As we all know, English as a field of study can take a student in numerous directions: literary analysis, creative or technical writing, linguistics, journalism, speech pathology, early language learning, ESL, teaching any of the aforementioned, and many more areas not directly related but in which an English background can prove very useful. The English discipline, one could argue, is inherently interdisciplinary because it lacks the straightforward “start here and follow these steps to the finish” signage of the more scientific disciplines, relying instead on multiple activities of academic interest, of which many are also relevant to other studies, to define itself. English, when viewed side-by-side with “the clearly defined aims and quantifiable achievements” of the sciences and social sciences, can seem “rather woolly and ill-focused” (Moran 20). The field also “does not make a strong connection between education and training for future careers” (Moran 18). This all contributes to it being a “hotchpotch of contending aesthetic, theoretical and scientific discourses” (Moran 41), and to it being called interdisciplinary by so many. This title might have a negative connotation for some, because it suggests a lack of direction and identity; however, behind this title I see a wealth of possibilities and freedom which make English such a uniquely rewarding and worthwhile subject to study.
Being in both a literature and a creative writing course this semester, I am experiencing firsthand how interdisciplinary English really is. I have noticed a lot of overlap between the two classes. I was introduced to intertextuality in a creative nonfiction piece in my morning class, then discussed its importance in literature that afternoon. I learned from one professor that making too strong of a link between an author’s life and their work is highly discouraged, then was taught the term for such an error by another professor. There has even been overlap of reading material, with both courses’ syllabuses listing required reading of Jean Toomer. These examples are more than just coincidence- they prove how multifaceted English is, and that no matter what you are specifically focusing on within the subject, meaningful connections to other sub-concentrations can always be made. English has never been a “pure” discipline despite attempts to make it so; instead it is a patchwork quilt of ideas, interests, and activities built upon the loose foundation of an ever-evolving language. Where some may see a disaster, I see an open door.