Hello, I am Christine. I recently just switched from an art history major to a sociology major. Even though I am north campus major, I am still very much interested in science. I have always been interested in science in relation to art, and that is why I wanted to take this class. Unfortunately, I am very aware of the divide between the realms of science and art. I can see the divide at UCLA, even geographically, as Professor Vesna mentions in her lecture, where the sciences are in the south and humanities are north. This prevents easy interaction/collaboration between the two campuses.
I can also see the divide in memes on the UCLA Memes for Sick AF Tweens page on Facebook. These types of memes are probably due to lack of understanding between the campuses. For example:
Even though I have always been aware of this divide, Professor Vesna’s lectures have also made me realize that even though the divide is a problem in itself, the divide also prevents these people from solving larger world problems like wealth inequality. And this is why, as the RSA Animate video highlights, we need to change our education paradigm. Since we are so used to it, we have taken our education system for granted and do not blame it for creating this divide.
RSA ANIMATE: Changing Education Paradigms
In her article Toward a Third Culture, Professor Vesna highlights how necessary collaboration between art and science is in bridging the two worlds (Vesna). As of now, art and science are literally two separate worlds. This is because, as Snow explains in his essay, the divide persists because scientists and artists literally live separately and create separate cultures that the other culture sometimes cannot understand (Snow).
In our education, the university teaches us to be tolerant and understanding of other cultures, ethnicities, political views, and religions. Unfortunately, the university does not make sure we are understanding of majors across campus. As a north campus major, I will use what I have learned in this unit to try to be more compassionate and understanding toward south campus majors.
Works Cited
Almalvez, Miguel. ‘The saddest thing you realize is that on here and the Berkeley page, 50% of
the memes are just South Campus majors bashing North Campus majors because they are
trying to justify their decisions in life and unhappiness in the strange hope that their
suffering will have been worth it when most times if they don’t like it now...it won’t be.”
1 Dec 2016, 2:01 p.m. Facebook post.
“Maps.” ucla.edu. UCLA, Feb 2017. Web. 8 April 2017.
The RSA. (2010, Oct 14). RSA ANIMATE: Changing Education Paradigms [Video file].
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U
Snow, C.P. The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution. Cambridge University Press, 1961.
Vesna, Victoria. “Towards a Third Culture: Being in between.” Leonardo, vol. 34, no. 2, 2001,
http://www.jstor.org/stable/1577014?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents. Accessed 6 April
2017.
Really like your blog. There is still misunderstandings between North and South campus majors which leads to the bashing on each other. You will sometimes hear that "he/she is just a xxx major, easy major, no offense." Actually, one could not say that one major is more important than the other one because they all have their own beauty. People are saying this just to show their privilege on their own decision of choosing the "right" major. Like the animate video says, we do need to change our education paradigm.
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