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3. Contribute to cultural development and enjoyment
by preserving records of learning and culture.

4. Facilitate the dissemination of useful applications of
existing knowledge and make applications developed
in one country widely known to all countries.

1.3.3 Branches of Bibliography

The relevance and importance of having different branches
of study is that they allow us to gain a more comprehensive
understanding of the world. Just as the branches on a tree
Comprehensiveness reach in many directions but ultimately connect to the same
and trunk, the various disciplines and fields of inquiry all shed
interconnectedness light on different aspects of the human experience. A great
example that illustrates this is the real life story of Wangari
Maathai, the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace
Prize.

Wangari Maathai was an environmental activist and
the founder of the Green Belt Movement in Kenya.
She understood that environmental degradation and
resources depletion do not happen in isolation - they
are connected to larger social justice and economic
issues as well. As such, Maathai brought together dif-
ferent branches of study in her work. She incorporated
environmental science and sustainable agriculture to
replenish Kenya’s forests. She leveraged social sciences
to organize women’s groups that educated local commu-
nities. She employed civics and law to advocate policy

Fig. 1.3.4 changes to government. And she used her platform to
Wangari Maathai speak up for human rights and democracy.

Maathai could have just focused on planting trees. But she knew the solutions
to environmental problems could not be separated from empowering people,
reforming institutions, and promoting ethical leadership. Her work exemplifies
using insights from different disciplines to diagnose and holistically address
interlinked challenges. Maathai once said, “A holistic approach is what makes
us deal with environmental issues in context. It’s not just planting trees.”

In this way, Maathai demonstrated the powerful relevance of exploring issues
through multiple branches of study. When we connect the dots between disci-
plines, we gain a panoramic view of the problems we seek to solve. The story
of Wangari Maathai inspires us to value the diversity of human knowledge and
integrate insights from many fields to drive change.

58 SGOU - SLM - Foundational Skills for Research and Writing