Interdisciplinary project database

The Rorschach Test is one of the most easily recognized assessments of the subconscious throughout pop-culture. But how should it be used and its results understood? Is it science or pseudoscience, how would we know?

Read about how school affects burn out. This guide written for teachers can be analyzed with students to identify pain points, recognize ways to improve the classroom, and have an open dialogue about stress and frustration.

Governments are vast systems that are upheld entirely by a social contract: people listen and act according to a series of laws they choose to uphold. How easy would it be to break these laws? Why is it that people decide to go along with them? Consider how laws are enforced, why people follow them, and what impact would be made if people introduced unreasonable laws or enforcement mechanisms.

Analyze how mass media influences peoples’ biases and opinions on controversial issues, and help students cultivate ways to encourage critical thinking about media sources.

It is important to make plans, but various events will cause us to shift our goals. For example, activist and President of South Africa Nelson Mandela studied English, anthropology, politics, "native administration", Roman Dutch law, and was actively involved in ballroom dancing.

Look at various famous leaders, professionals, and activists throughout your country’s history. What was their upbringing? What did they do in school? If they attended higher education, what did they major in? Ultimately, how does this all compare to what they did historically?

Music, rhythm, math, and lyricism are all intrinsically connected. Learn about how lyric-based music, especially rap and hip hop, utilize language to convey meaning and messaging, all-the-while adhering to strict rules about rhythm (and therefore, math)!

The power of the written word is something steadfast in human history. Novels, poetry, and speeches have transformed our society and culture. What can you contribute? Brainstorm and begin writing your own work, such as a fiction novel.

Why is it that people in urban, rural, and suburban areas all have different dialects and vernacular? How are people from these different places perceived? Why is it important to counteract stereotypes about SLI?

Creativity isn’t only reserved for the humanities! Open-ended questions make students think outside of the box about problems. Develop yourself, and/or have students develop, open-ended questions that require math to solve. Instead of providing a solution, encourage students to use their imaginations in various solutions to each problem.

Learn about how governments crack down on subversive art and examine how artists should be dealt with, after all – graffiti is an illegal activity in many areas of the world. How does this correspond to anti-social forms of graffiti, such as gang tagging?

Host a “Job/Career Fair” for students in your building to learn about opportunities in the community and connect students with representatives from different industries.

Navigate this repository to design problems and questions around "wicked problems" (problems with no easy solution).

Read about how people fall into homelessness and the struggles that people face, including financial barriers to gaining housing.

Why is it that we learn about math in the way we do? As in, why do we learn about algebra and geometry and trigonometry? What is the point of abstract or conceptual math? 

Dive into a discussion surrounding why we utilize conceptual math, and the debate surrounding changing the mathematics curriculum.

Scientist Finds Secret to Thriving: Using this or other studies/survey data as a starting point, develop an understanding of how scientists could study something like well-being, happiness, or thriving. How can the scientific method evaluate something so subjective? Create your own methodology or survey and perform a similar study with a group in your school or community. What have you found? What are the limitations of your research?

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Analyze global poverty as a wicked problem. How do we solve a problem that is so historically, economically, and culturally the norm in our world? What steps can individuals take in order to make a difference? Look at how various non-profits are attempting to solve this problem, offering students the chance to praise and critique different actions.

Consider how the impact global hunger has on your daily life. Perform research on how different regions of the world are struggling with food shortages, offering guided analysis on ways people in your area can assist. What steps can be taken at a local level to make a global impact? Share your findings in the global World Food Prize competition.

How does body type, identity, and health become twisted through the use of social media? Read about how young people are having their self-image shaped by the photos they view on social media, and discuss why it is dangerous to buy into the myths of social media.

How do we break our perspective’s “bubble”? Assign a reading with reflection that goes against one’s opinion or preconceived notions. Of course, students may not change their mind — but challenging their perspective allows them to grow their ideas and consider new possibilities.

Expand beyond the inwards/outwards identity activity to other methods of expressing one’s identity through artistic expression. For example, have students identify issues that matter to them and have them express these ideas in a specific art style. Examine how various social justice movements utilize art to demand change.

Consider the use of self-driving cars, moral questions, and the "Trolley Problem" through this resource, reflecting on its other applicability in real life.

Getting started with a creative endeavor requires the right headspace. Help students embrace a positive mindset by creating a quiet, distraction-free environment where creativity can flourish. Encourage students to start an art project out of thin-air – providing resources to get started and seeing what happens!

Continue to examine how various religions interact in the world today, especially how these impact countries: their politics, culture, economies, and more. How do leaders navigate the world stage in light of various faiths?

Perform an in-depth analysis of a certain “soft skill”: teamwork, communication, time-management, etc. Why is that skill valuable and needed? Where can you find examples of it in action? How can that skill be better taught in a school curriculum? 

Analyze the chemicals used within the fast fashion industry. How does wearing these clothes impact one’s body? Consider operating a lab that studies the impact of wearing different clothes, with their materials and production components, on one’s body.

How can we measure the return on investment for training in soft skills? Investments in soft skills produced significant productivity gains in addition to improved attendance and retention of employees. An interesting body of research to paraphrase for students interested in understanding the impact of working on soft skills.

Consider how math presents itself in real life. Although we commonly address problems through word problems, these are often linear expressions on what are much more complicated issues. What would a math problem look like that’s more holistic, addressing a real problem in the community? Offer examples and brainstorm how many questions you’d need to solve.

Investigate this task force by Google which is exploring threats to open societies, focusing on how technology can lead to a safer Internet and world.

Although many are familiar with dyslexia, less know about dyscalculia: a learning disability that hampers mathematical thinking. Roughly 10% of elementary school students are believed to have dyscalculia. Consider other ways that mathematics can be taught than simple arithmetic, and showcase these ideas through that lens. For example: rhythm, music, games, hands-on activities, building.

Watch “How This Guy Uses A.I. to Create Art | Obsessed | WIRED”. What is fascinating about this clip? Consider the idea: is it possible for artificial intelligence to create art on its own? If so, is this art as valuable as human-created art? Why or why not?

As people begin to demand more opportunities for personal time, more and more workplaces are offering 4 day workweeks. What impact does this have on the world? Examine how this practice impacts society.

It can be a very difficult step to analyze bias and privilege in your daily life. Take time to learn about something specific that you hold a stereotype about. Analyze why you hold these beliefs and prepare a report on how they’ve changed as you’ve investigated further.