One of the frequently asked questions to individuals with degrees in Interdisciplinary Studies is -- "So what is that?" This is because we live in a society that categorizes individuals and their experiences. If I then tell the questioner that I am an applied anthropologist, they then know how to categorize what they think they known about applied anthropologists and they believe they know something about who I am. However, I usually answer the question "What is an interdisciplinary degree?" in the following manner:
As an interdisciplinary researcher and scholar I do not view any question from within the lens of any one single discipline. For example, if I ask the question, "Why do individuals give broken items or items missing parts to organizations that collect used items for redistribution?" My approach to answering that question will involve looking at the question from multiple disciplines. I will break down the main question to: What are the inputs into the decision to "donate" an item? These could include economic, philosophical, and/or psychological. By viewing the question through multiple lenses I gain a wider and more interconnected perspective on the social inputs and individuals' motivations to answer the research question.
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