Where Science and Literature Meet

Interdisciplinary teaching often makes natural crossovers—between science and math, or two related humanities—but bridging the gap between, say, science and English seems harder. It needn’t be, as demonstrated by the exciting new course Science & Literature, an example of what can be achieved in the Signature Academic Program.

George School English teacher Ariadne Costa became fascinated with the connections between science and literature when she was teaching at a graduate program at the State University of Paraiba Brazil. Scientific and technological developments can reshape imagination and impact artistic expression, the thinking goes. A classic example is how the Copernican heliocentric model influenced Baroque sensibilities.

Science & Literature was developed to take advantage of that synergy. In investigating a single topic through the lenses of two fields, students gain a better sense of both of them and the relationship between them. In its inaugural year, the class does a deep dive into the novel The Overstory, in which trees are the protagonists and human stories are told only through their connections with trees. The novel employs literary devices that provide scientific insights on plant life, and, Ariadne is excited to point out, if you map its narrative structure, it looks a lot like tree roots.

While Ariadne’s expertise allows her to explore the story’s narrative with students, she knew she needed another teacher to furnish a scientific perspective. Science Department Head Polly Lodge was only too excited about the possibilities. For years the department has used varied resources—not just textbooks—and Polly believes that storytelling provides a particularly energizing and memorable way to learn science.

In addition to exploring The Overstory’s literary components, the class has tremendous opportunities for lab work. Students make use of the wooded campus, perhaps studying tree rings,

“Many great innovators were dismissed in their time. This story teaches students to be brave and to continue to speak their truth, especially when it is supported by empirical evidence.”

— Polly Lodge “The issues we are facing in society today cannot be solved with a single expertise. We need multiple perspectives in order to fully understand them, and collaboration to work together towards solutions.”

— Ariadne Costa

photosynthesis processes, or the relationships between trees and fungi. In so doing, they use the story to frame serious scientific inquiry and use scientific knowledge to better understand the story and its nuances.

There are other lessons, too. One of the novel’s stories profiles a scientist who was ahead of her time, whose work and vision were met with serious resistance from the scientific community. Polly loves this story because it shows that part of the practice of science is persevering in the face of challenges. “Scientists are open to changing their minds when the evidence shows itself,” Polly notes. “Many great innovators were dismissed in their time. This story teaches students to be brave and to continue to speak their truth, especially when it is supported by empirical evidence.”

The course’s interdisciplinary form is particularly important for today’s students. Though discrete disciplines are useful for organizing our institutions, real-world knowledge requires a multifaceted approach. “The issues we are facing in society today cannot be solved with a single expertise,” comments Ariadne. “We need multiple perspectives in order to fully understand them, and collaboration to work together towards solutions.”

In this class, storytelling makes science come alive, and science gives story new meaning. Students make connections between our society and environment, preparing them to be wellrounded and courageous problem-solvers.