tl;dr summary - pick two school or university subjects, think of careers or projects in which you could combine both. Eg English and Chemistry = science writer (among many other options).
On Saturday morning I tweeted the following Tweets...
''I've thought of a new game. The Interdisciplinary Game is for young people (but played with adults) who've possibly not even considered yet what they might do in future in terms of projects or paid work etc." [link]
"One player thinks of two curriculum subjects and the other players can think of jobs or projects that might combine the two. Eg Biology and French, Chemistry and Drama. I admit I've never tested this notion. Might be a terribly dull game..." [link]
"It's more of a game you'd play in a car or have a discussion in a classroom I think. Or one I might just blog about :) Not intending a literal actual game. I remember being baffled at 17 to learn people might study Law and Chemistry, simultaneously." [link]
The idea for the game occurred to me when I remembered my puzzlement on filling in university applications to discover such a thing as a Law and Chemistry BSc course and having no idea how or why the two might be combined. Either my parents or a teacher explained and obviously I can now think of several ways in which they might be related. I knew about forensics but would have assumed a legal team would just draft in someone knowledge about analysing samples, it would never have occurred to me that the sample analyser would also know anything about the law.
The 'game' involves picking two school (or university) subjects and thinking up careers or projects where you might use both. I imagined it as the sort of thing that parents might play in a car though I'm not sure how well it would work as presumably only the parents would be much good at it! It's perhaps better as an activity in school: it might involve two piles of cards, each with a subject on them. One person turns over one card, another turns over one from the other pile and the group or whole class gets to investigate or think up (brainstorming) ways in which they could be combined. It probably involves using search engines and career websites. Sometimes two subjects will go together easily and suggestions will be obvious, others might involve a bit more lateral thinking (as law and chemistry did for me before someone explained it to me).
Perhaps this could be useful in careers discussion settings, perhaps to expand young people's experiences of what types of careers are available while acknowledging that some of the roles they'll do in future haven't even been invented yet. But I think it's an interesting way of exploring interdisciplinarity, and highlighting that although topics are divided up in education, the dividing lines become a bit blurrier in the working world.
Possibly I've invented something that everyone's already doing but if not it's an idea that I hope others will use, and tell me how they've used it.
Here are some suggestions of how two topics might be combined, and expanded. The aim isn't so much to come up with defined careers or projects that use the two, but to consider the ways in which both subjects could be combined in the hope of uncovering lots more options. These aren't exhaustive just what pinged from my brain. May your brains ping further :-)
Law and Chemistry
- forensics, pharmaceutical patents and registering a new medicine, ethics, lawsuits when it goes wrong, environmental law, and of course writing technical documents or documents for the public. Writing about a topic is something that can be applied to any topic, as can - of course - teaching!
Biology and French
- translating biology textbooks into French, producing a simple French-language podcast about biology in the news for English listeners who might learn a bit about both topics, helping a UK company break into a French-speaking market (being able to read regulations in French), working as a biologist in France or teaching biology there. Science correspondent in French magazines / newspapers etc.
Drama and Chemistry
- showing actors how to pipette properly, creating safe explosions and special effects in film and theatre, an actor taking on the role of a famous chemist, writing plays or screenplays (for films) that feature chemistry or being a script editor on one. See 'Chemistry in Theatre'.
Computing and art
- designing or using art software including CAD, visualisations and infographics, visual effects in films, designing a database for an arts supply store, ensuring screens render colours correctly, designing nicer support tools for older people, wearable technology, robotics design... where I work (QMUL) we have a Media & Arts Technology department (MAT).
This page has other suggestions on careers that involve computing and art, including architects.
See also careers with biology and art including photographers and illustrators.
Physics and music (or maths and music)
- designing concert halls (acoustics), designing musical instruments or studying how their sound is made, improving the quality of recorded music (music studios), neuroscience (sonifying brain waves, or working in the area of auditory implants).
Perhaps students could find examples of people who are working in both areas, or find out information about career progression / salaries, also focus on projects and jobs which support a particular group of people etc. It doesn't have to be solely career-focused though, someone with a familiarity with English and Computing might write excellent emails to their MP about a topic of concern, or develop a campaigning website, as well as more obvious things like becoming a tech writer... or someone who compiles online English-language dictionaries, or writes good software documentation (or user manuals).
Later additions
Archaeology and hairdressing - two of my friends posted something jocular on Facebook about an odd-looking device (apparently read by male historians as having some religious or astronomical significance, and by 'internet grandmas' as a device to knit glove fingers). One of the comments referenced the need for diversity on teams; eg to have women and not just men, or people familiar with crafts (any gender) involved in making sense of historical objects and highlighted that a hairdresser had managed to work out how the complex hairstyles worn by Vestal Virgins could be created using the women's own hair and no need for wigs or hairpieces. Janet Stephens is a hairdressing archaologist, here's her video showing how it's done.
Cow historian - I remember watching Coast with my dad and someone's name and job description flashed up on screen which introduced them this way. My memory of what they actually did isn't as good though, presumably they might study breeds of cow that have been farmed throughout history, or perhaps their representation in art (think of the MERL and its Absolute Units).
I like this Tweet from Nathan Pyle which demonstrates the same concept of taking two disparate things and finding a link:)
https://x.com/nathanwpyle/status/1414575519396507648?s=20
https://x.com/nathanwpyle/status/1414575519396507648?s=20
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