Interdisciplinary Writing Assignment
Interdisciplinary Writing Assignment
During this course, you are required to complete an interdisciplinary writing assignment for 15% of your overall grade.
I have identified 5 topics from the first half of the course that you can choose to write your essay about. Each topic has its own unique set of interdisciplinary perspectives and sources of material. You must select one of the five topics listed below (Scarcity, Taxation, GDP, Economic Growth, and The Labor Force) and one of the available perspectives from an alternative discipline. Then, write a 3-5 page (double spaced) essay answering the reflection question for that topic.
For example:
You may select to write your paper on the topic of Scarcity. Then, choose one of the three alternative perspectives (sociology and political science, ethics and public health, or psychology) and answer the reflection question:
"In our class, scarcity is presented as a fundamental part of the world we live in. Do you believe scarcity is an unavoidable part of life, or a hurdle to be overcome? Use insights from your chosen alternative field and information presented in class to answer the question."
Please be sure to answer the reflection question based on the perspective of only one chosen alternative perspective alongside the material you learned from the point of view of economics during my class. A list of materials (videos, articles, podcasts, etc) is presented to you for each topic and alternative perspective, but you can feel free to include additional materials that you find on your own.
The goal of this assignment is for you to integrate knowledge from multiple academic disciplines into one cohesive essay. A successful essay will not just compare/contrast the different perspectives of a topic within economics and an alternative field of study. Instead, the essay will discuss how the chosen alternative field can contribute to the economic understanding of a topic or idea, how the economic understanding may be preferred in some contexts but limited in others, and how the inclusion of alternative perspectives shapes your understanding of the course material.
Often these reflection questions ask that you express an opinion or belief about a topic we have learned in class. I want to be clear that I am not seeking a "correct" answer to these reflection questions, and I will only be evaluating an essay based on how successfully the knowledge between economics and the chosen alternative perspective are discussed and integrated.
The drop down menus below will help you explore the topics available for writing your essay. There you can find a list and quick summary of the alternative disciplinary perspectives you can write about. Within this quick summary, there is a link you can follow to a webpage dedicated to that specific topic. On this page you will be able to access the necessary materials to write your essay. I encourage you to explore multiple potential topics and perspectives, choosing whichever one you feel the most personally interested in .
I am available to chat about the essay any time in my office hours (www.calendly.com/gardn366) or over email. I am also happy to read early outlines/drafts of the essay. The tentative final due date is March 30th. Turn your essay in via email.
Explore the following alternative disciplinary perspectives on scarcity:
Sociology and Political Science
Ethics and Public Health
Psychology
Learn about the scarcity loop in healthcare settings, artificial scarcity and NFTs, how scarcity creates social unrest, what effects a "scarcity mindset" has on our everyday life, and more. Discuss in your essay what position scarcity has in our world. Is it a fundamental and unavoidable part of life? A hurdle to be overcome? An evil to be vanquished? Visit the page on scarcity here.
Explore the following alternative disciplinary perspectives on taxation:
Political Science
Philosophy
History
Learn about taxing the rich, is taxation theft, taxes and the racial wealth gap, the distributional effects of popular tax policies and more. Discuss in your essay if we can say that tax policies communicate the values of a nation or government and to what extent. Visit the page on taxation here.
Explore the following alternative disciplinary perspectives on GDP:
History
Sociology and Public Policy
Learn about how GDP relates to other measures of welfare, the rise and fall of GDP over time, competing expert opinions on the efficacy of the GDP measure, what alternative measures exist, and more. Discuss in your essay your own informed opinion about the appropriateness of GDP as a welfare metric. Visit the page on GDP here.
Explore the following alternative disciplinary perspectives on economic growth:
History
Public Health
Environmental Science
Learn about the economic history of the world, economic growth and slavery in the US South, public health benefits and limitations of economic growth, economic growth and environmental sustainability, and more. Discuss in your essay the costs/benefits of sustained economic growth. Do you believe we should always be striving to grow? Visit the page on economic growth here.
Explore the following alternative disciplinary perspectives on the labor force:
Sociology
Psychology
Learn about sex work and the considerations of legitimate labor, the Marxian perspective of estranged labor, the lasting effects of unemployment periods, the psychological effects of working, and more. Discuss in your essay how appropriate our current metric of unemployment is for describing the health of the overall economy. Visit the page on the labor force here.