While some students spend their time at UCLA learning the vital functions of the human body or how to design bridges, others revel in the art of the metaphor or dabble in abstract theories of macroeconomics.
The rift, quaintly embodied by the North Campus/South Campus “war,” is one that goes beyond the campus map division across Bruin Walk and one that matters much more than a rivalry T-shirt.
The true question is whether or not nontechnical and nonscientific majors are relevant to society’s progress ““ whether or not a study of a social science or humanities prepares individuals for active roles in society.
While the world would fail to function without its engineers and doctors, modern society is built upon a foundation of citizens educated in diverse fields ““ including those of a more abstract nature.
As Brian Walker, the vice chair of the political science department, said (speaking as a private citizen of the university), a survey of a subject such as political science will result in a student who is “stretched and developed in many different directions: imaginations woken by the arts, mind sharpened by philosophy, power understood through careful analysis of politics, eloquence unfolded through constant writing and correction of writing.”
This development is accomplished through the broader meta level on which most humanities and social sciences disciplines operate.
Whereas the hard sciences are especially adept at offering students an understanding of the particular problem or subject at hand, a course in a major such as English offers an ability to understand many of life’s issues that cannot be dealt with in a chemical, structural or otherwise scientific manner.
In the English major, which is dependent not only on writing but also on reading, the student is exposed to society’s struggle to understand both the world at large and one’s interiority.
“Much of fiction is trying to depict the clash of differing perspectives in the social and political worlds,” said Professor Debora Shuger of the English department.
Professor Eric Gans of the French department offers another reason to appreciate majors in humanities. While the sciences certainly provide the students with vital tools, Gans said that a study of the arts or languages often enriches the student in further ways.
“(A) painting communicates more than the periodic table,” Gans said. Thus, universities offer what he calls the “fundamental compromise” ““ requiring that students take basic humanities courses in addition to those they wish to take in order to further their understanding of a particular field or subject. This compromise is usually manifested in general education requirements.
In some sense, a humanities education is one of life’s general education requirements. As Shuger notes, a study of humanities “enables one to be a citizen; a citizen in a democracy is one who makes political decisions and helps to run a country. … Part of that is the ability to imagine how the world looks from the point of view of others.”
Ultimately, one must admit that studying English or political science or French has not resulted in breakthroughs in laboratories around the world. “Political science (has) not cured cancer or helped people get to the moon or any equivalent,” says Walker, “(but) if you think that a better-informed citizen body makes a difference to society, it is clear that political science plays a key role because of its wonderful breadth.”
In an increasingly globalized world, a study of humanities (especially a worldly topic such as French) is not only practical for those who wish to travel or work abroad, but also for understanding one’s own community.
As Gans explains, “France is much like the United States in most ways, but it’s the differences that are fascinating and that make one more sensitive to what differentiates people even in one’s own country.”
The world is surely far more technologically and medically advanced because of its science students.
Yet a study of the humanities is not only important for students seeking to contribute in nontechnical fields ranging from librarian to president but also essential in helping all students understand and help shape the world around them.
Feel better about majoring in metaphors? E-mail Makarechi at kmakarechi@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.