Interdisciplinary classes enhance topics

Learning in an interdisciplinary setting can enhance students? ability to comprehend their classes. The synthesis of multiple courses will allow for students to gain an overall better understanding of the world and of their subjects.

Students learn about real-life events in English, but to get a greater picture of the world, they should also learn about the event in history. For example, the Christian missionaries and their attempts to convert the native African people in the novel Things Fall Apart are important to understand because they offer a more objective view.

Additionally, in Environmental Systems and Societies, history is incorporated through the instruction in the history of the ?Green Movement.? One catalyst of this movement is the Industrial Revolution, a topic covered in a large number of history classes. Understanding the Industrial Revolution is important to understanding the large increases in production and rapid rise in pollution. Similarly, in World History Honors, a knowledge of world languages is helpful because one can trace common words to civilizations around the world. The integration of vocabulary from other cultures can help students understand how cultures came to be.

Also, by learning about different forms of government in foreign language classes, one can get a better understanding of the reasons why there is a certain system of government in a country. This is because foreign languages are doorways to other cultures; by speaking a language it is easier to understand their values.

The integration of classes will benefit both the students as well as the teachers because it will make Marshall a more collaborative and open school. But although integration might not come easily between subjects, it is definitely a possibility worth considering as it will allow students to become better prepared for the trials and tribulations of the real world.