It is useful to recognize that the traditional categories of academic disciplines were not defined by some divine power but have been created by academics themselves--past and present. It is also useful to note that the borders of the disciplines are indistinct and permeable. The domain of anthropology merges into the domains of psychology, sociology, economics, and literature. Political science spills into the arts, astronomy, paleontology, and linguistics. Such spillages are often reflected in hybrid disciplines--social psychology, sociobiology, biochemistry, astrophysics, and the like.

However, it's also true that specialists in each discipline have identified certain core concerns, viewpoints, and investigative methods they regard as unique to their field. And the resulting ways they define their field help explain the perspective they bring to their work.

Anthropology is the scholarly discipline that focuses on the study of human beings, especially the study of their physical characteristics, cultural characteristics, evolutionary history, racial classification, geographic distribution, and group relationships. Thus, anthropology involves the naturalistic description and interpretation of the diverse peoples of the world.

Economics is the science that seeks to analyze and describe the production, distribution, and consumption of wealth.

Education, as a field of study and practice, is concerned mainly with methods of teaching and learning in schools or in schoollike environments as opposed to such informal means of socialization as parents' childrearing practices. The discipline also involves the aims, organization, and management of educational institutions.

Political science addresses the functions of governments (legislation, administration of the law), voters' behavior, political parties, and the influence of political organizations.

Psychology is the science of the mental processes and behavior of individuals and groups, both human and animal. The word psychology literally means "study of the mind," and the issue of the relationship between mind and body --or more precisely, mind and brain--is an intimate concern of this science.

Sociology is the human behavioral science that investigates the nature, causes, and effects of social relations among individuals and groups, including social customs, structures, functions, and institutions. (Adapted and condensed from Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1994.)

Despite the usefulness of academicians' efforts to stake out exclusive territories, the traditional disciplines continue to be much intermingled.

Now why is this observation about academic-discipline domains important for doing theses and dissertations? We think it's significant for two reasons. First, the guidelines for conducting and writing research investigations in different academic departments are much the same, especially within the broad realm of the social sciences and such applied fields as education, social work, and business administration. Therefore, the contents of this book should be suited to the needs of students in a variety of departments. In the titles of research projects that we include throughout the book, we illustrate this commonality among the traditional disciplines.