In the article below, junior political science major Allegra Negrete, with the help of her professor Dr. William O’Brochta, demonstrates the importance of crossing barriers between different academic disciplines to spark new conversations, thoughts, and ideas—leading to the discovery of common ground.
Interdisciplinary conversations are a critical component of the humanities and social sciences. Students and faculty recently gathered to celebrate interdisciplinarity with short presentations on topical issues. The event was created by Allegra Negrete, a junior political science major who serves as president of the CIVIC Club. “CIVIC Club stands for creating involved individuals and communities,” said Negrete. “We are an organization that aims to recognize and foster conversations among students and faculty in the humanities and social sciences. Our disciplines and career paths often lead us to work across boundaries and to explain scholarship to a range of stakeholders. This student scholarship showcase event helps to celebrate our interdisciplinarity.”
The event featured presentations employing a range of methodologies and approaches from students in all stages of their TLU careers. Isabelle Stephens, a junior sociology major, presented her capstone project collecting and analyzing state-level quantitative data on K-12 school shootings and the enactment of different gun policies. Sophia Short, a senior psychology major, described how beauty filters on social media shape users’ self-perceptions and perpetuate stereotypes about how beauty is defined. Elise Davis, a freshman art and history double major, discussed her historical investigation into the importance of women’s cycling attire for social progress in the 1980s. Hallie Strange, a junior dramatic media major, spoke about how TikTok is designed to blend online social engagement with commerce.
A lively informal discussion identified common themes, emphasizing how each of the presentation topics drew on the concept of mobilizing the collective to produce societal and/or policy change. “It was great to better understand how different disciplines approach and study similar concepts and themes,” said Negrete. “We plan to organize a similar event next year to continue to foster these kinds of thought-provoking conversations.”
Caption (L-R): Isabelle Stephens, Sophia Short, Elise Davis, Hallie Strange, and Allegra Negrete.