Week 1 Blog Post - Two Cultures

    According to both articles this week, along with videos and websites, we can see the devastating separation between scholars in the humanities and those in science fields. As a Biology major on campus, I see everything that there is to see involving the sciences. From lectures to homework, my life revolves around learning and studying science. However, I also delve into the arts and humanities when I can. I draw and paint often, as well as read many intellectual novels. This combination of the two polar opposites is very important. “Bridging and synthesizing many worlds while composing ‘something else’ becomes the art.”(Vesna 124) By bringing together the arts and sciences, Prof. Vesna claims that a new and true art will emerge.

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.theconversation.com

Although I have not yet taken any classes on campus, I am already experiencing the sharp divide between the two sides. I have taken two general education classes that have shown me a glimpse of “the other side”. My first north campus class was English Comp 3D. This class integrated writing and medicine using a combination of medical journals and diaries. Through this class I learned not only information on the structure of thesis, but I also got my first taste of the differences between the two sources of learning. My next class from the north side of campus was Comm 10. This class taught the humanities side of communication, and I was able to tie in my own experiences to learn more about interpersonal interactions.

        UCLA’s north and south side of campus

“UCLA Campus Colored Map.” Maps.ucla.edu, UCLA, maps.ucla.edu/downloads/pdf/UCLA_Campus_Colored_Map.pdf.

This divide between the two cultures leads to two sides of closed minded people. Though they both have the ability to shine and prosper in their own prospective fields, a connection would lead to something far greater than they could do alone.

This picture, from Penn State, shows the implementation of a humanities program into the medical school, something that many other schools have incorporated as a priority.

https://pennstatehealthnews.org/topics/the-department-of-humanities-once-a-curiosity-now-an-awakening/

References:

Snow, C. P. “Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution.” Reading. 1959. New York:                   

Cambridge UP, 1961. Print.

Vesna, Victoria. “Toward a Third Culture: Being in Between.” Leonardo 34.2 (2001): 121-25. 

Web.

Williams, Christopher M. “A Dangerous Divide: The New York Academy of Sciences.” Nyas, 24 July 2009, www.nyas.org/ebriefings/a-dangerous-divide/?tab=overview. 

Wilson, Stephen. “Myths and Confusions in Thinking about Art/Science/Technology.” San Fransisco State University, 2000. 

Curtis, Neal. “A message for our scientists.” auckland.ac.nz, 25 August 2020, https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2020/08/25/message-for-our-scientists.html. Accessed 1 April 2021.