School Information System: Humanities have a place, even at Caltech

June 16, 2012

Humanities have a place, even at Caltech

When Christina Kondos receives her bachelor's degree at Caltech's commencement Friday, she will represent a tiny and little-known minority at the prestigious science and engineering campus in Pasadena.

Kondos is the only one in her graduating class of 247 to have majored in humanities or social sciences -- economics and history in her case -- without double-majoring in science, math or engineering.

Since 2008, only a dozen Caltech students have done the same, and they received bachelor of science degrees because Caltech doesn't offer a bachelor of arts, campus officials said.

Science, of course, rules at Caltech, but it doesn't eliminate the likes of James Joyce or Immanuel Kant.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at June 16, 2012 2:47 AM
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Comments

So Caltech is being dumbed down too? So, soon, a Caltech grad will be just as dumb as the rest of us.

Posted by: Larry Winkler at June 16, 2012 8:31 AM

No, Larry. Math-based economics is highly quantitative at Caltech. These students know lots of mathematics. They are just applying it to economics instead of physics, computer science, etc. The general education requirement at Caltech includes 5 quarters of mathematics beginning with calculus, several quarters of calc-based physics, etc. along with 12 quarters of courses in humanities and social sciences.

Janet

Posted by: Janet Mertz at June 18, 2012 12:09 PM