In other discussions, they'll indicate that they think "art" is kind of pointless, unless you include music, and then they agree it has value, both to them, and to the broader culture.
Show this thread
-
But I do think that there are intersections of intentionality and aesthetics that help characterize that nebulous thing we call "design," and that this is often very understandable to engineers, whereas "art" can feel more disconnected from intent.
I think engineering students get intentionality (I made X to evoke Y feeling or encourage Z behavior) and control, so if you show them that something humanistic gives them that, they are usually happy to learn about it. This is how I sell them on improving their writing skills.
-
-
I'd expect there's also the fairly simple interpretation, which is that "art" is a word with multiple definitions or connotations, and that the most common is probably "that which is found in an art gallery/museum" rather than, say, "the entire creative enterprise".
-
Yes, but that is also what's so disappointing. Maybe it's just me, but it does seem that I encounter "arts" students who are dismissive of science/engineering much more infrequently than science/engineering students who are dismissive of "the arts".
-
I think it depends on your context. When I was at an Ivy with lots of humanities majors, I had to convince them that STEM was an important thing to take seriously. At the engineering school I'm at, it's the opposite issue — I have to convince them reading is worthwhile.
End of conversation
New conversation -
-
-
Oh yeah, that's spot on! Especially, if I may, they actually want to "encourage & control behaviour"! But also from my experience (which is limited & possibly skewed (anecdote ≠ data), most still don't listen)! Still, I do have some students whose comms skills are really great.
-
That is a really interesting point about improving writing skills, esp. as written assignments in STEM are usually very different to A&H... although each requires an element of criticality and analysis (but with different method and focus).
-
The pitch I make to them (which hooks a couple per year, not exactly a total winner) is that writing is just hacking other people's brains with words. They respond better to that than appeals to anything else. :-)
End of conversation
New conversation -
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.