My response to a recent debate, prompted by someone complaining that science/engineering students shouldn't be forced to take humanities courses
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I have to clarifysorewaeienNovember 19 2004, 00:01:12 UTC
First of all, I don't argue that scientists should not be required to study any liberal arts at all. However, I feel that if they are, then liberal art students should be required to study a comparable portion of the sciences. And about writing, I believe that is required, and that's what PWR is for
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Re: I have to clarifymoneysucksNovember 19 2004, 04:17:55 UTC
Oh, the one thing I do totally disagree with you on: =)
I don't think techie knowledge is nearly as valuable for everyday life (i.e. outside of any kind of specialized work) as fuzzy knowledge. Yes, it's probably a good thing to learn how to think logically and analytically - math and philosophy both help with that. I care a lot less about knowing linear algebra or how DNA is transcribed to produce proteins (which I just learned in Hum Bio, and which is actually pretty interesting, but still does me very little long-term good to know). I think it'll do me a lot more good to recognize situations in which I might be susceptible to groupthink, or be able to apply Marx's idea of analyzing society in terms of its economic relations to understand why certain ideologies and institutions persist even though they screw a lot of people over. Those things are relevant to me no matter what career I may wind up in, simply because I live in a society.
Re: I have to clarifyHumanities majors should be required to take science classes, and they aresorewaeienNovember 19 2004, 04:31:21 UTC
They are required to take one science class, one math class, and one applied science class. There are easier levels of math for liberal arts majors.
Techies are required to take 3 5-unit quarters of IHUM, three courses in the "Humanities and Social Sciences", and two out of three of "World Cultures", "American Cultures", and "Gender Studies".
Strong fucking core for everyone, I say. Let's have ten-twenty credits of each area of study: natural sciences, social sciences, humanities as a requirement.
Says the kid who goes to a school with 85 credits of core... 70% of course work.
Lets play a bit of devil's advocate. First, consider that the things that students really hold over from class are not specific facts but in fact skills. Science "techie" type majors develop problem solving and analytical skills, especially quantitative problem solving skills. Saying that these skills don't apply to day to day life is asinine
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I don't think techie knowledge is nearly as valuable for everyday life (i.e. outside of any kind of specialized work) as fuzzy knowledge. Yes, it's probably a good thing to learn how to think logically and analytically - math and philosophy both help with that. I care a lot less about knowing linear algebra or how DNA is transcribed to produce proteins (which I just learned in Hum Bio, and which is actually pretty interesting, but still does me very little long-term good to know). I think it'll do me a lot more good to recognize situations in which I might be susceptible to groupthink, or be able to apply Marx's idea of analyzing society in terms of its economic relations to understand why certain ideologies and institutions persist even though they screw a lot of people over. Those things are relevant to me no matter what career I may wind up in, simply because I live in a society.
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Techies are required to take 3 5-unit quarters of IHUM, three courses in the "Humanities and Social Sciences", and two out of three of "World Cultures", "American Cultures", and "Gender Studies".
Do you see any inequity here?
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Says the kid who goes to a school with 85 credits of core... 70% of course work.
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