General information:
You will be asked about one of the three topics below; you will know which at the time of the exam.
Open book exam (you may bring just about anything: book, pdfs, class notes, research notes, etc.)
- Follow the 6 steps of the Repko's Broad Model as you organize your answer.
- Remember the golden rule of interdisciplinarity: awareness (and suspension) of collective and personal bias, perspective, and contextual thinking. Do not get personally involved or take sides for one discipline or another.
- Do some research on each topic before you begin. Again, remember that you will not become an expert; the goal is to know enough to be able to choose disciplines and find common ground between them.
1. The Israeli-Arab conflict (also known as the Arab-Israeli conflict)
Research question: What could be done that has not yet been attempted to create a more comprehensive understanding of this conflict and a better chance at a sustained containment of violence?
Begin by stating the reasons why the question is complex. Assuming that an interdisciplinary team of experts engaged in achieving such an understanding would be more likely to succeed than politicians alone, what disciplines would you bring to the table other than Political Science? Thinking of the perspectives, insights, assumptions, etc. of each discipline, what might they contribute and concede? How might they find common ground? How would this approach improve on disciplinary approaches?
2. Gun laws in the US
Research question: Given the increasing number of deaths from guns among civilians in the US, the increasing rate of gun purchase, the increasing military nature of these guns, and the polarization of positions on this issue, how might the situation be improved by gathering an interdisciplinary group of professionals and thinkers to work together to reduce the number of victims?
Begin by stating the reasons why the question is complex. Which disciplines would you bring to to the table? Thinking of the perspectives, insights, assumptions, etc. of each discipline, what would they contribute and concede? How might they find common ground? How would this approach improve on disciplinary approaches?
3. Women's rights
Research question (question raised by one student in class): As students, you exchange views with women from countries and regions where they have few to no political, social, or personal rights: rights to self-expression, access to education and health, and participation in public life, for example. You find it difficult to understand these women and you have a serious wish to improve deeper communication with them. How would you attempt to achieve this goal?
If you were able to gather together a group of experts from different disciplines that could throw light on this issue, who (which disciplines) would you choose? Thinking of the perspectives, insights, assumptions, etc. of each discipline, what would they contribute and concede? How might common ground be found? How would this approach improve on disciplinary approaches? How might this improve communication with your peers? (Again, is this a complex question, and why?)