Rachel Wolchin here - UCLA junior, history major, ADP minor and preschool teacher. Coming to UCLA and seeing how the North and South Campuses were divided seemed natural at first but the more I explored them, the more I felt as if I was being segregated from my friends and fellow associates like patients in a "controlled group" experiment. I am hopeful that this course on Art, Science, and Technology will not only expand my current perspectives but give me new ways to unify the art and science worlds in both my mind and in practice.
The concept behind "Two Cultures" - the 'unnatural separation' of art and science - is one that does not surprise me. Charles Percy Snow's first lecture states the difference between literary intellectuals and natural sciences and blames the educational system as the main culprit. This is true over 50 years ago and it is still true today. The stereotypes created throughout history has categorized what shouldn't be categorized. Labels and segregated what should be allowed to flow freely together. For all we know, by allowing the separation of two cultures to thrive, we have caused harm to the order of things in the universe and instead of progressing, we are actually hindering our growth as a human civilization.
Curriculum Designed to Unite Art & Science (NY Times)
Curriculum Designed to Unite Art & Science (NY Times)
In lecture, we learnt that artists and scientists were isolated from one another. What if Einstein and Shakespeare fell in love and ran away together? Yes, on their own they are impressive and progressive but imagine the magic they could have created together!
In the video titled Changing Education Paradigms, we are clearly shown how the separation of two cultures has impacted society. By making assumptions on social structure, we have flawed the design on natural selection and evolution and created an environment where "so many brilliant people think they're not!" We also saw how divergent thinking decreases as we get older, as we get more educated.
As a preschool teacher, I have the pleasure of working with children who have not yet been "adulterated" as I like to call it and are still excelling in divergent thinking. We constantly combine art and science together for we have seen through experience that it creates an environment where learning thrives.
Science Activities for Toddlers & Preschoolers
Lastly, the "Wealth Gap" introduced in C.P Snow's second lecture is perhaps what I believe to be the root of all problems. From war, to respect, to survival, money is what makes the world go round and what drives every synthetic system created by greedy humans. The rich are always looked at as 'higher class,' and 'smarter' just based on pieces of paper with faces on them. Forgetting that money exists would not only bring peace in the world between nations but between intellectual minds of all "cultures."
Money Makes The World Go Round (The Examiner)
Sources:
"Academy EBriefings." A Dangerous Divide. The New York Academy of Sciences, 24 July 2009. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.
Angier, Natalie. "Curriculum Designed to Unite Art and Science." The New York Times. The New York Times, 26 May 2008. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.
"RSA ANIMATE: Changing Education Paradigms." YouTube. The RSA, 14 Oct. 2010. Web. 02 Apr. 2016.
"20 SCIENCE ACTIVITIES FOR TODDLERS AND PRESCHOOLERS." Happy Hooligans. Wordpress, 5 July 2014. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.
"Venmo: Money Makes the World Go Social." The Examiner. N.p., 16 Feb. 2014. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.
I do believe the world would be a better place if we left the 'adulting' to the preschoolers! I commend you for working with these youngsters. I'm curious how your students would self-identify culturally? At such a young age, have they started to band together with like-minded kids, creating their own cultural divides? I'd love to hear your report from the front line. :-)
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