What leads one to Mathematics? Science? The Liberal Arts? Many students, teachers, and faculty members may have chosen their fields because it was not like another field. Perhaps even saying, โThere is a reason I choseโฆ.โ, which is usually followed with an explanation or insinuation that their field is very different in some ways.
However, and not to sound cliche, there is more that unites the two fields (Liberal Arts and Math and Science) than separates them. The liberal arts are interdisciplinary, so you can introduce humanities into science courses to help students solve problems from differing perspectives. What I hope to convey here is that these two typically opposing discourses of study are in fact, mutually beneficial, and I would even go as far as to say mutually dependent on each other.
What is “Liberal Arts”?
What is โLiberal Artsโ? Iโd first like to discuss what is meant by Liberal Arts to ensure a baseline understanding, because it is commonly misunderstood, and then go from there. Liberal comes from the Latin word liber, meaning โfreeโ. Liberal Arts courses and programs focus on the pursuit of knowledge, free-thinking, the consideration of multiple perspectives, and the use of logic and reasoning to arrive at truth and understanding. Simply stated, Liberal Arts seeks to understand the world.
Hereโs the thing, Math and Science do as well. Science and Mathematics seek to understand the world (and galaxy) using mathematical formulas, observations, data, and even theories. The methods and terminology may be different, but the objective is the same: to understand.
Liberal arts courses and programs create critical thinkers and problem-solvers for complicated and complex problems. But this isnโt an objective exclusive to just the liberal arts, itโs also the objective of mathematics and sciences. While liberal arts reside more in the abstract, and math and science in the practical, when combined, they can solve complex and real-world problems.
Interconnectedness
These two sets of discourses are not in direct opposition of each other but interconnected. Thinking about programs and fields of study as binaries and characterizing each by what it isnโt is a limited view and thus, will result in limited results.
Complexity
Our world is incredibly complex and diverse and its problems are complicated, layered, and sometimes just plain messy. In order to solve these problems, we need a multifaceted approach that considers many different perspectives derived from various fields of study.
Our current reality (and future) includes a job market that necessitates its potential contributors be able to empathize and effectively organize and communicate, and be able to see a problem as a challenge, and have the skills needed to create unique and multifaceted solutions.
It is the combination of these fields typically seen as binary to one another that will fuel innovation and ingenuity, and help solve problems we donโt even know we have yet.
It is my hope that as our world becomes even more complex and diverse, we are able to see it and its problems through many lenses and draw from expertise across disciplines to create innovative solutions.
About the Author: Linda Jennifer is a University Lecturer in Canada and has taught liberal arts for over 15 years. She has also taught at the college level (Montreal โ Humanities department) and at a high school in New York City (English and History). She started curriculum coaching so she could help others integrate a liberal arts component into any curriculum. You can learn more about Linda Jennifer and explore how to integrate liberal arts into your classes at www.liberalartslite.com
Are You Teaching Another Science Topic?
I am working on creating more science units so that every science teacher can get exactly what he or she needs for her students. You can also read about how I use brain science to teach other science topics on my blog. Click the pictures below to learn more.
Leave a Reply