Disciplinary Ways of Thinking Nosich, Chapter 3

What do the following images depict?

Laffer Curve

How many did you get?

Now think about HOW you knew the answers….  To recognize these acts of thinking, you had to understand the SYMBOL SYSTEM of a discipline  You had to recognize important CONCEPTS and INFORMATION  You had to make ASSUMPTIONS and draw CONCLUSIONS.  In other words,

You had to think critically from a discipline’s point of view.

What does thinking in a discipline mean?  Knowing what ideas are central to that discipline: its f & p concepts  Understanding the logic of the field and its point of view  Knowing and using the symbol system(s) of that discipline (terms, jargon, shorthand, forms)  Understanding what you bring to the field (point of view, impediments, filters, etc.)  Moving from outsider (apprentice) to insider (professional)

Academic Disciplines The way we see knowledge is deeply rooted in where our vantage point is located—the discipline from which we view the information and try to make knowledge out of it. Must look for other domains that impact the question or issue— identify complexities and alternative POVs

F & P questions in each discipline…  are based on different concepts and assumptions.  have different points of view  use different kinds of information,  may put different priorities on the questions being asked.

Economic What economic forces support drug use? What can be done to minimize the influence of money involved in drug culture? Political What possible solutions to drug abuse are politically unacceptable? Are there any potential politically realistic solutions? To what extent does the political structure exacerbate the problem? Social/Sociological What social structures and practices support drug abuse? How does gang membership contribute to drug abuse? How does membership within any group contribute to the problem, or conversely, insulate group members from abusing drugs? Interdisciplinary Questions: An Example Complex question: What can be done about the number of people who abuse illegal drugs? Some of the domains of questions inherent in this question:

Psychological How do factors such as stress, individual personality differences, and childhood traumas support drug abuse? What role, if any, does human irrationality play in drug abuse? Biological How do genetics play a role in drug abuse? What biological changes in the body, resulting from drug abuse, contribute to the problem? Educational What can educational institutions do to reduce the incidence of drug abuse? What role are they now playing to support or diminish the problem? Religious What can religious institutions do to reduce the incidence of drug abuse? What role are they playing now in regard to the problem? Cultural What cultural beliefs support the drug-abuse problem? What can we learn from cultures that have a low incidence of drug abuse? Complex question: What can be done about the number of people who abuse illegal drugs?

Question: Should the US require states to use capital punishment?  What f & p questions might the following disciplines consider when answering this question? Criminal Justice Economics Communication Biology or Medicine Religion

How do you learn to think in a discipline? Enculturation through  Instruction (classes, textbooks, etc.) and testing  Observation and practice (fieldwork, internships, labs, practicums, etc.)  Experience (actually doing it)  Engagement (journals, conferences, talking to other practitioners)

How do you think in your discipline?