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For far too long, our education system has adapted to a "production line mentality" where different disciplines are separated and are too standardized (RSA Animate Video). As the RSA Animate Video clearly outlines, students of today's generation are becoming deadened to standardized curriculum. The distinct disciplines are confining and inhibiting, rather than attracting young minds to learning. In short, the video calls for the education model to completely reconfigure.
Over fifty years ago, C.P. Snow began this charge. In "The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution", he stated that “There is only one way out of all of this: it is, of course, by rethinking our education" (Snow). This problem directly relates to this course because the art and science disciplines have been separated. Art and science are at their best when they meet.
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Steven Pinker's point about the mutual dependency between art and science was also intriguing. He explained that science cannot construct phenomena by itself; science needs art and art needs science (Pinker). Pinker gave several examples of this such as, "The analysis of art can be illuminated by what we know about color and depth and motion and ecological optics and human evolution” (Pinker). He also shared that "moral philosophy can’t take place without moral some understanding of moral psychology” (Pinker). By this, Pinker means that art and science already have a mutual dependency, but their conjunction needs to be recognized by the world.
Like I said before, I am a victim of this problem. From the beginning of grade school, art and science were always separated. In art class, I painted or learned about a famous artist. In science class, I learned about anatomy or chemistry. Since then, I have created stereotypes of artists and scientists, such as the "lab coat authority" stereotype seen in media (Vesna pt2). Just as Professor Vesna pointed out, my university is "geographically designed in a way where these disciplines are separated" (Vesna pt3). My political science classes are on the opposite side of campus from math and science classes. Thus, this separation problem has been ever present in my educational experience.
Now that I have become aware of the problem, I am excited to learn how art and science work together.
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Citations:
Picture 1: https://www.google.com/search?q=bored+student+in+school&espv=2&biw=1112&bih=656&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=Pe8dVdCVIYmAsQTy74HABA&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#imgdii=_&imgrc=e1zOJpcLoiGBUM%253A%3Bgxk1hAieA_e89M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.hercampus.com%252Fsites%252Fdefault%252Ffiles%252F2014%252F03%252F20%252Fbored_students_1.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fgalleryhip.com%252Fbored-high-school-student.html%3B1500%3B839
Picture 2: http://blog.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/hiring-the-right-person-takes-both-art-and-science
Picture 3: https://www.ontariosciencecentre.ca/CafeSci/Toronto/
Pinker, Steven. "SEEDMAGAZINE.COM Two Cultures Steven Pinker."YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BUbVc7qVpg>.
"RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 20. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U>.
Snow, C. P. “Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution.” Reading. 1959. New York: Cambridge UP, 1961. Print.
Vesna, Victoria. "TwoCultures Pt2." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=20&v=GUr4xxZ_0gw>.
Vesna, Victoria. "TwoCultures Pt3." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=15&v=4FOEuxrwxd0>.
I would have to fully agree with the fact that the education system has created this divided. Similarly to your experience, I too had a separation of the humanities and the sciences from the beginning of grade school. This separation also carried all the way through to even my college education where as an engineer, we are only required to take a few G.E. classes that are focused on the humanities. Such a system is where what causes the divided in our education obviously and in our mindset of having two cultures.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that the education system in the United States has created a division between the sciences and humanities/art. It has impeded many students from pursing certain carer paths because of the standardized way of teaching and learning.
ReplyDeleteYour quote from Pinker on how we analyze and interpret art really hit home with me. In general, we fail to recognize the connections between things, this can be beyond art and science. We may not see this connections on our own or human conditioning interferes with these realizations. This quote made me realize I do compartmentalize things into their own categories when I am taking different subjects within school. However, looking at one subject with the understanding of another is what can intensify your understanding. The fact that our education systems are still so similar to those from 100 or ever 30 years ago is shocking.
ReplyDeleteHi Madeline, I enjoyed reading your blog and thought your perspective on art and science was very intriguing and interesting!
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