Two Cultures seminar series focuses on the divide between arts & sciences

How faculty can avoid the pitfalls of hyper-specialization and teach across the spectrum of academic fields while remaining true to their own disciplines is the focus of a unique interdisciplinary seminar series underway at Amarillo College.

The brainchild of Dr. Robert Fulton, assistant professor of humanities, The Two Cultures is a series of conversations – one each month through November – fittingly subtitled A Meeting of the Minds Across the Arts & Sciences.

Three Thursday-night sessions remain: two panel discussions, on Sept. 26 & Oct. 24, and a capstone keynote address by a visiting professor from the University of Chicago on Nov. 21.

All sessions, which are free and open to the public (refreshments provided), take place in the Oak Room at the College Union Building on the Washington Street Campus.

“The British author and scientist C.P. Snow coined the term ‘the two cultures’ in 1959 to refer to the growing divide between the arts (humanities) and the sciences in terms of education,” Fulton said. “This series seeks to address this divide in its current state at AC in particular, but also in education at large.

“Each panel discussion features educators in a variety of disciplines from our own outstanding faculty, who were a driving force in AC’s successful pursuit of the Aspen Prize,” he said. “They will engage in conversations about how we can address the issues of the two cultures, so that hyper-specialization is not leading us further into an abyss where nobody in academia speaks outside a given discipline.”

The capstone event on Nov. 21 will feature a keynote address by University of Chicago’s Rachel Fulton Brown, an associate professor of history/poetry, who will mull the question: Does poetry matter? Her presentation is titled Numbering Words, Talking Numbers: Poetry, Page Layout, and the Structures of Thought.

Fulton says he was motivated to spearhead this ambitious multi-session project by his belief that AC, being a nationally recognized institution of higher education, is duty bound to challenge its faculty and students to grow and excel in a constantly changing world.

“I invite anyone who is interested in joining us in addressing the questions that challenge the future of how we learn and what we learn to join us,” Fulton said.

The Two Cultures schedule of events on the second floor of the College Union Building looks like this:

  • Sept. 26, 5-7 p.m., Panel Discussion – Music and Mathematics as Universal Languages
    • Moderated by Dr. Robert Fulton, humanities, and featuring ac panelists: Shannon Cornell, mathematics; Dr. Jim Laughlin, music; and Dr. Bruce Lin, piano.
  • Oct. 24, 5-7 p.m., Panel Discussion – Physics and Meta-Physics in the Academy
    • Moderated by Dr. Chris Hudson, English, and featuring AC panelists: Dr. Michael Hannen, philosophy; Dr. Asanga Ranasinghe, physical and biological sciences; and Dr. Van Herd, physics and engineering.
  • Nov. 21, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Keynote Address – Numbering Words, Talking Numbers: Poetry, Page Layout, and the Structures of Thought
    • Moderated by Dr. Robert Fulton, humanities, and featuring guest lecturer Rachel Fulton Brown, associate professor of history/poetry, University of Chicago. Welcoming remarks will be delivered by Dr. Frank Sobey, AC’s vice president of academic affairs.