Week 1: Two Cultures

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 Through CP Snow's work and research about the two cultures, I can see the difference and intersection between art and science. In 1959, CP Snow coined the phrase, "The Two Cultures", showing the distinction between individuals in the literary and natural sciences. He argued that the arts and sciences should be held equally, but universities and schools were a main factor as to why they were separated. I can see this separation frequently in college too, as students tend to categorize themselves as "north" or "south" campus majors at UCLA. Students are often pressured to pick one side, where instead they should be motivated to combine both of their "north" and "south" campus interests. 

Dividing students by "north" and "south" campus can have detrimental effects as learning between the two can have beneficial impacts.


I personally am interested in both sciences and humanities. Although I am a biology major, I also pursue my interests in humanities. For example, along with two biology courses, I also took religion class last quarter. I learned a lot about the origins of different religions, and was really interested in the course material. I hope to take more classes about different religions and cultures to better my understanding of the diverse world around me. I want to pursue a future career in healthcare, and hope to combine my interest in humanities and science to create a more culturally aware and inclusive healthcare environment. I am also involved with a group called AIM (Advocating for Intersectional Medicine) on campus. Through this club I have learned more about how science and healthcare intersect with many different subjects such as race, class, and gender. I think that when we combine both science and arts/humanities, we can expand our knowledge and create deeper connections between subjects.


Humanities and Sciences intersect


One reason why the division between art and science has become so distinct is because of schools and universities. Schools and universities emphasize picking a subject or field that you are good at and sticking with that. Students are often categorized in either being good at the sciences or arts. In the video with Sir Ken Robinson, he talks about changing paradigms and how schools should change the way they approach education. I think that schools should emphasize a combined curriculum that shows the overlap and intersections between arts/humanities and sciences. This is emphasized with the concept of a "third culture", which Kevin Kelly discusses. The third culture blends art, science, technology into a combined culture. 

A class project about planets combining both science and art


Sources:

“A Dangerous Divide: The New York Academy of Sciences.” Nyas, www.nyas.org/ebriefings/a-dangerous-divide/?tab=overview.

Kelly, Kevin. “The Third Culture.” Science, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 13 Feb. 1998, science.sciencemag.org/content/279/5353/992.full. 

News, Iowa Public Radio. “Standing at the Intersection of Art and Science.” Iowa Public Radio, 23 Sept. 2020, www.iowapublicradio.org/arts-life/2016-04-22/standing-at-the-intersection-of-art-and-science. 

"RSA ANIMATE: Changing Education Paradigms." RSA. YouTube, YouTube, 14 Oct. 2010, www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U&t=16s.

Smith, Anna. “Global Medicine Spend Forecast to Exceed $1.5 Trillion by 2023.” PharmaTimes, PharmaTimes Media Limited, 29 Jan. 2019, www.pharmatimes.com/news/report_says_global_medicine_spend_set_toexceed_$1.5_trillion_by_2023_1276470. 

Snow, C.P. The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution. New York: Cambridge UP, 1959. Print.

“UCLA Campus Map Illustrations.” Rabinky Art, LLC, 7 Aug. 2020, rabinkyart.com/illustration/ucla-campus-map-illustrations.

Vesna, Victoria. "Toward a Third Culture: Being In Between." Leonardo. 34 (2001): 121-125. Print.

Comments

  1. JT AttriApril 4, 2021 at 5:57 PM

    I enjoyed reading your blog, Sanah. I completely agree with your claim that students are often pressured into picking either the literary or natural sciences as their main area of study. I know UCLA has a few interdepartmental majors such as Math/Econ, and I'm sure you would agree with me in saying that we need to provide more majors that are at the intersections of these "two cultures." Doing so would ensure that students are provided with a curriculum that matches their interests as much as possible. It would also alleviate some of the pressure students face in determining whether to be a north or south campus major. On a side note, you mention how dividing the north and south campuses by major has "detrimental effects," and I agree with you, but I was hoping you would expand on this point just a little further by maybe providing some examples or research. Overall, however, I found your blog to be very compelling, great job!

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