The practical argument for interdisciplinary is that problems of the world are not organized according to academic disciplines. It has been argued by various studies that problems that concern human motives, groups, and economic, and political life among other subjects should be solved using knowledge across several disciplines. The purpose of this paper is to identify an important, relevant, and timely social issue that can be studied in sociology as a discipline. The essay also describes the social issue and the units of analysis, research methods, and topics of concern that the sociologist would be interested in (Vickerman, 2007). To conclude, the paper highlights how the problem can be solved using a second discipline.
The social problem that can be studied in sociology as a discipline is that of race and immigration. This is whereby people from other races migrate into a country, say the United States. They do not share the physical characteristics as them, therefore they are treated as a minority group. This means they have unequal access to wealth, positions, or prestige. They become victims of discrimination. Examples of such people in the United States include Asians, blacks, and Latinos.
The research methods of the issue include identification of how the minority group has created and recognize their social identities. Data can be collected on their social interactions and standards of living. The topics of concern that a sociologist would be interested in include the poverty trends observed among immigrants, race-related experiences and academic motivation among the population. Knowledge of psychology can be added to the analysis of the social problems (Vickerman, 2007). It can be used to investigate the reasons why minority groups have uniquely identified with themselves. It helps to promote culturally appropriate services for immigrants.
Reference
Vickerman, M. (2007). RECENT IMMIGRATION AND RACE. Du Bois Review: Social Science Research On Race, 4(01). http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1742058x07070087
