In discussion with other thinkers in my group in class, we came to the conclusion that curiosity is handled very differently within humanities courses than it is handled in courses in the sciences. For example, the atmosphere of courses in the humanities tends to encourage inquiries and questioning the way things may be, but when students are learning science, it seems as though the material is taught in a way which encourages the belief that these pieces of information are absolute, and therefore students are discouraged from questioning them and are rather encouraged to understand and then accept them. This contrast is stark particularly in the structure of humanities courses which are often discussion and conversation based versus science classes which are usually lecture and lab based, encouraging the processing of the information being presented and then the digestion and confirmation of it through lab.
While talking about this, I realized how much this rang true to my educational experience thus far. My education in the sciences has always emphasized the truth and factuality of the material that we are being taught, while my education within the humanities has always particularly encouraged inquiry as well as validating varying interpretations. The idea of understanding something and being able to question it is something that I have always loved, which may explain my love for the humanities. In the past, my science classes were very matter of fact, and the information was presented in a way that did not really prompt students to question its validity.
As a child, my family tells me that I had questions about everything. From electricity to weather patterns, I absolutely had to know just how everything worked. I believe that this constant curiosity and desire to explore things has led me to my path as a Creative Writing major, as this major really lends itself to being curious and and asking questions. However, something I’ve been thinking about as I embark on pursuing this degree is just how hesitant I am to take courses outside of my comfort zone: that is, courses in the sciences.
Something that makes me hesitant to pursue courses in the sciences is just how different the environment within those classes is. Upon reflection, I realized this truly does have to do with the way questions are approached. I have always felt safe and confident sharing my perspectives in my humanities courses, as the instructors and educators within these disciplines make a point to encourage this from their students, in fact, it often factors into one’s final grade. However, I often feel inadequate and like I will be criticized if I have questions in the sciences, like my peers are smarter than me because they don’t have any inquiries about the information that is being presented.
I think that the way questions are handled says a lot about the way the disciplines have deviated from one another over time, and the distinctions people tend to make about what is more rigorous versus the “easy” majors. I wish that this was talked about more, because I think that taking courses outside of one’s comfort zone is always a good decision, it is just easy to feel intimidated and uncomfortable.