has not evolved far enough to adequately prepare or provide for the future of labor and those who will partake in it”. Noting how technology has advanced, yet policy has not, leading to inadequacies in the labor market. This paper had been communicated thoroughly with clear writing as pertained by one of the five core learning objectives of students in interdisciplinary majors, “IAS students develop their writing and communication abilities by advancing an awareness of the interconnected relationships between purpose, audience, author and context”. My research paper had the audience of my professor; but was also purposed towards anyone looking for an explanation to a few issues such as wealth and education gaps as well as the rise of gig careers.
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Another example of interdisciplinary research, communication, and writing is my paper Analysis of Media Coverage of the 1976 Presidential Election written Autumn of 2020. The purpose of the paper was to compare the differences between the 2020 presidential election and another election, I chose the 1976 election between former president Jimmy Carter and contender and former Vice President Gerald Ford. The topic tied in subjects surrounding history, policy, media perception and its consequences, and social research. An example of tying some these topics together can be seen as, “wherein [Ford] was applauded for having said no to an interview with playboy (Perlstein). This hurt Carter’s outcome as some evangelical Christians no longer saw him a ‘born again, homely, southern Christian’”. The media coverage of Carter’s interview with Playboy was not just an article in the newspaper – it had ramifications in polls, viewpoints, and social understandings of acceptable behavior given the era. The paper exemplifies quality writing in that while fulfilling the page requirements between minimum and maximum, the paper is organized to accurately and succinctly describe the perception of Ford, then Carter, then compare them to the 2020 Presidential Election and where American morals stood and stand and how this affects elections.