Some disturbing, but not surprising (at least to me) counterproductive results:
Chatman attributes the low climate scores in area and ethnic studies precisely to the instruction students receive in those classes. “Students in area and ethnic studies should have learned to recognize prejudicial communication and should be more sensitive to communication that might be prejudicial,” he writes. Whereas a math student might hear a remark and think nothing of it, an African American Studies student might discern prejudice and stereotyping. Does this mean that students in area and ethnic studies are more perceptive and accurate in their assessment of campus climate, or have they acquired in their classes a “warped lens” (Chatman’s term) that sees social life in overdone racial categories? Chatman even draws a logical possibility that might appall area and ethnic studies instruction, that is, that the climate in those fields is a lot worse than it is in engineering classes and labs. One wonders how area and ethnic studies professors would feel if they were ordered to undergo diversity sensitivity sessions themselves to try to straighten out their problems.
One suspects they wouldn’t take it well. I’ve got a better idea. Don’t guarantee student loans for anyone majoring in this crapola (along with degrees in “education”), and watch it dry up and blow away.
Got to have something for the athletes to major in
That’s what “Communications” is for.
The entire ethnics and gender studies programs on campus are taxpayer funded think thanks and indoctrination centers for the left. As they suck up funds for real education, they should be eliminated.
The lion’s share of the blame for the left dominated culture can be laid at the feet of the left dominated academy. If the Tea Party type movements are going to have any long term success, it will come from reforming the schools back into something that’s a benefit to the society and not just a means to power for collectivists.
This is where the seeds of political correctness are planted.
At the high school level, Arizona just passed a law prohibiting “ethnic studies” on the grounds that it leads to hostility between whites and Hispanics. Now, they need to do the same thing at the college level.
If I were in a hiring position, the last person I’d consider hiring would be someone with a “[insert group here] studies” degree. Why would I bring in a certified malcontent into my company?
“If I were in a hiring position, the last person I’d consider hiring would be someone with a “[insert group here] studies” degree.”
Yeah, I always wondered how the conversation between the student and the academic advisor worked on something like that. Like what career options did the advisor suggest would be open for an ethnic (or whatever) studies graduate?
Teaching ethnic studies, of course.
Or, community organizer.
Would you like fries with that?
Would you like fries with that?
No, that’s for high school graduates and drop outs. For college graduates with “studies” degrees, it’s “Would you like a muffin with your latte?”
They just become more of the marching morons that elected this president. Do you think anyone with working dendrites actually voted for him (and wasn’t on the payroll.)
Ken, your comment caused a ripple of mirth! However, working dendrites does not mean that anything of pith, wit or moment can flow along them if it is incapable of being generated in the first place!
“that’s for high school graduates and drop outs.” In SoCal at least, those behind the counter must be educated because they are all speaking a foreign language.
So our choice is to let the least qualified (the student) decide what programs get funding or have gummint choose what areas are worthy of funding and anyone who wants to get edumacated in an unworthy area is on their own. How about we drop gummint education welfare subsidies entirely? I expect it would have a salutary effect on tuition when enrollment craters.
The college I attended in the early ’70s–which had fairly high academic standards until they started Open Enrollment–also started a Black Studies department when I was there, and after a while it became a common joke among that in stead of “Black Studies” it should have been called “No Studies.”