An important part of Interdisciplinary Studies is the formation of skills for critical analysis.

An important part of Interdisciplinary Studies is the formation of skills for critical analysis. With some understanding of the strengths ad weaknesses of silo thinking, we are able to form critical analyses on the interpretation of data and conclusions derived from them. As mentioned before, the disciplines are very important. They build a highly specialized knowledge base that informs other disciplines. The depth of knowledge from the disciplines comes from epistemic communities that drive deep research and strong foundations of understanding. As interdisciplinary scholars, we build an appreciation for the diversity of different forms of knowledge and ways of knowing the world. We also need to be critical of the use of various forms of knowledge along our path to holistic understanding. For this discussion, you will share your analysis of research presented by Richard Wilkinson. In this video, he discusses the impacts of economic disparity. Watch the video carefully to define the problem that Wilkinson describes. Then peel apart the research areas that are used to form Wilkinson’s study. Try to build an appreciation for the diversity of different forms of knowledge. You will also experiment with forming a critical question about research. Perform an original post, then respond to at least one other posting from a group mate. In your response, see if you can provide even more information that supports or questions the position of your group mate. Watch this video: https://www.ted.com/talks/richard_wilkinson#t-146833 (Links to an external site.)
Answer the following questions: 1. Identify two or three different disciplinary lines of research that were used to study the connections between income inequality and other forms of social disparity? 2. Are you critical of any of the data and its use in the comparisons that Wilkinson makes? Explain how more explanation or deeper understanding of the research may lead to a different understanding of the correlations in Wilkinson’s presentation. Example: Wilkinson is primarily interested in economic inequality and its correlation with other social disparities. Mental health is probably most interesting to the field of psychiatry or psychology. I am curious about the research on mental health, though. I’m not sure that every society is measuring mental health the same. If we had more information from Sociology, we might have a deeper understanding of societal and cultural attitudes toward mental illness and whether all societies report and treat mental health the same. A simple search through Google Scholar turns up several articles about how mental health awareness is very low in Japan. The stigma related to mental health can create barriers to seeking treatment. Because of the stigma or access to treatment, some countries may not have data on the incidences of mental health. So the data related to mental health in Wilkinson’s study may not be accurate, which could lead to an inappropriate assumption about the correlation and the comparisons that Wilkinson makes. More information is needed.