INTRO

My name is Lydia and I am a Sociology major, usually hanging around north campus. I hope to learn more about the meaning of art, because have very little art knowledge. Art and science seem like subjects that are very opposite from one another. However, I learned in this week’s readings that bridging the gap between two cultures can make great things happen. Snow in, “The Two Cultures,” talks about the division between the two cultures, humanities and science. He argues that those in both areas of study should work to make advances intellectually. Vesna on the other hand, argues that there is a third culture, which is the bridge between science and literary intellectuals. It is triangulated and “made more stable with the work of artists utilizing new technologies, who are in active dialogue with both sides.” 

This video shows the impressive collaboration between art and engineering. This work is called Strandbeest by Theo Jansen and it is a lifelike creature that can move on its own by responding to its environment. 

At UCLA, there is definitely a clear division between humanities and math/science. The two cultures are geographically divided with humanities on north campus and math/science on south campus. I would say there is tension between the two cultures because they base their intellectual ability on two very different criteria. Usually the math/science majors look down on humanities majors because they study things that seem more meaningful and make more money. The two sides do not collaborate very well. Both campuses also are very different in appearance. North campus, I would say, is more beautiful than south campus. While north campus is covered in intricately designed buildings and sculptures, south campus is very dull. It is equipped with only a fountain that looks like a toilet bowl. 

North Campus Frankin D. Murphy Sculpture Garden

South Campus Inverted Fountain 

I never looked at these two subjects as cultures before. My perspective changed as I give more respect and credit to the humanities side of campus. Without art and humanities, everything will be very dull and unappealing. I have realized that the collaboration between humanities and science is needed to make significant progress for the future because the two have equally important roles. 

After realizing this divide between humanities and science, I think I will become a better learner. With these new ideas, I can approach new class material differently. Since I am a sociology major, I can use sociology terms/ideas and apply them to the material I will learn in this class, as well as other classes, to help get a better understanding of the subject at hand. 

Sources:

Bornstein, Mark. "The Art And Science Of Driving Webinar Registration." Business 2 Community. B2C, 12 June 2015. Web.

Campbell, Jamie, Chee Chee Lin, and Hayoung Youn. "The Inverted Fountain in Front of Franz Hall—Photo Credit: UCLA Undergraduate Admissions." Bruin Blog. UC Regents, 17 May 2012. Web.

Dennis, Lori. "Murphy Sculpture Garden at UCLA." Lori Dennis. N.p., n.d. Web.

Isaac, Hamza. "10 Bizarre Projects That Combine Art And Science." ListVerse. Listverse Ltd, 12 Sept. 2014. Web.

Snow, C. P. The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution. New York: Cambridge UP, 1959. Print.

Vesna, Victoria. "Toward A Third Culture: Being In Between". Leonardo, JSTOR. Web. 26 June 2016.