Hello Cornerstone Students,
We hope that all of you have gotten off to a good start. It can be overwhelming and exciting at the same time. Once you settle into the process and the understanding behind Cornerstone it will be a great aid in helping you focus and organize your thought processes behind Interdisciplinary Studies.
The concept this week will be integration. When you chose your areas and your minor what were your thoughts behind your choices? Probably for some of you, it was what you felt comfortable with and or liked? For some, it may well have been picking what sounded good. Whatever the reason, it is a good idea to start thinking and analyzing how your areas will integrate and what your ultimate goal is.
My areas of study are Letters and Languages and Health. My minors are Sociology and Health Sciences. I started out with one minor in Sociology but last year added Health Sciences. So I have been asking myself how do these areas work together? What does Spanish, Sociology and Health Sciences have to do with each other? Well, it's interesting because just last week I started having more of a feel for what I can do to integrate these areas?
I happened to go downtown Orlando with my husband and four children. My 14 year old needed to take pictures of architecture for her Creative Photography class. I had not been downtown in a very long time. It was a rude awakening for me because I had not seen or been aware of how much the homeless population had increased in our city. As a mom, I automatically became protective and scared for the safety of my children. My husband was busy looking for good camera shots for my daughter to take while I was trying to control myself from having a panic attack. Long story short, as we walked, thru the streets of downtown Orlando I was convicted about my attitude and also I felt so helpless. How could this crisis called homelessness have crept up on me?
Homelessness has been on my mind since. How do I integrate my studies to become a useful tool for the homeless? Sociology helps me to understand the human interaction in our society and the dysfunction that is caused when life takes a dreadful turn? How much of the homeless population is not English speaking which adds to their problem? If someone is homeless there is not a plan in place to stay healthy and under a doctor's care?
The following link will give you a glimpse of the ten year plan to end homelessness in our country:
http://www.endhomelessness.org/content/article/detail/2982
Click on it and select any number of cities in our country and get a feel for the urgency of this crisis.
I am developing my plan to achieve my goal of contributing to society with the integration of my areas and minors. Ask yourself the following questions and in 300 - 500 words post your response.
- How have or haven't you integrated your areas and minor?
- Why is integration of areas/minor important in terms of professional, academic, and/or personal developing?
- How can your areas/minors be better integrated?
After answering these questions, find a current news story and explain how it is interdisciplinary or what an interdisciplinary solution might be. Share your story and your thoughts. (Post using 150 - 250 words.)
Post a response to two other students.
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ReplyDeleteI am new to the IDS way of thinking. I currently have majors in Behavioral and Social Science and Life/Biomedical Science and my minor is in health. I am not sure how to begin to integrate the three into a career path or area but I think in some way since I like the Medical field and my backgroud has a good deal of medical related courses, it is my hope that I can find a way to integrate them nicely. I think that they all sort of go hand in hand in that society as a whole can benefit from Medical advancements and research about certain disorders, diseases, or conditions and in turn that all relates back to health anyway. So unless I am thinking wrong here, they seem to have that as a common ground. As for how I could integrate them into some sort of career path for the future, well that is where I have my biggest questions.
ReplyDeleteHow can I make them work together for me? In what way will they be useful in helping me achieve my goal of working virtually for a company? What other areas might open up to me by integrating these majors skillfully and with much consideration?
It is important to be able to answer these questions with confidence. I think it is important to integrate smoothly for academic, professional, and personal reasons. In regards to academics it would give you a more focused course of study so that you can fine tune your program to your needs professionally and personally. Of course you need to integrate them professionally so that you will be a more rounded individual with a clear and concise set of goals for your career path which in turn would be a result of your educational focus and personal goals. Of course personally it is always better to pursue something that you enjoy doing and also something that you have put a lot of yourself into because I think that will make it more worthwhile to you and you will of course be more interested in pursuing something which you have put a lot of effort into both personally and professionally.
I am not sure right now how I can better integrate my areas of study but I am hoping to gain some insight into just how I can do that by reading and taking suggestions from the capstone mentors to help me better understand my own goals and desires. In this way I will be able to better focus on what my personal and professional goals will be and in turn be able to put that to use as far as constructing an education plan for my IDS experience.
Lorri Cowart
Lori,
DeleteIt's great that you are thinking ahead about how your different areas can work together for you. They certainly sound relevant to eachother and easily linked to find a great career fit. I have found it beneficial to do research here and there to explore how my 3 areas can be applied in the working world. It is hard to have a perspective now of what our potential could be in the future. So I have found it interesting and helpful to broaden my perspective through simple online research.
Amanda Hofer
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DeleteLori,
DeleteI think maybe you should think about what interests you in the medical field. I am pursuing a career in dentistry so when I think about how my areas of study integrate together I always tie them into my goal of owning a dental practice. It makes it easier when you have one thing down for certain, then you can tie your disciplines onto that. Maybe try joining PPMS at UCF if you already haven't. Becoming a member of a medical organization integrates all of your disciplines I would say.
Just some thoughts, I was in your same boat a year ago so pin pointing what I really found interesting and taking a look at what careers in the medical field contained my interests helped a lot! I then chose my areas of study to reflect my interests I already had.
Hope you find answers to your questions!
-Charlotte Haught
I was thinking about doing just that. I am not even certain what is out there because there is so much more now than just doctors and nurses. I love anatomy and it has always been one of my best subjects. Medical terminology is something else that I excelled in. But I am not sure what careers would be good with those as my best performing subjects. I have to consider also what I would be able to do in England since that is where I want to go and live with my fiance. There is a lot of medical advancements going on in the UK. I would love to get in on some of that action.
DeleteLorri Cowart
Isn't it funny how "hard" it is to think in an interdisciplinary way? I had a hard time coming up with ways to become better integrated.
DeleteHello Lorri, like you I believe that my areas of study have a common ground but am not sure what I can do with them career wise. I know that I am personally interested in the disciplines I am studying - behavioral and social sciences, humanities, and women's studies, but I do not know what if any different career choices I will make upon completion. I really related to you when you said that it was important to be confident in how yours studies integrate and how that relates to you professionally.
DeleteI am also new to IDS and this way of thinking. It looks like we have close areas of study and both want to be in the medical field. I believe in order to be successful in the medical field we need to look at everything from the patients to the business aspect from many different disciplines. Every patient is different and we have to take many different things into consideration while trying to help them. Working more and more with this class I have already learned a lot and I believe after completing this class we will both be able to successfully use our interdisciplinary background in our everyday experiences.
DeleteCory Stoekel
http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/9-investigates-jeep-grand-cherokee-gas-tank-fires/nHX6G/
ReplyDeleteI think that this problem may be interdisciplinary. I would think it is because you have several different agencies working together to come up with a solution for the problem of exploding gas tanks in Jeep Grand Cherokee model vehicles. It would first involve the fire department because the problem is that the gas tanks catch on fire. Dozens of people have been killed or injured because of these faulty gas tanks. So the fire department would be the one investigating the cause of the explosion. Then there is also the manufacturer of the vehicle who will need to research the possibility of replacing the tank with something that works better and does not explode and what may have caused it to be defective in the first place. Also the transportation and safety board will be researching what the manufacturer is doing to make the vehicle safer for the general public and to make sure that any previous defects have been corrected and how they can be prevented in the future. So you have more than one agency looking into the problem and how to solve it so that they will be integrating their answers to come up with a viable solution for the gas tank problem.
I hope this is what you were referring to. This is where I get confused, trying to recognize interdisciplinary problems as such. I hope I at least got the right idea anyway. lol.
Lorri Cowart
Hello Lorri,
DeleteI think you're on the right path. I agree it is difficult to see interdisciplinarity in different situations. But by breaking it down the way you did it makes sense. I have found that if I look at interdisciplinarity the way that you view a tv forensic program it helps me to understand better.
For example, I love to watch Body of Proof. Everyone involved gives their account of the cause and motive behind the death of the victims. The doctor has her viewpoint, the police have theirs, and the police consultant has his. When you take all of their knowlege and experience they come up with a solution. I know that real life is more involved and intricate. But this helps me to put my ideas and areas of study into perspective. I am in the process (just like you and the other students) in trying to integrate my areas so that it makes sense and will direct me to a fulfilling career path. I believe this course will be very helpful to all of us.
Till next time,
Claudia
I also think you are on the right path. It is up to the fire department to document how these fires start and what types of vehicles. With consecutive incidents with the same make and model of car they need to contact the manufacturer and they need to relay it to the different dealerships and owners of these types of vehicles. People need to be conscious of the problem and act accordingly. This incorporates many different areas of study into this current event.
DeleteI also think you are on the right path. It is up to the fire department to document how these fires start and what types of vehicles. With consecutive incidents with the same make and model of car they need to contact the manufacturer and they need to relay it to the different dealerships and owners of these types of vehicles. People need to be conscious of the problem and act accordingly. This incorporates many different areas of study into this current event.
DeleteCory Stoekel
Interdisciplinary Studies is all about trying to tie different areas into the way you see something. With a Psychology and Physical Science major and minor in Life/Biomedical Sciences I am constantly thinking how these will all contribute to my future and the way I look at things. Im going to school to be a Physical Therapists in hopes to one day open my own practice. I believe I can integrate all these disciplines in my career because I want to help patients physically but also mentally and be a mentor to people. Also just running a business in the medical field I believe you need to observe each patient from many different disciplines to fully connect and understand them. Since I have begun the Interdisciplinary major I believe I have taken different things into perspective which before I probably would not have especially with this class and the proposal. I believe I could integrate my areas of study better and am still trying to get in the mind set of an interdisciplinary pro. Some of the comments I have gotten back from my worksheets are good examples that I can integrate my areas better but my mind does not automatically go there. The responses to my worksheets I agree with and I usually ask myself why I didn't think of that. In order to have a successful business in the medical field it is important to be able to look at both the patient side and the business side from many different areas so your not tunneling yourself down one single path. With the different areas of study it allows you to observe things differently and gain a better perspective of the issues around you. A professional in any field that works with the public needs to be on a business level with people but also integrate the personal aspect so the people feel like you actually care more than just taking their money.
ReplyDeleteAfter looking up some current events here at UCF I found an article titled, "UCF Budget Cuts Proposed at 35%, The Second Worst After USF." UCF proposed to cut budgets by $76.9 million dollars. I believe this is a great example of how this issue needs to be looked at from many different disciplines. The psychology aspect about this issue is we need to look at who this effects the most and how does it affect these people. A different aspect would be business and how this budget cut amount helps UCF and why are these steep budget cuts being proposed. These different aspects need to be addressed in order to come up with a reasonable budget cut that will weigh out both sides of the budget cut, the people who are benefiting from it and the people being affected by it. Research also needs to be done to see if budget cuts in the past were beneficial overall and if the budget cut is a reasonable amount.
Cory,
DeleteI also am studying Life/Biomedical Sciences however it is one of my major areas of study. I love to read other's posts that are interested in the medical field! Mainly because we can relate on so many levels from the crazy course load we have to getting to that big goal at the end - getting into graduate school! For me, that's dental school.
You were mentioning that you think as a professional you need to be on a business level with whomever your audience is. I agree, and I chose Leadership Studies as my minor so I could learn professionalism and leadership skills to incorporate into my practice someday.
I wish you lots of success in reaching your goal!
-Charlotte Haught
I like that it is a priority to relate to your patients. I worked for a doctor that didn't acheive the success he could have because of not being relatable. People were intimidated by him instead of being made to feel comfortable around him. He was too busy being "the smartest guy in the room". Good luck! P.S. I was just looking over some of the comments here, and I thought to myself "now why didn't I look at that that way". I know just what you mean!
DeleteGood Post.
DeleteTanveer Mia
I completely agree with the fact that you can't just open a business and expect to get money without being personable to your clients/patients! That is very key, people won't want to come back to someone who seems like they don't care about how they feel, no matter how smart you may be. I think you're doing a good thing by majoring in psychology to be able to help your patients mentally deal with physical recovery, that can be a very challenging thing on a patients behalf.
DeleteOne aspect you mentioned that I can not agree more on with you is the importance of addressing each patient as an individual. Especially with rehab I think connecting with patients on a personal level is very important. You have to be able to motivate, not just instruct. Having an understanding of concepts like the grieving process, I think, can be a great advantage.
DeleteSteven Bloom
Hey Cory!
ReplyDeleteSo you have a minor in Life/Biomedical and Physical Science as one of your majors. That sounds really interesting. I would love to know more about Physical Science. That sounds really interesting as well. I have had a love of the medical field ever since I was a little girl. I always wanted to be either a doctor or a nurse of some kind. At 50 though I am starting the latest and greatest chapter in my life....college and a fiance!
I have also been trying to figure things out with the proposal. I don't know if I have just convinced myself that I am confused to the point where I over think what we are doing or if I am genuinely just not sure of my footing in this new arena of study. I have never had to think in an abstract sort of way where so much we do is relied upon by what we think, how we feel, and our intuition into various situations.
I want to make the most of this opportunity I have been given to pursue my goals and dreams. I wish all of us the best in our future endeavours and hope that we all can learn from each other this semester.
Lorri Cowart
I think that from reading the above entries, we are all on the right path because we are looking at our studies from a different perspective not just from one point of view. Cory has a point about not "tunneling" on only one path. This is a great way of picturing what IDS is not. IDS is an open field of opportunity. After reading your posts, it's neat to see how many of us want to serve others and try to help by understanding all facets of a person's needs. My sister had a corneal transplant in January. It has been a struggle trying to get her doctor to understand her feelings and concern over what she has experienced. The doctor has been completely "technical" and insensitive. She is very intelligent but has no people skills. My sister's experience has not been what she thought it would be but at least she has learned that in the future she wants a doctor that is more caring and understanding. In IDS, we can have a broader perspecitve.
DeleteIt's exciting to have the opportunity to figure all this out.
Enjoy this season in your life of learning.
Claudia
My three areas of study are Life/Biomedical Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Leadership Studies as my minor. I think that they are the perfect combination of disciplines for what I want to do in my future. As a dentist, you are the leader of your practice and must exercise good leadership skills among your employees, patients, and anyone who is involved in helping run your practice effectively. The sciences have more to deal with taking care of the actual teeth of a patient - their tooth's anatomy and clinical condition.
ReplyDeleteAs of right now, I haven't really gotten to integrate my leadership skills in with my sciences because I haven't had the opportunity to lead something that also dealt with sciences. However, I have been director positions in PDASDA, the dental club, at UCF.
I believe that integration of your areas of study is important because they make up what you are interested in which is a reflection of your true character. If you choose not to integrate your areas of study so that they work together to make up one whole, then you are left with 3 separate disciplines that you must tend to separately and devote time and effort to separately. Not integrating them would be like giving someone the ingredients to make cookies but only allowing them to use one ingredient for each batch they make. You would spend so much time trying to do this and would ultimately fail. This is why integrating disciplines is important because allowing them to work together will be more effective for you in pursuing your goals.
I think I could possibly integrate my knowledge of the sciences and leadership skills better by becoming a volunteer lab assistant in an anatomy lab or becoming an SI leader.
Here is my news story
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/classified/jobs/cooljobs/sns-jobs-blogger,0,1399780.story
The article describes how blogging has become so popular that companies are taking it to a whole new level within the aspects of their business. The disciplines of Public Relations, Business, and Journalism are integrated together and make up this aspect of blogging. Public relations provides companies exposure to their audiences using topics of public interest in their blogs. The article talks about how companies are looking for good writers with experience to run their blog; this is where journalism plays a part in that it is communicating legible information to a mass audience in a timely fashion. The business discipline makes up most of the interdisciplinarity. Bloggers are being paid for their work and services sold to consumers. Blogging will be an exciting trend to watch over the next few years as it becomes more popular among society.
Charlotte Haught
Great article! A friend of mine started a blog for her family to track her pregnancy. It grew into a full time job for her and her husband. They even have sponsorships from American Apparel, Bumble and Bumble, and others. Old Navy advertises on their page!
DeleteI definitely feel blogging is a great way to share some of your own thoughts and feelings in a personal but palatable way. A few years ago the movie "Julia and Julia" came out (don't know if anyone remembers or has seen it) and blogging was a huge part of the main story. It showed blogging in a different light and was my first experience with seeing how blogging could be useful. I think as time goes on blogging will only get more advanced and popular as it's potential is really reached.
DeleteCharlotte I too used my minor to better run my practice in the future. I chose a business minor so I don't make the same mistake I've seen other physicians make. I have learned through the years that medicine is a business, and you have to be part businessman to succeed. You have to efficiently use your resources to market yourself, update your office, budgeting for employees and supplies. As much as I wish it was, running a successful practice is not just about treating patients. Good luck to you.
DeleteSteven Bloom
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ReplyDeleteBlogger Lorri Cowart said...
ReplyDeleteHi Charlotte.
I really liked your cookie analogy. That really made sense to me. I agree that being able to integrate your disciplines together and effectively is better than trying to manage three different disciplines individually instead of together. I like that you have leadership skills and I like your idea of volunteering in an anatomy lab. What a great idea. I love anatomy it is one of my favorite subjects ever!
I also agree that how you integrate your disciplines is a reflection of your true self. I could not agree more. I think that it is important that you stay true to what your real desires are and what you are good at. The more of yourself that you put into it I think the more you will get from it. I think that is really important to anything but especially in what you are going to do with the rest of your life. Whether that be career or personal.
Lorri Cowart
I agree.
DeleteTanveer Mia
My IDS degree is based upon coursework done in the areas of Health, Behavioral Sciences, and Cognitive Sciences. I didn’t really choose these areas, they chose me. I began as a Comm. Dis. Major hoping to work in a school setting with children with learning disabilities. I was advised to pick a different major due to my time restraints and classes available. I needed a degree with lots of flexibility. I chose the Health area because I could continue learning about Comm. Disorders. As it turns out, I could easily apply my education in a school setting with children with learning disabilities. Cognitive Science has given me a better understanding of the human brain and how it learns best. Psychology has given me insight to understanding people better.
ReplyDeleteIntegration of areas is important because the degree needs to make sense. Instead of appearing as a liability, (or someone who couldn’t make up their mind) I can sell myself as an asset with experience across three fields that blend beautifully into one. My minors could be better integrated by learning more about human behavior.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/16/world/american-nicaragua-prison/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
This article involves a U.S. citizen that has been imprisoned in Nicaragua. He is in jail for drug trafficking charges with little evidence against him. The conditions are deplorable. The story involves several different disciplines. Humanitarians are protesting to get the American back home. The legal team is fighting for appeals. Sociologists are working to get him freed and are reporting on the conditions he’s enduring. Politicians at the Consular Bureau are being brought in to ensure that he is being treated fairly. Many pleas have been made on multiple levels for the U.S. to intervene. A criminologist has been hired to review the case to try to have it overturned. Hopefully, all of the talent that is working together can free this man. It’s a shame that we as tax payers have helped to fund Nicaragua’s war on drugs and now it is suggested that there is resistance to get involved on our part because of the monies given.
Heather Coleman
Heather,
DeleteYou have a great grasp on how to integrate your areas of study. I applaud you wanting to work with children with learning disabilities. I too love helping children that are differently abled. My son has an IEP, he has a processing disorder caused by lesions in his brain from Neurofibromatosis. He is very intelligent but can not seem to process information, getting it from his brain to another medium such as paper or verbally communicating what he is thinking or feeling is difficult. I get frustrated when people assume that learning disabled means lack of intelligence. Your article was an excellent example of how interdisciplinary works and I do hope that it does work out for the gentleman.
Good luck in your endeavors,
Katina Bolton
Hello Heather,
DeleteYour post caught my eye because I have struggled through-out all of my schooling since 3rd grade due to a head injury which has left me with my LD's. I was bounced from school to school because when I was in school only a few elementary schools had any programs and for middle school only one offered any help even though I lived 3 blocks from the middle school I should of went to also where all my friends were and so we get high school, and at first only one offered it then during my last year the high school I should of went to finally offered classes. So I am happy when I see others wanting to help kids with learning disabilities. So I wish you much luck with it!
Adam Kelley
Hello Adam,
DeleteI think it is wonderful that you have persevered in your studies in spite of your learning challenges. It encourages me because one of my children has had a difficult time in school. She has cognitive auditory disorder so it has slowed down her learning. She is in 11th now and math is a struggle. I worry about her getting into college and how she will do. She has a good outlook though because she doesn't stop trying. Good luck in all that you do!
Claudia
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ReplyDeleteMy majors are both integrated into the sciences and my minor is simply a choice I made because I had most of the classes already. For me, the name of my degree is not as important as the classes I have taken. I just want to graduate with a BS degree so I can apply to physical therapy school. Most PT programs do not care for a specific degree, as long as you have the pre-reqs met. This is why is class is so difficult for me. I do not feel like I need to relate myself with IDS or find some connections to my majors. I just take my classes and move on. I don’t think too much about anything else besides getting into PT school. That is the only drive that I have, everything else takes a back seat. I am focused and determined to get into my field of study.
ReplyDeleteTanveer Mia
Tanveer,
DeleteI understand where you are coming from, I am in the process of switching my majors and just go with the flow of this class. I have thought about going back and getting a few prerec so I may go the PT route. Recently I have been thinking a lot about PT or some type of therapy career..
I completely understand where you are coming from. I do not particularlylike this class. But because it does make me think about these problems and how to integrate other concepts from other fields, I can see that having this general outline into finding a solution to a problem or future papers is handy. I too feel that this class is not needed because I do know what I want to do. Science teacher (high school) and maybe some history classes.
DeleteMahindra Donald Rajkumar
My three areas of studies are Life/Biomedical Sciences and Physical Sciences, with Health Science as my minor. I believe these three areas will be very helpful for my future career as a pharmacist. I’ve integrated my areas of study through my coursework taken here at UCF. A lot of the biology courses require knowledge of chemistry and vice versa. Health Science also relates to the other two disciplines because I can better understand how the body works looking at it through a physical science or biomedical science perspective. One area I haven’t fully integrated my studies is in a clinical environment. Over the summer I hope to shadow and possibly intern with other pharmacists to get some clinical experience under my belt.
ReplyDeleteIntegration of my areas of study is important for my future job because I will use physical science to understand the chemistry of the drugs I am giving to patients. Life/Biomedical Sciences will be useful in determining the physiologic response a patient could have to a drug or find out any preexisting conditions that could have a harmful effect before a patient takes a drug. Health Science will play a part in delivering optimum care to a patient as well. This integration is important because without all three disciplines, you won’t have a unique view of the problem you are trying to solve. It’ll be more difficult to find a solution without understanding how the disciplines interact and integrate. This can also apply to any problem in one’s professional, academic, and personal life.
My areas could be better integrated by taking courses that are a hybrid of my disciplines, such as biochemistry or other courses that mix disciplines. Courses that relate heavily to my future career could be very useful as well in integrating my disciplines. I feel that over the summer having some real experience in pharmacy will help as well.
http://www.cfnews13.com/article/news/2012/february/382901/Florist-changing-vehicles-to-combat-rising-gas-prices
The article discusses a local woman who must change vehicles in order to maintain her business or else suffer reduced profits. This article is interdisciplinary because the issue of rising gas prices is one that is very complex and has many political and economic aspects to it. The disciplines of petroleum engineering, economics, risk management, and environmental policy all play a part in some way in the journey of gasoline from the ground to your pump. I find the rising gas prices to be very disconcerting, as an owner of a diesel truck, gas prices have always been higher than those who drive cars. The rising gas prices are the main reason I am currently looking for a new car that gets much more efficient miles to the gallon. I think its interesting to see how gas technology really hasn’t increased as much as expected over the last couple of years. Cars are only having minimal gains in miles per gallon each year, I think a new perspective on the industry is what we need. New technologies, such as solar power and hydrogen power, will be the wave of the future. The only problem now is competing with the big oil companies who want nothing but to prevent the inclusion of these technologies into our cars today, it would mean a gradual loss of their business. No one is going to drive a environmental-hurting, gas guzzling, expensive car when solar power in the years to come is going to be cheaper, more efficient, and completely clean.
Before the start of this class I did not understand what the Interdisciplinary Studies Program was all about. I understood that students were able to study several areas of discipline to create a degree that better suited their interests but didn’t know anything else beyond that. These first few weeks have opened my eyes to interdisciplinarity and the benefits of integrating area studies.
ReplyDeleteMy areas of study are Behavioral and Social Sciences and Humanities and I am minoring in Women’s Studies. The field that I am most interested in within the Behavioral and Social Sciences area is psychology. I believe that psychology is a something that can be integrated with any other discipline. I have always tried to look beyond what is at face value to determine how the present came to be. Humanities is a study of the human condition. This is pretty similar to the intent of psychology which is a study of the mind and behavior which in turn creates the human condition. I have not yet taken a course in Women’s Studies but am under the impression that it is about breaking down gender roles. I believe that my areas of study are very easy to integrate because they are all subjects that approach things philosophically and with rationality.
It is very important to integrate my areas of study and minor within my professional and personal development because it allows me to have a way of looking at problems or issues that may arise in a way that is beyond subjectivity and can then have a better approach when handling them. It is kind of like viewing several different pieces to a puzzle that all fit but choosing one that make the image best. We have the opportunity to value many perspectives and not base everything on our own experiences. This makes us well rounded and understanding individuals which is beneficial to any professional endeavors.
I think I will have a better idea of how my areas of study can be integrated once I have completed some classes in my minor. I am eager to learn new perspectives and how they can build on the ones I am already familiar with. I have learned a lot already and know that I will continue to do so.
Mary Cooley
Hey whats Up!
DeleteI see your reasoning. I too did not know what it was before I took this class, this is my 3rd attempt at this class, I think I should be able to pass this time. It is not all that hard just time consuming, something I have very little of. I think you can understand that. But anyway I digress... to what I don't know. What is the final Goal, and what I mean is you ultimate career choice?
Mahindra Donald Rajkumar
http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2012/02/06/three-tips-for-emotionally-detaching-from-your-home/?intcmp=featuredmedia
ReplyDeleteThe link above is an article with advice on detaching your emotions from your home in an effort to sell it. Often times people have trouble selling a home because they have memories in the home and are attached to emotions surrounding the home. This is problematic because a person who is emotionally attached to their home is not willing to sell it. A person who is emotionally vested in their home may unknowingly sabotage the selling process and not make good business decisions. This is the biggest problem between clients and agents. This article advises sellers to view their home as a marketable product that others will want to buy. The article gives suggestions on removing personal items from the home which will aid in detaching personal emotions as well as make the home more appealing to potential buyers. I believe this article integrates perspectives of psychology and business to help potential home sellers recognize if they are ready to sell a product or, if able to, remain in a home and continue to be emotionally attached and create more memories there.
Mary Cooley
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DeleteThis is an interesting concept. This caught my attention because it is something my mother is struggling with. After my father died three years ago, I begged my mother to come live with me. At the time she said she wanted to stay until my youngest brother graduated high school. He graduated two years ago. For a long time I didn't understand why she would stay in a home that was falling apart around her, and was such a financial burden. Not until I thought about buy a home myself. Thinking about raising my family in it and all the memories we would have. I realize now that for my mother the economic burden did not outweigh the potential psychological burden of leaving all those memories behind. The home her and her husband built, where her children grew up, all her hopes and dreams, what price tag do they have? You can definitely address this issue from multiple angles.
DeleteSteven Bloom
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ReplyDeleteI have always wanted to work in the medical field. Although in what capacity has been unclear. You could say the same about my college career. I've always dreamed about graduating, but how was unclear. Because I was not sure what my goals were my class selection looked like a scatter plot. I took classes that interested me and figured I find myself along the way. I took a majority of science courses, because I knew I could use them no matter what branch of medicine I decided on.
ReplyDeleteI took behavioral and social science courses because people are the most interesting creatures on this planet. After taking sociology and social problems, I was hooked. Understanding why people are who they are, and do what they do, its like reality TV in a book. It was just interesting at first, then I realized how it could actually help me in my future career. Working with the general public, you encounter people of all kinds of different backgrounds. This discipline has helped open my mind to the way I approach patients. I pride myself in knowing my patients and building relationships with them. It means a lot to me that I can bring a smile to someone's face by asking about their family or some event we spoke about last time. With this familiarity, sometimes I let my professionalism waiver, and address patients by their first name. One day I had a Hispanic gentlemen report me to my supervisor. He claimed I was very unprofessional and he did not appreciate the way I spoke to him. I was very upset, and hurt that someone took exception to the way I treated my job, especially since patient care is so important to me. It wasn't until a couple years later, during a class that I realized what I had done. There it was in black and white, older Hispanic men view using their first names as a sign of disrespect. It was then and there I realized how I could integrate this into my future career.
Business is a recent addition for me. I plan on using it as a sort of fail safe. With my minor in business I can use this knowledge to run my own physical therapy office. If I find I can not get into PT school then I can use this discipline to further my career in an administrative position or run some sort of health care facility. After working with several physicians it was clear that to have a successful practice you not only need to be a good practitioner, you need to be a good businessmen. So why start two steps behind?
Now that I know I want to work as a Physical Therapist and have my own facility it is easy to see why integration is important. You're not just treating case studies or dummies, they are people and having an understanding of their beliefs, feelings, etc. is important. Knowing how to properly run a practice is vital. I feel I will be better prepared at the end of my training then those who only have knowledge of anatomy and physiology.
Steven Bloom
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/18/health/fda-still-wary-of-diet-pills-side-effects.html
ReplyDeleteThis article discusses an anti-obesity medication that is not being approved because of risk of birth defects and heart problems. From a pure health perspective the potential benefits of the drug are amazing, but the risks it poses at this point is too great. The biggest risk is for women of childbearing age, who happen to be the largest consumers of weight loss drugs. The risk comes in the form of oral clefts developing in their unborn child.
Despite these risk, investors are pushing to have the drug approved. From a business aspect this medication, like many other get skinny fast pills, has the potential to be a gold mine. In fact shares rose 7.25% on Friday anticipating that the medication may soon be approved.
I agree with the FDA's decision to not approve the medication is the right one. Because the biggest threat is to the largest potential consumer, I think it is the safest to keep it off the market.
Steven Bloom
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ReplyDeleteMY areas of study are Criminal Justice/Law and Psychology, with Hospitality as a minor. I plan on changing my minor I just picked it because I had problems registering so I had to get something and I had just got off an eight day cruise so it seemed like a fall back thing but I am currently taking more classes at my community college for prerec to go into the medical field. My girlfriend of 6 years is going to school for nursing so she has got me interested into the medical field. But for now I’m going to ride out with my decisions I have made. I chose to combine my majors because I felt that with the wide range of classes I previously took that if I combined criminal justice and psychology that it would help me understand more while on the job. Psychology studies the human mind and behavior, while criminal justice has a very broad range of jobs that I could inter-grade these two in a positive way on society. As it stands now I still don’t know which direction I am going to go with my future career path but I am going to take everything I learned from this class and future ones and apply it to whatever I end up pursuing in life.
ReplyDeleteMY article
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/floridatoday/access/2135423751.html?FMT=ABS&date=Sep+10%2C+2010
This is a scam that has been around for a long time and has been on the rise with more and more people losing their jobs, some people at the bottom of the can are stealing identities. I was just watching a dateline about how easy it is to steal peoples SSI number, but this article is about local people stealing credit cards info and using them. I myself have been a victim of credit card fraud and it is not a fun situation to get out of. But this affects millions of people and falls under criminal justice and maybe even a little bit of psychology.
Adam Kelley
When I first started UCF, I wanted to be a science teacher. As I began the program, I decided that it was not that hard to be a teacher in the state of Florida, and decided to broaden my education. I have a love for the Humanities, that is why one of my subject areas is the Humanities. So I switched my degree to Interdisciplinary Studies, After reading the Catalog, I then chose to have my minor in education, and then Have one of my other subject areas, Physical Science. I Feel that I have the best of both worlds, and not only that, I like teaching both subjects, but I have the necessarily credits to change my career in the future whether that be Medical, or scholarly.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I feel I could probably integrate these subjects a lot better, I feel that this plan, which is only five years, will be easily completed. I would rather integrate these subjects’ areas, (Education, Humanities, and Science) in my personal life better. I hate that I do not know what the science would think about charter schools. Integration is going to be the necessary in the future Job market, just because people are flooding the market when High level Degrees and to be competitive, you too need to have the same degrees.
ReplyDelete
Mahindra Donald Rajkumar
http://floridaindependent.com/68071/homeless-coalition-grants
ReplyDeleteThe Florida House of Representatives have decided to stop funding homeless coalitions. They say the money was devoted to DCF, and that coalitions have taken over. The reason to stop the money was for Rick Scott to put 12 million in to financing for houses for homeless veterans. Although I do like this Idea and can see the interdisciplinary at work, I do think that there might be a better solution. I think that we should put the money toward more education . Although this idea has been used by some states, I think that they need to be more in depth with the funding of the money, and not simply put it into programs that eventually fail because there was not enough support and understanding of the program.
Mahindra Donald Rajkuamr
I think after reading everyone's comments on integration we are on the right road. The important thing is that we are questioning ourselves and trying to figure out what integration is and how it applies to each of our academic careers. It might seem like this course is a waste of time (from reading some of your comments) but I ask you this - would you be questioning yourselves as much if you had not taken this course? In my opinion, this course is giving each of us direction and focus that might not be apparent right now. It is giving us different viewpoints which I believe will come in handy some day in whatever field or situation we might find ourselves. I'm all about looking at all of my options and selecting what is best and what fits right with my personality and my goals.
ReplyDeletetill next time,
Claudia
Interdisciplinary Studies is all about trying to tie different areas into the way you see something. With a Psychology and Physical Science major and minor in Life/Biomedical Sciences I am constantly thinking how these will all contribute to my future and the way I look at things. Im going to school to be a Physical Therapists in hopes to one day open my own practice. I believe I can integrate all these disciplines in my career because I want to help patients physically but also mentally and be a mentor to people. Also just running a business in the medical field I believe you need to observe each patient from many different disciplines to fully connect and understand them. Since I have begun the Interdisciplinary major I believe I have taken different things into perspective which before I probably would not have especially with this class and the proposal. I believe I could integrate my areas of study better and am still trying to get in the mind set of an interdisciplinary pro. Some of the comments I have gotten back from my worksheets are good examples that I can integrate my areas better but my mind does not automatically go there. The responses to my worksheets I agree with and I usually ask myself why I didn't think of that. In order to have a successful business in the medical field it is important to be able to look at both the patient side and the business side from many different areas so your not tunneling yourself down one single path. With the different areas of study it allows you to observe things differently and gain a better perspective of the issues around you. A professional in any field that works with the public needs to be on a business level with people but also integrate the personal aspect so the people feel like you actually care more than just taking their money.
ReplyDeleteAfter looking up some current events here at UCF I found an article titled, "UCF Budget Cuts Proposed at 35%, The Second Worst After USF." UCF proposed to cut budgets by $76.9 million dollars. I believe this is a great example of how this issue needs to be looked at from many different disciplines. The psychology aspect about this issue is we need to look at who this effects the most and how does it affect these people. A different aspect would be business and how this budget cut amount helps UCF and why are these steep budget cuts being proposed. These different aspects need to be addressed in order to come up with a reasonable budget cut that will weigh out both sides of the budget cut, the people who are benefiting from it and the people being affected by it. Research also needs to be done to see if budget cuts in the past were beneficial overall and if the budget cut is a reasonable amount.
Cory Stoekel