Interdisciplinary project database

Use print or internet sources to research which locations around the world are the most susceptible to climate change. What forms does that risk take? What actions can be taken to assist high-risk areas? Predict the indirect impact for neighboring cities and countries who may not be at as great a risk.

Have a class discussion on the concept of equity vs. equality. Is it fair that some have access to achieving their personal goals, while others will have a much more difficult time due to a lack of resources? What can citizens, communities, and the government do to ensure that everyone has a fair shot?

Consider how animals and humans relate through verbal and body language. This article demonstrates how canines has evolved to understand our behaviors, turning them into faithful companions. How does this compare to other domesticated animals? Could other animals evolve to be companion animals?

Finding reliable health and nutrition information is incredibly difficult. There is so much mis- and disinformation about health, nutrition, and fitness. How do you know what to trust? Create a health misinformation guide with students to sort out what is reliable from what is false or potentially harmful. To show that they know the tricks, have them use those tips to create their own health and nutrition disinformation ad or video.

Our present conversations around race can get stuck in a reflexive defensiveness of language. What is structural racism? What is actually meant by white privilege? This article from Learning for Justice unpacks the history of the term and action steps to do better.

Interview a parent/guardian/community member about their vocational/career path. What factors led to where they are today? What do they wish they had known when they were the students’ age?

Have students write about one of their family traditions. Optionally, this can be shared with the class to create a shared story that highlights the diversity of students’ lives.

Our social and cultural biases often appear in the study of history itself, whose stories are told, whose perspectives get left out, and how we remember historical events in public spaces. Research or visit historical monuments in your area. Whose stories do they tell? How are those stories remembered? What people or events should be commemorated in public spaces but aren’t? Design a historical monument!

Consider historical events, works of art, novels, movies, and music that are popular in other countries but not your own. Using subtitles or a translation service, analyze the works and highlight their popularity in the other country. Create a collection of various works that can be shown off to others to appreciate the culture.

In Western Art, orientalism can appear as an imitation of artistic styles found in the Middle East, Asia, and even Africa, but can sometimes exist as stereotypical portrayals of Eastern societies and cultures as exotic, mysterious, alluring, and/or threatening. Help students find examples of orientalism in Western art and how to avoid stereotyping Eastern cultures in their own art.

Analyze the impact and efficacy of utilizing social media for marketing. How much would it cost to implement a social media campaign for a hypothetical business? Is it worth paying, or should it all be organic (word of mouth) advertising? How much money would we need to make an impact?

Consider how and why we age biologically. Using scientific data, examine the ideas presented during this lesson and consider if it’s actually possible to expand one’s lifespan. And if so, how much we don’t know about the process.

Using your knowledge of the algorithm, research how these concepts could be used to advertise a business or nonprofit. Partner with a local organization, offering to manage their social media, developing a content and branding strategy to increase engagement.

Identify a local non-profit organization that is working to solve the hunger crisis. Reach out to the organization and find ways that you can assist, such as designing marketing resources, hosting a funding drive, or working directly at the organization’s headquarters.

Student Voice is an organization that amplifies student perspectives to change the education system and the world. Read, listen, and analyze one or more of the pieces of student journalism from their website. What are these student journalists focused on? What does their perspective add to the coverage of important topics and events? How can we help amplify student voice in similar ways?

How does our use of money contribute to our philosophy? How does the relationship between humans and nature involve the economy? Using case studies, examine how building development, use of natural resources, and more impact the environment. Use mathematical thinking to consider economical ethics.