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Interdisciplinary Study of Global Challenges

Interdisciplinary Study of Global Challenges

As the world becomes more globalised, more and more institutions are teaching truly interdisciplinary degrees focused on global challenges that require an interdisciplinary approach to solve, rather than studying one subject area.

There isn't a standard name for degrees in this field, but good key search terms are "Global", "Challenge", "Sustainability", "Development". In the USA, "Self-Designed" or "Student-designed" majors can allow you to create your own version.

Digging deeper into subject interests can help you in a number of ways:

  • Confirm whether this is (or isn't) something you would be interested in enough to want to study it at university either as the focus of your degree or a minor/elective

  • Give you some inspiration to use when creating your questions and topics for IA's (coursework) and your Extended Essay

  • Provide you with content for your university application writing in the future, enabling you to reflect on the things you've been doing to explore your interests in a way that is academically relevant to the course or institution you are applying for.

Useful Resources

Ethnography
Blog
A group blog on a variety of topics related to sociology, anthropology, and the human condition
Click Here >
Oxford University Research Blog
Blog
The University of Oxford's Blog on their current research. It includes articles on a huge range of topics but particularly relevant to the current global challenges.
Click Here >
The Urban Intelligence Blog from Urban footprint
Blog
A blog focused on looking at the data and reports on everything related to sustainable cities.
Click Here >
University of Nottingham e-resources
Blog | Video | Recorded Lecture
The University of Nottingham have a number of resources for students to explore degrees you could study at university. The resources include videos, taster lectures and blogs. Use the menu to select the areas you are interested in to see what they have to offer.
Click Here >
The Evolution of Everything : how new ideas emerge, by Matt Ridley
Book
We are taught that the world is a top-down place. Acclaimed author Matt Ridley shows just how wrong this is in his compelling new book. This is more often wrong than right. 'The Evolution of Everything' is about bottom-up order and its enemy, the top-down twitch, the endless fascination human beings have for design rather than evolution, for direction rather than emergence.
St. Clare's Library at shelf location L 23 500 RID
Anthropology Now
E-Magazine
Anthropology Now is an independent initiative committed to claiming a public voice for anthropology. Their E-Magazine is focused on Anthropological insights, with thought-provoking content written in clear, accessible language
Click Here >
The Linguist
E-Magazine
Access Archived copies of The Linguist published by the Chartered Institute of Linguists for free online -or subscribe to read the latest copy.
Click Here >
National Geographic
E-Magazine | Podcast | Website
Starting as a print magazine, National Geographic are now a multi-channel platform focused on inspiring passion for our natural world. You will need to subscribe for full access, but there are also a lot of free resources on the site.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/
Summer Schools in Europe
Events
The most complete directory of summer courses in Europe. It includes courses for high school, undergraduate and graduate students, so ensure you read the descriptions to find options right for you.
Click Here >
Young Environmentalist Programmes
Events | Conference
Gain an immersive experience of Environmentalism alongside top environmentalists. Choose below either our Young Environmentalist Weekend or our Young Environmentalist Summer Experience.
Click Here >
Young International Development Expert Programmes
Events | Conference
Gain an immersive experience of International Development alongside top professionals. Choose below either our Young International Development Expert Weekend or our Young International Development Expert Summer Experience.
Click Here >
Michigan Journal of Business
Journal
The MJB is an undergraduate run academic business journal at the Stephen M.Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. The catalogue of previous issues is available for free online.
Click Here >
Royal SOciety Open Science
Journal
An open journal publishing high-quality research across all of science, engineering and mathematics
Click Here >
Research from the University of Bristol
Journal Articles | Website
Explore cutting edge research from the different faculties and departments from the University of Bristol, including free access to their published journal articles.
Click Here >
Coursera
Online Course
Coursera is an online platform for distance learning. They have a range of free courses delivered by universities. Search in this section to find courses of interest to you, often these are courses you can follow at your own pace.
Click Here >
EdX
Online Course
The X Series courses on the EdX platform are free online courses delivered by universities and aimed at helping you explore areas of interest.
Click Here >
FutureLearn
Online Course
FutureLearn is a free online platform where universities from around the globe host FREE online courses you can undertake in your areas of interest. Browse courses by categories or use the search bar to find courses relevant to your interests
Click Here >
Introduction to Applied Earth Sciences
Online Course
An online taster of the Applied Earth Sciences degree at TU Delft in the Netherlands. Courses start regularly over the academic year.
Click Here >
Asian Studies Centre
Podcast
The Asian Studies Centre was founded in 1982 at St Antony's College and is primarily a co-ordinating organisation which exists to bring together specialists from a wide variety of different disciplines. Geographically, the Centre predominantly covers South, Southeast and East Asia. The Asian Studies Centre works closely with scholars in the Oriental Institute, the Oxford China Centre, the Contemporary South Asian Studies Programme and the Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies (in premises at St Antony's). The Asian Studies Centre is host to the Taiwan Studies Programme, Modern Burmese Studies Programme, the South Asian History Seminar Series and the Southeast Asian Studies Seminar Series.
Click Here >
Bloomberg
Podcast
Bloomberg have a range of podcasts on a variety of topics from coverage of the stock markets to the pay gap and the reason for mistrust in vaccines. On most the latest episode is free to listen to, but there is also a subscription option.
Click Here >
Department of Statistics Podcast
Podcast
This is the blog from the Department of Statistics at Oxford is a world leader in research including computational statistics and statistical methodology, applied probability, bioinformatics and mathematical genetics.
Click Here >
Middle East Centre
Podcast
The Middle East Centre, founded in 1957 at St Antony’s College is the centre for the interdisciplinary study of the modern Middle East in the University of Oxford. Centre Fellows teach and conduct research in the humanities and social sciences with direct reference to the Arab world, Iran, Israel and Turkey, with particular emphasis on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. However, during our regular Friday seminar series, attracting a wide audience, our distinguished speakers bring topics to light that touch on contemporary issues.
Click Here >
This Anthro Life
Podcast
This Anthro Life brings you smart conversations with humanity’s top makers and minds to make sense of humanity in our world and our constant battle to try and save ourselves from ourselves.
Click Here >
Oxford Martin School: Public Lectures and Seminars
Podcast | Recorded Lecture
Public Lectures and Seminars from the Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford. The Oxford Martin School brings together the best minds from different fields to tackle the most pressing issues of the 21st century.
Click Here >
Oxford Transitional Justice Research Seminars
Podcast | Recorded Lecture
Oxford Transitional Justice Research (OTJR) is an inter-disciplinary network of more than 100 Oxford staff and students working broadly on issues of transition in societies recovering from mass conflict and/or repressive rule. OTJR is dedicated to producing high-quality scholarship that connects intimately to practical and policy questions in transitional justice, focusing on the following themes: Prosecutions, Truth Commissions, Local and traditional practices, Compensation and reparations, Theoretical and philosophical debates in transitional justice, Institutional reform and Archives of tribunal and other transitional justice materials. The OTJR seminar programme is held weekly and reflects these aims.
Click Here >
TORCH | The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities
Podcast | Recorded Lecture
The University of Oxford is home to an impressive range and depth of research activities in the Humanities. TORCH | The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities is a major new initiative that seeks to build on this heritage and to stimulate and support research that transcends disciplinary and institutional boundaries. Here we feature some of the networks and programmes, as well as recordings of events, and offer insights into the research that they make possible.
Click Here >
University of Southampton Podcast Library
Podcast | Recorded Lecture
A library of the Lifelong Learning Talks and Study Days from the University of Southampton. They cover a wide range of topics but are organised by topic and easy to browse.
Click Here >
Cafe Scientifique Oxford - Archive 2021
Recorded Lecture
The Archive of the 2021 Cafe Scientifique sessions - held on Zoom due to the pandemic
Click Here >
Geography Snapshots: Video lectures from the University of Nottingham
Recorded Lecture
Geography is an incredibly broad subject that transcends the humanities, social sciences and sciences. The videos from the University of Nottingham's School of Geography, provide an insight into contemporary geographical topics that go beyond sixth form curriculums.
Click here >
Making the Past Serve the Present: the Silk Road and China's Quest for Imperial Rejuvenation
Recorded Lecture
A Lecture from the Royal Society for Asian Affairs from Jan 2021
Click Here >
New geographies of global money? Chinese finance in London | A recorded lecture from Geography Education and the University of Nottingham
Recorded Lecture
In this talk, Sarah Hall, Professor of Economic Geography at the University of Nottingham, explores the globalisation of money and finance by focusing on the growing influence of Chinese finance in London. | October 2020
Click Here >
Solving global problems: interdisciplinary thinking | Taster Lecture from the University of Nottingham
Recorded Lecture
Our world is constantly facing new threats and challenges to equality, health, security, technology and sustainability and we need to be able to think and respond differently. In this session, we’ll use case studies and methods from the arts and sciences to show how we must work together.
Click Here >
Brexit referendum and the rise in hate crime: conforming to the new norm | Video Short
Video
Short Film from the Economics department at the University of Nottingham from March 2020
Click Here >
Discovering Black Portraiture | Black History Month talk
Video
Join opera singer Peter Brathwaite for an extraordinary evening detailing his passion for 'degenerate music', the ways in which his work has paid tribute to and been informed by Black histories in Britain, and his extraordinary lockdown project to discover Black portraiture. Taking the form of a Q&A
Click Here >
The Continuing Windrush Scandal | Talk from March 2021
Video
Talk by journalist and author Amelia Gentleman three years on from the government apology for the Windrush scandal, yet justice remains elusive for so many of those who were affected.
Click Here >
Royal Society for Asian Affairs You
Video | Webinar | Recorded Lecture
A collection of webinars and recorded lectures from the UK Royal Society for Asian Affairs
Click Here >
21st Century Challenges: Informed discussion from the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
Website | Blog | Video | Recorded Lecture | Events
21st Century Challenges considers the big social, environmental and economic challenges of our time. Join us at events; read articles and commentary informed by the latest geographical research; watch videos, be inspired, think critically, build your networks and share your ideas.
Click here >
HE+
Website | Podcast | Blog | Video
The HE+ website has supercurricular resources created and written by Cambridge students and academics including challenging activities, engaging videos, reflective questions and much more.
Click Here >
Time for Geography
Website | Video | Blog
The goal of this site is to bring together talented student film-makers and forward thinking researchers, educations and organizations within the geographical and geophysical communities to create inspiring, open-access, educational videos.
Click Here >
LIS Learning Hub
Website | Webinar | Recorded Lecture | Blog | Podcast
This is an open source area full of webinars, articles, videos, short reads, mini-lectures, podcasts and more from the London Interdiscipinary school.
Click Here >
Zooniverse - Real Science Online
Work Experience | Website
Online Crowd Science Projects that you can contribute to
Click Here >
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