Week 1 Blog - Walking Between Worlds: Creativity, Science, and the UCLA Divide
Hi everyone! I’m a Public Affairs and International Development Studies double major—so I live almost entirely on UCLA’s North Campus. My academic path is deeply rooted in the humanities, where I’m drawn to big-picture questions about equity, justice, and systems of power. I’ve never felt particularly connected to the sciences taught on South Campus, and this course is helping me better understand why that disconnect exists—and why it matters.
UCLA physically reflects the “two cultures” that C.P. Snow described. The first image of North Campus—with its brick buildings and relaxed atmosphere—feels warm, reflective, and rooted in history (UCLA Newsroom). The second image of South Campus is sharp, clean, and buzzing with busy energy (UCLA Capital Programs). To me, North Campus values questions and creative thought, while South Campus feels more focused on productivity and precision.
C.P. Snow, writing as both a scientist and novelist, argued that this split between scientific and literary cultures blocks progress. He believed the real danger was that each side lacked understanding of the other’s language—and that this gap made it harder to tackle issues like climate change or global poverty (Snow 4). His critique helped me see this divide as a systemic problem—not just personal preference.
The third image, from the UCLA Department of Art, captures the kind of creativity I connect with most—open-ended, playful, and interpretive (UCLA Arts). It reminded me of David Bohm’s view that creativity begins when we break habits of thought and become open to new patterns (Bohm 137).
Victoria Vesna offers a path forward. She envisions a “third culture” where artists, scientists, and humanists collaborate across boundaries (Vesna 121). That idea resonated with me deeply—I’ve always felt “in between,” and now I see that as a strength. Stephen Wilson challenged me to stop treating science as something “other.” His call for artists to participate in scientific research—not just critique it—shifted my thinking (Wilson).
Finally, the ResearchPod podcast and Media+Environment article argue that innovation without ethical grounding is dangerous (ResearchPod; Galluzzi and Jacucci). This perspective feels urgent, especially in my desire to work with public policy. This course is helping me embrace where I stand—not between worlds, but at a place where I can help build bridges between them.
Bibliography
Bohm, David. “On Creativity.” Leonardo, vol. 1, no. 2, 1968, pp. 137–149. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1572222.
Galluzzi, Florencia, and Giulio Jacucci. “Mediating Art and Science: Media Beyond the Two Cultures.” Media+Environment, 2021, https://mediaenviron.org/article/13700-mediating-art-and-science-media-beyond-the-two-cultures.
ResearchPod. “AI, Science, Humanities & Consciousness.” ResearchPod, 2023, https://researchpod.org/arts-humanities/ai-science-humanities-consciousness.
Vesna, Victoria. “Toward a Third Culture: Being in Between.” Leonardo, vol. 34, no. 2, 2001, pp. 121–125. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1576669.
Wilson, Stephen. “Myths and Confusions in Thinking about Art/Science/Technology.” Art and Research, 2000, http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~swilson/papers/myths.html.
UCLA Arts. “Department of Art – Exhibition Space.” UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture, www.arts.ucla.edu. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.
UCLA Capital Programs. “Court of Sciences, South Campus.” UCLA Capital Projects, www.capitalprograms.ucla.edu. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.
UCLA Newsroom. “Royce Hall, UCLA North Campus.” UCLA Newsroom, www.newsroom.ucla.edu. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.
Hi Reiley,
ReplyDeleteI can relate to your experience as I also only stay at the North Campus and never really feel connected to the South Science side. The divide between the two culture is very evidently rooted to UCLA education, creating a gap where two sides hardly meet. As for your reflection, I really love what you said on the last part where it is not about being stuck in between but to help bridge two worlds to create a more compelling understanding of the world.