It's not that I'm not a fan of the humanities, but this new drive to ensure the liberal arts side of colleges isn't left behind is a blatant attempt of ensuring those who are STEM inclined don't graduate without the requisite indoctrination. Coincidentally, I've never seen it advocated that Liberal Arts majors should take some mandatory math and science to get a diploma. Funny how that works.

Quote:At this year's Aspen Ideas Festival, we asked a group of academics within some of America's top universities to debate how STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) could be benefitted by another letter. "I have no hesitation in saying we need to add the letter A," says Harvard University education professor Howard Gardner. "An education devoid of arts…is an empty, half-brain kind of education." Other panelists include Sebastian Thrun, Drew Faust, Erika Christakis, and Nicholas Dirks.

Link

That's like saying there aren't enough hamburgers at Chick-fil-A.

Why not, it appears that science and math have become just as subjective as art.

(10-09-2014 01:13 PM)vandiver49 Wrote:  It's not that I'm not a fan of the humanities, but this new drive to ensure the liberal arts side of colleges isn't left behind is a blatant attempt of ensuring those who are STEM inclined don't graduate without the requisite indoctrination. Coincidentally, I've never seen it advocated that Liberal Arts majors should take some mandatory about of math and science to get a diploma. Funny how that works.

Quote:At this year's Aspen Ideas Festival, we asked a group of academics within some of America's top universities to debate how STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) could be benefitted by another letter. "I have no hesitation in saying we need to add the letter A," says Harvard University education professor Howard Gardner. "An education devoid of arts…is an empty, half-brain kind of education." Other panelists include Sebastian Thrun, Drew Faust, Erika Christakis, and Nicholas Dirks.

Link

I wonder if he would go to a film festival and say a degree void of 200 level calc is "is an empty, half-brain kind of education."

Why do we need art when this provides all the beauty anyone could ever want

I'm OK with STEAM as long as the A represents "agriscience".

Just like locusts.

(10-09-2014 01:50 PM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  I'm OK with STEAM as long as the A represents "agriscience".

Oops.

(10-09-2014 01:46 PM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  Why do we need art when this provides all the beauty anyone could ever want

Olivia Wilde’s character from House M.D.
is my definition of mathematical beauty.

(10-09-2014 03:50 PM)AngryAphid Wrote:  

(10-09-2014 01:46 PM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  Why do we need art when this provides all the beauty anyone could ever want

Olivia Wilde’s character from House M.D.
is my definition of mathematical beauty.

My math says Milana Vayntrub is the answer to the equation.

There are several schools that have already added the A to represent their curriculum.

(10-09-2014 03:55 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  

(10-09-2014 03:50 PM)AngryAphid Wrote:  

(10-09-2014 01:46 PM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  Why do we need art when this provides all the beauty anyone could ever want

Olivia Wilde’s character from House M.D.
is my definition of mathematical beauty.

My math says Milana Vayntrub is the answer to the equation.

Oh yes.

I wonder how many people know who she is without using Google?

The high school my fiance used to teach at had a summer STEAM program. However, the art portion wasn't just art for the sake of looking at art. It was more of using STEM principles and laws to create and analyse art. I thought that was worthwhile.

I love the arts. I like the theatre, museums, and the like. However, trying to make a bunch of STEM majors take random art classes is as useless as it is to try to get a theatre major take a number theory class.

Yah I dont quite understand this, all STEM is is its a generic term for people going into the science and engineering fields. And in the process of obtaining the degree(s) that get a person in those field, they have to take general ed classes.

When people refer to a STEM education, they simply mean majoring in one.of the disciplines that fall under that term.

As far as I know, there are no universities in the US that have a college of STEM, that requires students to take courses only within that college.

What annoys me is you constantly see people in the humanities stressing that STEM majors need a well rounded education and take more humanity classes than is currently required (which I dont necessarily disagree with), yet they feel its ok for them to take the bare minimum in math and science.

I had to have one arts credit to graduate.. I don't think it should be a main part of a curriculum.

And for contrasts sake, here's are article that questions the validity of teaching Algebra in High School.

Quote:This debate matters. Making mathematics mandatory prevents us from discovering and developing young talent. In the interest of maintaining rigor, we’re actually depleting our pool of brainpower. I say this as a writer and social scientist whose work relies heavily on the use of numbers. My aim is not to spare students from a difficult subject, but to call attention to the real problems we are causing by misdirecting precious resources.

Funny how that works.

Math is in everything.. It's like physics... Every person in all walks of life should have a basic understanding of math.

(10-10-2014 09:00 AM)gdunn Wrote:  Math is in everything.. It's like physics... Every person in all walks of life should have a basic understanding of math.

It always seemed to me that regardless of major one should get a basic understanding math, physics and the arts.

All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man's life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom.
— Albert Einstein

(10-10-2014 09:49 AM)BobL Wrote:  

(10-10-2014 09:00 AM)gdunn Wrote:  Math is in everything.. It's like physics... Every person in all walks of life should have a basic understanding of math.

It always seemed to me that regardless of major one should get a basic understanding math, physics and the arts.

All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man's life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom.
— Albert Einstein

I disagree to a point.

As an engineering major I had to have one art credit. Which is fine, it didn't kill me.. I don't think I should be made take 9 hours of arts..

An art major should take the general math requirements of college algebra 1 & 2 and be done. They shouldn't have to be made take anything higher than that unless they desire.

I had a buddy get his MFA and he had to take up to Trig I think. I thought that was excessive.

(10-10-2014 10:22 AM)gdunn Wrote:  

(10-10-2014 09:49 AM)BobL Wrote:  

(10-10-2014 09:00 AM)gdunn Wrote:  Math is in everything.. It's like physics... Every person in all walks of life should have a basic understanding of math.

It always seemed to me that regardless of major one should get a basic understanding math, physics and the arts.

All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man's life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom.
— Albert Einstein

I disagree to a point.

As an engineering major I had to have one art credit. Which is fine, it didn't kill me.. I don't think I should be made take 9 hours of arts..

An art major should take the general math requirements of college algebra 1 & 2 and be done. They shouldn't have to be made take anything higher than that unless they desire.

I had a buddy get his MFA and he had to take up to Trig I think. I thought that was excessive.

+1. I had to take 9 hours of humanities, but not art specifically. So in fact I didn't take any art classes. But I had Philosophy, Classical Mythology and one other one I can't think of. That's reasonable I think. Art Majors should have algebra at least, but they don't need much else.