The Cut CutCut Act

[jpx7]

I think the main justification many college students have for pursuing liberal arts degree is along the way they were told by some enabling dip **** that they could always take the LSAT and go to law school.

Not sure you're giving the Humanities enough credit—even though I don't disagree with your larger point about university preparedness (for succeeding in whatever field) starting way earlier than freshmen year.

[chop2chip]

Not sure you're giving the Humanities enough credit—even though I don't disagree with your larger point about university preparedness (for succeeding in whatever field) starting way earlier than freshmen year.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed those courses. My favorite undergrad class was in philosophy (learned more from that class than any other I have taken).

But at the end of the day, we don't produce philosophy in philosophy factories. I don't think the students majoring in those degree are naive enough to be ignorant of the harsh realities of the job market. For most I reckon they view it as the path of least resistance to getting a college degree and think they will figure the rest out in grad school.

For those that pursue those degrees for a passion of the subject matter despite the poor job market, I commend them fully. That's clean living in my book.

[jpx7]

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed those courses. My favorite undergrad class was in philosophy (learned more from that class than any other I have taken).

But at the end of the day, we don't produce philosophy in philosophy factories. I don't think the students majoring in those degree are naive enough to be ignorant of the harsh realities of the job market. For most I reckon they view it as the path of least resistance to getting a college degree and think they will figure the rest out in grad school.

For those that pursue those degrees for a passion of the subject matter despite the poor job market, I commend them fully. That's clean living in my book.

That's why a strong core curriculum is important: engineering and pre-med students and even forestry or hospitality services students should be required to take literature and philosophy and history courses, to round out their minds as much as prepare them for a job market. But, I agree: by the same token, students shouldn't just opt into humanities degrees because they think they're easier paths to graduation (and, furthermore, if they feel that way, that's a poor reflection on the institution: a degree in literature or philosophy or history should be rigorous and by no means easy).

As someone who had the curricular background and aptitude to pursue research biology or organic chemistry or medicine (or a few other "practical" options), and yet who couldn't imagine any other course in life but pursuing literary studies (and tested that supposition by purposefully trying out a few careers, finding them unsatisfying, and finally, recently, returning to the academy), I can say that it's offensive if humanities students or programs are taking these disciplines lightly. They should be, in many ways, more difficult than a lot of "hard science" disciplines.

[Metaphysicist]

An art professor proudly displaying a student's project that featured a double dildo in the hall outside his classroom

I don't get how this is a problem. Art is weird and has been covered in dicks for millennia. That's not new or "leftist."

a Muslim studies professor celebrating in her class the day after the Twin Towers tragedy

Would love to hear the details here. This seems hard to believe, at least as written. What do you mean by celebrating? Either way, celebrating 9/11 is not a "leftist" position.

a Women's studies professor who often wore tank tops to show off her unshaved pits, but rarely bathed or gave better than a C to male students

On the grades, if true, that's the kind of thing that she probably couldn't get away with today. Pretty easy to cause a stink about that kind of stuff. So things are getting better?

football player friends who majored in AA studies and whose final exam was to tell the class about how their favorite rap song made them feel.

Not sure what this has to do with "leftism." This is a NCAA/money thing.

Upthread you mentioned the specific changes you saw in people that you considered "not for the better." I would be interested in hearing more about that, the specifics of what you've observed about these people changing or being brainwashed.

[Jaw]

I don't get how this is a problem. Art is weird and has been covered in dicks for millennia. That's not new or "leftist."

Come on Meta, everything falls on a spectrum. Art doesn't need fake penises to be art, and displaying fake penises in a school hallway certainly isn't socially conservative or centrist.

Would love to hear the details here. This seems hard to believe, at least as written. What do you mean by celebrating? Either way, celebrating 9/11 is not a "leftist" position.

I don't remember too many details. I know she started her lecture by saying that America deserved to be attacked and needed to be taught a lesson. She had a loop of the impacts playing non stop on a TV for at least part of the class. My wife dropped it the next day.

Not sure what this has to do with "leftism." This is a NCAA/money thing.

The final wasn't a joke because they were football players. The final was a joke because the entire class was a joke.

[goldfly]

Ted Cruz says he can't support this bill

haha