Assignment - Introductory Reading Assignment

Introductory Reading Assignment

As an engineering major, naturally I loathe English classes as much as any other scientifically-minded student. Reading passages of The Great Gatsby never seemed to help solve a calculus equation. However, The New Humanities Reader has brought up an intriguing point: the melding of seemingly isolated topics could lead to a unique and novel stance on many of the myriad issues which seem to plague our world today. Though, as the New Humanities have stated, this is by no means a new innovation; researchers and artists alike have been mixing the arts, sciences, and whatnot for centuries. The New Humanities Reader doesn’t seek to innovate, but to invigorate the modern student. It asks for the integration of knowledge rather than storage alone.

Personally, I have never once gone out of my way to integrate any two (or more) subjects in order to tackle one of today’s issues. However, I believe that this assimilation of topics is not as intentional or difficult as The New Humanities Reader makes it seem. As an engineering nerd, I constantly read of new technological advances. Some of my favorite involve the development of new robotic technology. The interesting quirk of this technology is that it is often based on the biology of animals. One particular machine I remember is a transporter robot, its legs and programming designed to mimic a deer. When pushed over, it rights itself in an almost natural deer-like fashion, leaving an eerie discord between the natural movements and the mechanical structure. There are plenty of other examples of this cross-pollination of disciplines which I won’t quote for the sake of brevity, but the point still stands: an integration of ideas is occurring naturally.

So, why does The New Humanities Reader argue for interdisciplinary study when experts working in tandem seem to accomplish the task? I believe that the New Humanities doesn’t argue that every student should master three or four crafts, but that every student should have an understanding of the other disciplines, to absorb unique methods of thought and create an expert in a field which can understand and collaborate with other experts to create new solutions. This is probably why I’m taking this course: to learn about other viewpoints from both experts and students alike, so that I can better work in an integrated environment later in life.