What is the history of this discipline? How did the discipline come into being

This paper is to gain a more comprehensive understanding of your disciplines (and their relationship to interdisciplinary studies), to get a sense of how experts in these disciplines think. Specifically, you will conduct some basic research on the two or three disciplines you have chosen to structure your degree program. If you are a Social Science Studies major, you will research the two or three social science disciplines that you find the most compelling (choosing from Anthropology, Gender & Sexuality Studies, History, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology). You will then write a paper in which you address the following questions for each of your disciplines:
• What is the history of this discipline? How did the discipline come into being?
• Are there sub-fields (or subdisciplines) within the discipline? If so, identify them and explain which sub-field you find to be the most interesting.
• What phenomena do professionals in the discipline typically investigate?
• What types of questions do researchers or practitioners in this discipline ask?
• What types of careers do people trained in this discipline pursue?
• What kinds of research methods and modes of investigation do they typically use? To address this component of the assignment, identify at least one major research method commonly used in each discipline you are writing about.
• What is the name of at least one professional/academic association pertaining to this discipline? Briefly describe the association’s goals.

In the conclusion, your paper must also explain and describe how it is that you have chosen these two (or three) disciplines for your areas of concentration in your pursuit of an Interdisciplinary Studies degree. You are the link between these disciplines. What is it in you that brought them together? How do your interests, abilities, and professional goals fit into these disciplines? (If applicable, feel free to draw upon what you wrote in your intellectual autobiography in addressing these questions.)
Formatting
The paper should be 5 pages double-spaced (approx. 1,500 words). It should also include a separate works cited or references page. That is, the works cited or references page should not be included in the 5-page count.

Grading Criteria

1) Description and History of Areas of Study: Describes chosen academic areas of study and details the histories of each (i.e. how they came into being) and interesting sub-fields
2) Elements of Disciplines: Discusses the problems/issues scholars in the disciplines typically investigate, the kinds of careers they pursue, and explains the methods researchers in their disciplines use to answer their research questions (including one major research method most commonly used)
3) Professional Associations: Identifies and profiles one professional/academic association and its goals.
4) Drawing Connections Between Areas of Study: Draws a clear connection between the areas of study, explaining what they have in common and how they differ from each other and what it is about your interests and goals that brings them together
5) Credible Sources: uses and properly cites credible sources of information
6) Organization and Clarity: Writing is clear and adopts a scholarly (as opposed to a conversational) tone, using correct grammar, spelling, and formatting (e.g. spacing, font, etc.)

1) Please understand that this is a research paper, not an opinion paper — which means the assertions you make about your disciplines must be supported by appropriate references and sources. Be sure to cite your sources properly with one of the following citation styles: MLA, APA, or Chicago.
2) Another strategy for citation is to check the works-cited page or footnotes of any article or book in your areas of study to see what format they typically use, and then simply follow the way they’ve cited their sources. But be sure to double-check which citation style it is.
3) To reiterate, make sure to cite any sources you reference in your paper, even when you are not using direct quotes. Failure to cite sources properly (even unintentionally!) constitutes plagiarism, which will result in 0 points for the assignment. If you have a question about whether or not something constitutes plagiarism, don’t hesitate to ask before the assignment is due!
4) Use quotes sparingly and do not include quotes that are longer than 3 lines; it is much better to paraphrase others’ ideas in your own words and use appropriate citations.
5) Take time to find the best possible sources of information and choose your sources carefully. In other words, do not rely on either dictionaries or Wikipedia or Yahoo! Answers. Instead, consult your course notes, assigned readings, professors, well-known universities, leading academic journals