When I first applied for PCJ, I assumed that it would be another version of the International Relations program, with added content and smaller classes. And while there are certainly similarities between the two, I’ve realized that what we’re doing in PCJ is more than a little different from our IR friends.

Putting different approaches together to solve problems

Ultimately, I think the biggest difference is PCJ’s interdisciplinary approach to understanding world issues. What this means is that instead of approaching the topics at hand from one angle, we attempt to analyze solve the problems of the world by drawing on the collective knowledge of various disciplines and theories. In doing so, we can allow ourselves to tackle these issues outside the limits of usual definitions and approaches, and thus, ideally, reach new solutions to these problems. Therefore, students of PCJ have the luxury of being able to draw on knowledge from many different fields to supplement the traditional IR-type readings and theories we continue to use. In choosing to study PCJ, I’ve inavertedly chosen to study History, Art, Music, Psychology, Philosophy, Sociology, Psychology, Sociobiology, Anthropology, and Political Science, among other disciplines.

While upper year students warned me of the program’s interdisciplinary nature prior to my application, I did not believe it would be to the extent that it is. I also did not believe that so many other (seemingly unrelated) fields of study would be so applicable to our course themes. It was, however, a pleasant surprise. And, to be honest, I think the fact that my own programs are varied helps me appreciate this aspect of the program even more.

That being said, taking one course that manages to teach you five given subjects in any given week does come with its challenges. For instance, every subject that you encounter requires you to get into a certain frame of mind in order to understand it. You cannot, for example, approach a math textbook the same way you’d approach a piece of literature; you have to be ready beforehand to do one or the other. Furthermore, different subjects require reading and understanding in a different way. When it’s 1 a.m. on a Sunday and the fatigue of student life settles in, doing a bunch of readings that jump into different directions, suddenly use different terminologies, and employ models far different from one another becomes quite difficult. In fact, there have been a few times this semester when, in one of my late night reading sprees, I’ve started mixing and melting ideas together.

Putting different disciplines and literature together to deconstruct case studies

However, as my first semester in PCJ comes to a close, I seem to have worked out a bit of a system to dealing with some of the caveats that come with such an interdisciplinary program. Firstly, I try to avoid my famous 1 a.m. reading sprees as much as possible (and save that time for writing essays). Jumping back and forth between disciplines is hard enough having had enough sleep, so I’ve found those late night sessions especially wasteful. Also, I find it helpful to give myself a little break between each reading, a sort of “palate cleanser” where I can purge the first reading from my mind and make room in my brain for the next one. This is when I’d usually go to the washroom, have a snack, or jump on the trampoline. When I come back to my reading, my brain doesn’t feel quite as muddled. Lastly, the trick I find most effective is to keep a syllabus close by, either as a hard copy or on my computer. If there are times when I feel that the readings came out of left field, looking up the week’s theme and relating it to the theme of the week (be it Human Nature, Actors and Approaches, or what have you) really helps me focus in on what these seemingly unrelated concepts have in common.

Ultimately, though, I think that the pros of studying PCJ from such an interdisciplinary perspective is far more rewarding than its difficulties, and gives us students an immense advantage over those who study it more narrowly. What I’ve learned so far is that knowledge about the world is everywhere, and that there are many different ways we can learn about how the world works, and how humans react to one another. All we have to do is roll up our sleeves and find the common ground.