Two Cultures



In his essay, C. P. Snow attributes a large amount of the developed division between the culture of the arts/humanities and that of science to universities and educational institutions. Being we are students at UCLA, we are therefore in the process of being shaped by these forces that Snow believes help to create the divide. While there is a literal geographic divide that the founders of UCLA created between the “left-brained” South Campus and “right-brained” North Campus, many other features of the university seem to exacerbate the rift.



As an electrical engineering major, I think of myself as situated fairly far on one extreme of the art-science spectrum. One aspect that plays into the development of the divide is stereotypes and the examples that are presented to us. A powerful force that guides students towards their identity is the faculty. From a personal perspective, in electrical engineering the professors indoctrinate the value of seeking depth rather than breadth. When the leaders of the department only have experience in the field of engineering rather than any significant crossover to humanities-oriented expertise, it is no wonder that students follow suit and the development of stereotypes is promoted. In addition to the faculty, the curricular requirements help to widen the gap. Engineers only need to take five coursework. Even the layout of the course curriculum pictured here looks extremely scientific.

At UCLA, my experience has very much proven that my department has many mechanisms in place to silo its students heavily into the “science-bucket" and significantly insulate from the arts. It is not surprising that as a result many people leave university thinking art and science are immiscible to a degree.



References

Snow, Charles Percy. The two cultures and the scientific revolution: The Rede Lecture, 1959. University Press, 1959.

Vesna, Victoria. "Toward a third culture: being in between." Leonardo 34.2 (2001): 121-125.

"John Brockman: Matchmaking with science and art." Interview by Duncan Graham-Rowe. Wired UK. N.p., 3 Feb. 2011. Web. 9 Apr. 2017.

uconlineprogram. "TwoCultures pt2." Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 31 March 2012. Web. 7 April 2017.

The RSA. "RSA ANIMATE: Changing Education Paradigms." Online video clip. Youtube. YouTube, 14 October 2010. Web. 7 April 2017.

Comments

  1. AnonymousApril 10, 2018 at 6:33 PM

    It does not surprise me that electrical engineering professors lack any crossover to humanities-oriented expertise. I agree with you, that the majority of my teachers seek depth in computer science courses. I am very grateful to how much I learned the concepts from them, however they often joke about North Campus, further deepening the rift between the art and the sciences.

    I do not think it is necessary for my teachers to have this expertise in the arts, however I know it would have made me a more well rounded person if they did. Hopefully North and South campus will find a happy medium to allow students to really experience the Third Culture.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownApril 11, 2018 at 10:07 AM

    I would agree that the engineering curriculum emphasizes depth more than breadth. Even our "elective breadths" must be technical STEM courses! I've known a couple of engineering students at UCLA who have actually pursued North campus through drawing clubs or the performing arts. This almost comes across as very unconventional for the average engineering student. There is almost this sort of hesitation to even diverge "that far" from STEM subjects. I do think that the faculty have a large influence on this way of thinking and could encourage more engineers to pursue their art interests.

    ReplyDelete

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