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' AIAN Published by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development
a With support from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation and Sid W. Richardson Foundation

GO INNOVATION ABSTRACTS 33:3"

 

 

 

BRIDGING THE TWO CULTURES

Science touches everyone’s life in modern society. But, as Rabelais wrote, "Science without conscience is the
ruination of the soul." In the past thirty years, we have seen numerous social, ethics, and policy problems
created by advances in biology, medicine, physics, and chemistry. Lagging behind the problems, but growing in
the last ten years, has been an interest in the study of science and social values. Such studies have much to
recommend them. They help to inform scientists of the broader social and moral implications of their work.
They assist the non-scientist who may have to make decisions about the way science should be used. They
require all students to examine their own value systems and to grapple with serious questions.

More than that, they help bridge the gulf C.P. Snow despaired of: "the two cultures" of science and
humanities. Many science majors are understandably reluctant to take time away from their ever lengthier and
more specialized training in order to take "liberal arts" courses, and few humanities majors voluntarily enroll in
any course containing the word "science." So, in our schools, we have tended to widen this gulf.

Courses which combine science and humanities interests can be a successful way of bringing the "two
cultures" together. The humanities student feels less intimidated, the science student more motivated by
courses about the history or philosophy of science, atomic age problems, the social impact of technology, or
science and social values. The "little bit of sugar" provided by the reassuring presence of some elements from
his or her own field of study helps the medicine go down for each. These courses not only help prepare
educated citizens and sharpen students’ skills in critical thinking, but also have an immediacy in their subject
matter which makes them attractive to a wide range of students. Such interdisciplinary, almost intercultural,
courses seem particularly appropriate for community colleges.

Ethical Dilemmas and the Scientist

The Chancellor’s Office of the California Community Colleges has a fund for Instructional Improvement,
intended to encourage, among other things, the development of interdisciplinary courses and courses for honors
students. Convinced of the importance and usefulness of a course which explored the problems of science and
society, | applied for and received a grant in 1983-84 to develop and offer a course at Santa Barbara City College
entitled "Ethical Dilemmas and the Scientist.". The course would be an interdisciplinary honors course for
students in the sciences, social sciences, and health professions. It would be an academically demanding
seminar with extensive reading and preparation of a written research paper.

The proposal fit well with my college’s efforts to develop instructional programs for students with ability for
high academic achievement. The aim was primarily to acquaint the students with currently debated moral and
ethical issues pertaining to the scientific community. Students would explore appropriate professional conduct
for scientists, the legitimacy of certain research, conflict of interest between scientists and experts and advocates,
the pressures created by the system of science funding, and dilemmas of personal conscience for scientists. A
secondary aim would be to give bright, university-bound students more experience with the research, writing,
and analytical reading they would face as upper division students.

An original group of twelve students was selected for the first course. Each had been recommended by a
faculty member, and each had a conference with me which enabled both of us to assess whether he or she
should take the class. All were doing well academically and were planning to continue their education beyond
the community college. The twelve—six men and six women—represented the fields of engineering, physics,
mathematics, political science, psychology, biology, geology, nursing, and history. But this balance was lost
when students put together their schedules for spring semester; the course finally had only six students—all but
one of whom were science and engineering majors and only one woman.

The Course

The scheme of the course was to examine a different category of problems each week. The class met for one
two-and-a-half-hour session and one one-and-a-half hour session each week. The longer session was used to
introduce the topic, the shorter session to round off the discussion and draw some conclusions. The students
had read some background material—case studies, science news articles, editorials or speeches by involved

 

wo) Community College Leadership Program, The University of Texas at Austin, EDB 348, Austin, Texas 78712