C.P. Snow at Wesleyan: Liberal learning and the origins of the “Third Culture”

In the fall of 1961 C. P. Snow visited Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, as a Fellow at the newly inaugurated Center for Advanced Studies in the Liberal Arts, Professions, and Sciences. Snowʹs time at Wesleyan warrants examination because it was a key period in the development of his thinking and also illuminates his career as a whole. His visit provides a snapshot of the global political and cultural currents of his time, and places his immense popularity into context. It also provides an opportunity to consider how a mid-century liberal arts institution addressed the relationship of the sciences to the humanities while fostering interdisciplinary study through educational innovation.