Interdisciplinary approaches in social science

Interdisciplinary Social Science

Sociology

What are the advantages of the interdisciplinary approach to the study of many social problems? Give an example of your own where this approach would work.

The interdisciplinary approach to social problems could have many advantages such as, expanding professional understanding and achievement between all disciplines. This approach additionally enhances communication skills. The use of the interdisciplinary approach is not fool-proof or perfect, as it has disadvantages, such as integration confusion and time-consuming project or research preparation.

The interdisciplinary inquiries critically draw upon two or more disciplines and which lead to an integration of disciplinary insights. The interdisciplinary approach is uniquely different from a multidisciplinary approach, which is the teaching of topics from more than one discipline in parallel to the other. It also varies from the crossdisciplinary approach, which is the case where one discipline is crossed with the subject matter of another. Interdisciplinary techniques go beyond these two techniques by allowing users to engage and use a variety of perspectives. This approach moreover facilitates the synthesizing of numerous disciplines as a means to the ultimate goal or in some cases is the ultimate goal itself.

This kind of approach would be very useful with respect to social problems. Social problems are complex and multifaceted. Social problems are often the product of several to many issues. This kind of approach can integrate and use as many approaches as necessary to come at social problems from unique and effective perspectives.

There is a long history of attempt at social reform, most of which are unsuccessful, partially due to the lack of flexibility of perspectives, theories, and actions taken toward combating social problems. Using this approach for social problems would work very well. The best of many perspectives could lead the perfect solution. The weakness of some theories could be strengthened when used in combination with complementary or even obscure approaches. Use of this approach would at least rejuvenate the persistence to overcome and resolve social problems.

2. What can the results for this survey be used for? Who is likely to use this data? What are some of the limitations of this questionnaire and the data collected from it?

The results of the survey could be used for collecting data about residents. It may prove useful if trying to understand demographics of regions. There are a number of federal and state agencies that would find this data useful. Ethnographers and even real estate professionals may be interested in this information. Even lawyers who deal with property laws and/or taxes may be interested in this data.