The Sociology Cohort's Interdisciplinary Discoveries

Drawing connections between different subjects

Learning in the modern day and age often involves categorisation. It involves boxing ideas into different subjects and letting them exist in isolation within that sphere. But learning could be so much more. What if I told you there is very little that exists in isolation? Given how interconnected the world is, and how each process works in tandem with another, it is a surprise we do not learn that way. 

Sociology — one of those subjects that does require a mind that constantly forms links — has taught my fellow students and me about interdisciplinary ideas. In order to form a holistic perspective of a theory or concept, we must consider all aspects of it. And all aspects may come from insights from other subjects. It is the only way we can enrich our thinking, and our answers. 

The more our Grade 12 Sociology cohort thought about interdisciplinary ideas and subjects, the more interested we became. These are some of my fellow students' insights on how they have personally connected ideas from a single subject to other subjects they study. 

Arista Jadhav says, “Over the last two years of studying Cambridge Psychology and Biology, I have noticed strong connections between the two subjects. Psychology often explains human behaviour, emotions, and thoughts, while Biology provides the scientific basis behind them. 

For example, topics like the brain, nervous system, neurotransmitters, and hormones in Biology directly link to psychological studies in our curriculum about cognition, memory, learning, and social behaviour. Understanding biological processes helps explain why people think and act in certain ways. Similarly, psychology applies this biological knowledge to real-life behaviour. Both subjects complement each other, and give us a deeper understanding of how the body and mind work together.”

Biology and Psychology: A beautiful link between the ‘What’ and the ‘Why’. One cannot exist without the other, there is certainly interdependence between the mind and the body. 

On a different note, Suhani Shukla ruminates, “A-level Economics can easily be related to a lot of things outside the classroom. From questioning the price elasticity of demand for the lemonade stand your younger sister wants to start, to debating with your parents about the opportunity cost of going on a morning walk every day, theories in Economics can be related to a bunch of different day-to-day activities that just helps me understand the subject better. 

Real satisfaction, however, is achieved when we’re able to connect two very different subjects. People might argue that Math and Economics are not that different, statistics is the basis of economic analysis after all. But here, I talk about the other half — Pure Math. Not that I don't derive joy (haha) from understanding logarithms or finally getting that trigonometry question right, but nothing compares to the satisfaction I felt as my friend Mrunmay explained to me the link between differential equations and the reason behind using the lowest point of the MC (Marginal Cost) curve when assessing profits in different market structures. All this to say that we’re able to make links that may not be obvious at first, but may reveal more about how interconnected the real world actually is.”

Similarly, Mihit Mundada also talks about how he came to the realisation that Economics can be closely correlated with Sociology: “In the time that I’ve studied the A-level Economics and Sociology courses at DLRC, a particular correlation significantly piqued my interest. It so happened that I was revising a chapter on the oligopoly market structure, one in which market power is always concentrated among few major players. The kinked demand curve is the model that is most often used to analyse the same. The textbook credited an American economist named Paul Sweezy for proposing it, and I felt inclined to look up more about him. 

It was then that I found that Paul Sweezy was a celebrated Marxist economist, who is known for his work on monopolies and oligopolies. And perhaps most interestingly, he is an influential figure in imperialism studies and analysing global inequalities. This led me to discover the work of an eminent sociologist, Immanuel Wallerstein, whose theory regarding 'world systems' and the pattern of exploitation between the ‘core’ and ‘peripheral’ regions of the world is a prominent feature in our curriculum.” 

An eye-opening discovery, it seemed to me as if it was patiently waiting for such a connection to be made. Too often, we take our curricula to be bound within the confines of their own subjects, never interacting with each other in the slightest. This is, of course, patently untrue. I understood through this experience that not only do our subjects interact with each other on a fundamental level, but also that they enrich each other, every step of the way.”

A wonderfully articulated discovery. It is these moments that truly do bring that spark back into learning. 

Lastly, Vanshika Tikekar talks about the close links between Consumer Psychology and Sociology: “I think that Consumer Psychology and Sociology go hand-in-hand. It's much like a coin in the sense that it looks at behaviour in two different perspectives. Consumer Psychology helps me understand individualistic behaviour — why and how people make certain purchases, what compels them, and how their emotions and thought processes can be influenced to make purchases. Sociology, on the other hand, has helped me see the bigger picture — how those purchases can also be influenced by things such as culture or people around us. Putting the two together sometimes feels like finishing a puzzle as it gives me the complete picture of the purchasing habits of people.”

The puzzle analogy hits the spot. Sometimes, connecting two ideas can feel like sliding a piece of a jigsaw puzzle into the other and realising they fit. Not only do they fit with each other, but also with a much larger piece that paints a beautiful picture of interconnected ideas and subjects. 

Interdisciplinary education lies at the heart of DLRC. We connect, question and revel in our own, unique discoveries. 

By Hita Maniar, Grade 12