It has been decades since C.P. Snow blamed the educational systems for widening the gap between literary intellectuals and scientists. However, the debate about whether these two cultures are still divided is continuously being discussed.
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| (Figure 1 Sir Ken Robinson made this statement during his Changing Educational Paradigm video.) |
This idea, of Two Cultures residing on polar ends of the educational system, is something I relate to deeply. Throughout my schooling, I have noticed that the curriculum seems geared toward pushing students to one end of the educational spectrum or the other in order to ensure the work force in the future economy remains diverse and productive.
Going through America’s rigorous educational system, I have always felt burdened with an immense pressure to find a financially stable, yet suitable career. However, after a while I found that the best, or easiest, way to smother that gnawing anxiety about my future was to place my focus into just one academic field. Besides, where could I even find the time to study other fields?
Honestly, I never even considered the possibility that I could be successful in several fields. Since creativeness never came easily, I felt the only chance I had at success was to enter into the only remaining field: the sciences.
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| (Figure 2 This Cartoon depicts the need for a change in the way General Educational courses are run in America.) |
Although Snow states that America’s Educational System has been more successful since its curriculum encompasses all the academic fields, I strongly believe that the system is still majorly flawed. Despite any attempts at making each field equal, the idea of superior fields still weaves its way into the system. Coming to UCLA the idea of two truly separate cultures was further reinforced. Although the requirement of General Education classes makes a small attempt at bridging the gap, the bridge is only weakened by the campus separation and the dreaded feeling of taking classes outside of one’s comfort zone.
One last debatable and convincing statement that has been hammered into my being is stated perfectly by Tom Ashbrook in a Humanities Studies Debate: “Should American students throw their resources, their minds, their futures, into the ancient pillars of learning…Or are those somehow less relevant, less urgent studies today in a hyper-competitive global economy?” I can’t help but feel torn between my two fears: wasting my schooling on a less promising academic field and regret about not expanding my knowledge to all fields.
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| (Figure 3 This images depicts that the process to obtain a Humanities PHD is long and does not guarantee a job.) |
Works Cited
Ashbrook, Tom. On Point with Tom Ashbrook. Trustees of Boston University, 2013. Web. 6 October 2013.
Changing Education Paradigms. Perf. Sir Ken Robinson. YouTube. Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. Web. 6 October 2013.<http://youtu.be/zDZFcDGpL4U>.
Figure 1. Changing Education Paradigms. Perf. Sir Ken Robinson. YouTube. Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. Web. 6 October 2013. <http://youtu.be/zDZFcDGpL4U>.
Figure 2. Chelsea Myers. Graphic Design.6 October 2013. http://www.themaneater.com/stories/2010/3/19/general-education-requirements-need-change/
Figure 3. Lisa Wade. Graphic Design. 6 October 2013. http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2010/04/27/debt-time-and-the-job-market-for-humanities-phds/
Snow, C. P. The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1961. Print.
Vesna, Victoria. “Toward a Third Culture: Being in Between.” Leonardo 34.2 (2001): 121-25. Web. 6 October 2013.
Do you think that your schooling, prior to coming to UCLA affected how you see the sciences as uncreative? After taking courses in the sciences how do you feel about this idea of two cultures in regards to your future plans? Do you think you can teach creativity or is it something you are born with?
ReplyDeleteSorry if I asked a lot of questions. Your post just made me think.
Hello Gabriela! Don't worry, I love questions! They give me something to work with. The answer to your first question would have to be yes. I absolutely do feel that my prior schooling has made me see the sciences as something uncreative. Since I never excelled in literary academics or the arts I just took it as a sign that I was not a creative individual. However, since I was rather good in mathematics and the sciences I became convinced that those subjects must not require any creative capability because I was actually good at them. In response to your second question, I am slowly beginning to see the need for a knowledge that spreads to both cultures. After taking multiple science and humanities classes I am quickly seeing many underlying ideas that overlap between them. Finally, to answer your last question, I feel that creativity is something one could acquire at any time. However, I also strongly believe that this idea of creativeness comes easiest to one in their younger years. As one grows older, it can become increasingly difficult to learn new concepts that one has never been able to wrap their mind around.
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