Does “Physics For Poets” Kill Students’ Appreciation For Science?

The classic “Physics for Poets” classes at universities are an attempt to give liberal arts majors a smattering of science. But, writes Edward Morley, “despite the effort we put into providing classes that are both relevant and informative, I am troubled by the subtext of these classes. By their very existence, these classes send two damaging messages to students in other disciplines: first, that science is something alien and difficult, the exclusive province of nerds and geeks; and second, that we will happily accommodate their distaste for science and mathematics, by providing them with special classes that minimize the difficult aspects of the subject.”