Week 1: Two Cultures


UCLA Housing
https://housing.ucla.edu/media/images/hh-map-ua-grad-2010-w500
C.P. Snow in his 1959 lecture at Cambridge University alluded to the separation of literary intellectuals and scientists. One of the causes he contributed this phenomenon to was the structure of the education system. Sir Ken Robinson elaborates on the idea and further and states “schools are organized on factory lines, separate facilities, [and] specialized into separate subjects.” UCLA is no exception to Robinson’s claim; in fact, it has distinct features to support his claim. While the North (humanities) and South (science) Campuses are clear examples, upon further analysis one can notice that residence areas convey the idea of “Two Cultures” as well. For instance, the University-owned residence areas are separated into undergraduate residence halls and apartments and graduate apartments, clearly classifying students into different “cultures.”

Program providing a three-dimensional structure of a molecule

http://er.educause.edu/~/media/images/articles/2005/1/erm0521_fig3.gif?la=en
Despite his discussion of the two cultures’ separation, Snow expresses that a third culture will eventually emerge and bridge the gap between humanities and science. Similarly, Victoria Vesna and Steven Pinker reveal that “contemporary art practice, particularly that utilizing digital technology, is loaded with references to science, and this trend has taken root in cultural theory as well.” While science influences contemporary art, I also believe contemporary art also influences science, one of many examples being the case of organic chemistry. With new digital art to visually formulate models of scientific subjects such as organic molecules, people’s understanding, including those of scientists, of particular theories and models are solidified.

A combination of the South Korean and the American flagshttp://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/hitlerparody/images/9/95/Juniermahri246_Korean_
American_flag_avatar.gif/revision/latest?cb=20110626083546

Lastly, growing up as a Korean-American with my family members being migrants from Korea, I have directly experienced two distinct cultures: Korean and American. Having also lived in both countries for similar lengths of time, I am able to distinguish specific differences between the two cultures. However, being Korean-American, I believe I am a part of the emerging group of Korean-Americans, "third culture" as Snow refers to, that will ultimately provide a connection between Korean and American cultures in addition to populations.

Works Cited
Beautyandtruth09. "SEEDMAGAZINE.COM Two Cultures Steven Pinker." YouTube. YouTube, 18 May 2010. Web. 01 Apr. 2016.
Snow, C. P. The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution. New York: Cambridge UP, 1961. Print.
TheRSAorg. "RSA ANIMATE: Changing Education Paradigms." YouTube. YouTube, 14 Oct. 2010. Web. 01 Apr. 2016.
Uconlineprogram. "TwoCultures." YouTube. YouTube, 30 Mar. 2012. Web. 01 Apr. 2016.
Vesna, Victoria. "Toward a Third Culture: Being In Between." Leonardo 34.2 (2001): 121-25. Web.

Comments

  1. I agree with your take on how it is evident that science has had a great effect on art, and just as equally art has had a great effect on science. The way which we can utilize technology now that allows us to digitize things and help teach and learn scientific explanations in a different and better way. Even children in elementary schools are learning and being taught art and science all through technology, or a combination of the two. The "third culture" is a result from science and art equally enhancing and complementing the other.

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  2. I found it really interesting that you were able to apply CP Snow's concept of two cultures into not just the subjects of Arts vs. Science, but into campus, grade, and ethnicity. To add on to your analogy of the ethnic "two cultures" and "third culture" concept, I believe that some perspectives may strictly divide the ethnic identities of an individual, but the "American" culture itself is actually not so segregated on its own as well. An "American" culture is the melting pot, or salad bowl, of many different cultures. Similarly, I further apply this concept to CP Snow's theory of two cultures and believe that Arts and Sciences may not be so strictly segregated as he hypothesized. Although the method of research contrasts one another, I believe the way of digestion and the form of definition are definitely correlated with one another. However, for easier understanding I believe dividing cultures by its surfacing characteristics and making a new culture at each time such new genre debuts is very easy to understand int he perspectives of the general public.

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