When They Go Low, We Go High Article Discussion
Using the starred (*) reading for that day, 1) identify what you think is the author’s argument, 2) as well as 2 or three supporting points they include. 3) Cite the page and paragraph number for each. 4) What do you think their research questions might have been? How do they analyze their data/artifact (this will be descriptive to start and more precise as we learn about FRC and other methods of analysis). 250-300 words
Disciplinary MAPS Project
Disciplinary MAPS Assignment Introduction
I HAVE SELECTED THE DISCIPLINES 1. COMMUNICATIONS 2. MARKETING
It’s critical, if you hope to become an effective interdisciplinary thinker, that you have an appreciation for (and some background in) more than one discipline/area. It’s also critical that you have the skills to effectively analyze, synthesize, and learn important discipline- specific information – across multiple disciplines.
The Disciplinary MAPS assignment guides you through a thorough investigation of TWO DISCIPLINES (generally your two concentration areas – although Organizational Leadership students may pick Organizational Leadership AND one other discipline of interest) by providing you with an opportunity to investigate/research key characteristics of these TWO disciplines.
Here are a couple of important things that you may need to consider:
If “Business” is one of your concentration areas, you must pick one specific business-related discipline (i.e., marketing, finance, operations, business economics, leadership/management, etc.) for that map. Understand that “business” isn’t a discipline – it’s more of an “umbrella” that has a number discipline underneath).
Foreign languages may be difficult to conceptualize for this type of assignment. Students who have a foreign language as one of their concentration areas generally attack this assignment in one of three ways:
o You can use a cultural focus. For example, for “Spanish” you might look into Hispanic cultural studies. Here you’ll find plenty of textbooks and research/journals that should allow you to collect the kinds of information I’m looking for.
o You can use a linguistics focus. For example, ideas associated with the structure, history, interpretation and application of languages in general, and your chosen language, in particular. Linguistics is a well-established discipline with plenty of literature.
o You can use an educational focus. For example, ideas associated with how to teach / learn foreign languages – like ESL. You should be able to find plenty of good information for this assignment using this focus as well – although you’re mainly probing in a sub-field of the discipline of Education.
Please contact me ASAP if you are having difficulty figuring this out. This is not an assignment that you want to procrastinate on – it will take a considerable amount of time and effort to develop each of your maps!
Why It’s Important
The MAPS Assignment will give you an opportunity to explore the epistemologies of each of your disciplines of interest/concentration areas, reconnect with your passions and interests in these fields, and lay the foundation for integrative thinking. Many students find that this assignment is what really gets them thinking about their disciplines in a holistic manner. You may find that, for the first time so far in your education, you really understand what these disciplines/areas are “all about.” In fact, I would venture to say that, by really doing a thorough job on your MAPS, you’ll be able to talk more intelligently about your disciplines/areas of interest than a typical recent graduate from those disciplines!
By investigating and learning (or relearning) key ideals, concepts, theories, research directions, and methodologies of your disciplines/areas, you’re embarking on a critical first step toward the successful integration of knowledge across disciplinary boundaries. And the notion of integration is really what interdisciplinarity is all about! There’s really no way around it – the MAPS assignments are the critical first step in developing a foundation for interdisciplinary studies.
Disciplinary MAPS Assignment Instructions
Research information for each of your concentration areas/disciplines of interest. This means you will be answering each of the prompts within the assignment twice – once for each of the two disciplines/areas you are investigating.
Use the headings/prompts within the assignment as section headings in your paper (see the “MAPS Assignment Template”), and be sure to address each of the prompts thoroughly. Think critically – plan on a minimum of 4 pages (12-point font/double spaced) for each of your areas to fully develop your answers.
Also, please DO NOT be tempted to head to Wikipedia (or any other online source) and “copy and paste” what you think might be appropriate responses to the prompts. Your work should be in your own words, and each prompt should draw from at least a couple of different sources – which you clearly identify in the body of your paper.
IMPORTANT!!!
Prior to getting started on this assignment, be sure to carefully review the following additional information/learning tools designed to help you get the most out of your MAPS Assignment:
Read through the full assignment description. Be clear on what this assignment asks of you.
MAPS Assignment Template – Use this template in order to be sure your work is formatted properly.
MAPS Assignment Grading Rubric – Examine this rubric in order to be clear on how you will be graded.
Concepts and Theories Examples for MAPS Assignment – Examine this document in order to get a better idea of the nature of concepts and theories if need be.
Interdisciplinary Studies Library Resources — These resources were specifically put together by ASU’s library to assist you with completing the MAPS assignment. IDS 301 Disciplinary Maps (Links to an external site.)
Organizational Studies Library Resources — These resources have been put together specifically for students in the Organizational Studies program. IDS 301 Organizational Studies (Links to an external site.)
Disciplinary MAPS Assignment
Please note that you will answer the questions, below, for TWO different disciplines.
1) Description of Discipline / Subject Matter
What specific factors contributed to the formation of this discipline/area? What are some of the broad concerns that this discipline/area addresses? What types of subjects is this discipline/area concerned with?
2) Sub-fields Within the Discipline
How is this discipline/area divided or segmented? Describe the structure of this discipline/area from an academic perspective and from a practitioner perspective. Can the sub-fields of this discipline/area be broken down further into smaller areas of specialization? Carefully describe the purpose, goal, or end-in-view of each sub-field. What specific concerns do each sub-field address?
Hint: For these first two Disciplinary MAPS prompts; introductory textbooks are great places to go to find this information. Also, be sure to check out ASU (and other universities) to see how individual schools / departments describe their respective disciplines…
3) Key Concepts
All fields use concepts (ideas or principles or axioms or rules — terms that describe specific phenomena within a field). List and carefully describe at least five concepts associated with this field and comment on how clearly each is defined. Are any of these concepts defined (or quantified) differently by different people/across disciplines?
Tip: Textbooks are full of concepts. Courses that you took in your concentration areas no doubt covered many concepts. What are some of the key concepts associated with this field?
4) Current Theories
Theories explain or predict why something happens the way it happens (if “x” – then “y”). You can also think of theories as models or explanatory framework that someone hypothesized (and probably tested) to try to make sense of some phenomenon. For example, Abraham Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs” (which some of you may be familiar with) is an example of a theory. List and carefully describe at least three theories associated with this field.
Tip: Be sure you understand what concepts and theories are – and choose concepts and theories to discuss that you believe are representative of each of the disciplines/areas you are exploring (as opposed to concepts/theories borrowed from other disciplines)! Standard textbooks are good places to find this information – concepts and theories are usually highlighted and described – and are therefore relatively easy to pick out. Try to stick with discrete concepts and “meaty” theories versus axioms or “rules of thumb” for your showcased theories.
5) Academic Journals
Describe at least two academic journals associated with this field. Academic Journals are peer-reviewed publications where researchers publish current research (and methodological procedures/process) in their disciplines/areas. Discuss the nature of each publication and its intended audience.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Please note that I am asking for you to describe the academic journals themselves (i.e., “Journal of Human Communication”) – NOT specific articles that you will read within the journals (which is what you’ll be looking into more deeply in sections 7 and 8 below).
6) Professional / Academic Associations
List the names (and web site links) of two professional and/or academic associations pertaining to the discipline/area. Describe each of these associations in terms of their purpose and characteristics.
7) Research Questions
What are scholars involved in this discipline/area trying to find out? Share several relevant and timely questions that academic researchers are currently investigating in this field. Be sure to provide specific examples of research questions from recent academic journals (and indicate/cite the journal where you found this research).
8) Research Methods / Techniques
What methods or techniques do researchers use to answer their research questions? Methods are established ways of gathering information or data. Different disciplines use different types of qualitative and/or quantitative research methods. A survey is one example of a method.
Briefly describe several current studies (articles) from within your chosen discipline/area that you have reviewed in academic journals (again, indicate/cite the journal where you found this research). Comment on the strengths and/or weaknesses associated with the research methods you are describing.