An Overview of Various Academic Disciplines-converted

1. An Overview of Various Academic Disciplines An academic discipline is a smaller subdivision of academic knowledge that is studied and taught at the university or college level. This sub-discipline may be of as much five disciplines: aesthetics, action, literature, religion, and science. In the United States, the most popular academic disciplines are English, history, geography, psychology, and sociology. The most recent trend is for a new academic discipline to emerge every few years. An academic discipline is generally separated into as many divisions as there are branches in a tree. The most common term in this area is research. All disciplines have researched but some more intensely so than others. A research project is normally a descriptive study of a particular aspect of human behavior. For example, in psychological research on violence, psychologists would conduct an empirical study of married couples, examining how violence among married couples affects their children. The study would then be divided into a descriptive term academic discipline, which would include descriptive analysis, and a theoretically-grounded area, which would include models, research methodology, and theoretical foundations. The most popular academic discipline in the United States today is education. All aspects of educational psychology are included, such as learning and behavior, curriculum development, teacher-parent interactions, and assessment. A newer area of research in school psychology. Unlike other disciplines, there are no professional organizations for school psychology. Most school psychologists do not belong to any association, organization, or group.

2. Another new academic discipline is applied research. Applied research refers to a discipline of study that investigates selected areas of inquiry in engineering, business, and technology, medicine, and law. This area of study has become increasingly specialized and is now referred to as engineering-organized research, business-focused research, medicine-based research, or law-focused research. There are several other areas of specialization within applied research. Several universities offer graduate degrees in applied research. The other most common academic discipline in the United States is science. Science is the most comprehensive of all disciplines and includes the entire gamut of physical sciences, including earth sciences, astronomy, and physics; chemistry; biology; and zoology. The most common areas of scientific studies are genetics (which studies the structure and function of living organisms), physics, chemistry, astronomy, and physiology. Several different subdisciplines exist, including medical science, engineering science, mathematics, and biology. Several specific fields of study outside of the natural sciences also exist, such as philosophy of science, political science, and anthropology. Teaching is considered the most important facet of the academic discipline. Most of the most prestigious post-secondary institutions encourage the teaching of core courses. In recent years, however, the growth and development of nontraditional higher education have led some colleges and universities to consider non-core courses as well. An example of a college that started out offering nontraditional academic disciplines was the California State University at Northridge. Later on, the list of nontraditional academic disciplines grew to include journalism, English, and ethnic studies. In terms of the different types of academic discipline, the most common ones that are studied by the majority of colleges and universities are history, English, American government, and humanities. Some universities research their areas of specialization. One of the most popular

3. examples of this is the anthropological department at Harvard University. Other examples include the departments of law and theology at Yale and Columbia University. Some of the most prominent universities that offer doctoral degrees in a wide array of disciplines are Harvard, Cambridge, Yale, and Cambridge. Although most students major in the English department, several schools offer degrees in disciplines as diverse as Chicano studies, African- American studies, Buddhist studies, cognitive science, environmental psychology, theology, and political science. Educational leadership and instruction are other academic disciplines offered by universities. Educational leadership and instruction refer to those individuals who have the authority and experience to plan, design, and implement educational programs. These include university, county, state, and local governments; school districts; school counselors; and individual teachers. Educational leadership and instruction also include professional organization such as the American Association of School Leaders and the National Association for school management. The various instructional programs include curriculum development, school research, teacher training, student assessment, and professional standards and assessments.