IAS Capstone E-Portfolio/Essay Prompt

Interdisciplinary research aims at understanding topics from multiple perspectives and dimensions. For example, social problems require solutions that last hence there is the need for disciplines to come together to offer ideas and perspectives on solving the problems. I indulged in the process of interdisciplinary research when preparing my two artifacts, namely the one on “transitional justice process of El Salvador following their civil war,” and the one on “rural living is more sustainable than urban living”.

The first artifact, “transitional justice process of El Salvador following their civil war,” explored the reconciliation process following the war. I managed to explore the human rights violations that occurred to civilians during the war and the efforts made by El Salvador and outside stakeholders to restore peace and justice in the country. The second artifact argues how rural life is sustainable compared to urban life. It explores all the challenges of urban living, including pollution, high unemployment, homelessness, and congestions. The artifact then discusses the peaceful and less stressful life in rural areas, including abundant space, job opportunities, homes for everyone, and clean environment.

It was not easy coming up with the data and arguments in the artifacts. In the first artifact, for instance, I had to explore the opinions of lawyers, humanitarians, human rights activists, and civilians to get an accurate depiction of the situation the way it went. The same thing happened in the second artifact where I sought the views of urban developers, economists, environmental activists, and residents to discern what life is like in the cities and rural areas. I believe that this extent of research qualifies as interdisciplinary, and it depicts the situation accurately before making conclusions.