Dem
51
GOP
49
Over the past several weeks, we've had a fair bit of commentary on how universities work, and whether or not there is some sort of programming, propagandizing or brainwashing going on. Today, we thought we might as well write about a complementary argument made by right-wing types, a different line of attack that is also used to "prove" that universities are ridiculous places filled with ridiculous people: lists of the "crazy" classes being taught on various campuses nationwide.
This bit began with Rush Limbaugh, who launched it at least 20 years ago. He's dead now, of course, so Fox has picked up the banner. Here is the 2022 list:
Fox had a 2023 list, too, but it's much shorter, so we're working with the 2022 list because it gives us more to discuss.
Before looking at the specific courses, let's note a few things. First, there are 3,736 universities in the United States, and their catalogs include anywhere from a couple of hundred different courses to a couple of thousand. If we guess an average of 750 course offerings, which is probably conservative given the existence of extension/distance learning programs, that's a little less than 3 million different courses. Even if there are a few loopy ones in there (and there are, though Fox doesn't know enough to know where to find them), judging the entire higher education establishment on the basis of a few outliers is exactly the same thing as judging the entire professoriate based on a few nutters.
Second, speaking of extension/distance learning, many universities have turned to such programs as a way of helping to pay the bills. These courses are often not part of a degree-granting course of instruction, and are more akin to what's on offer at the local YMCA or senior center. In other words, academic rigor may be a bit on the light side, while the emphasis may be on fun/marketability.
Third, and finally, any course that does count towards a degree must be reviewed as part of the accreditation process. In other words, if "Harry Potter: Understanding Good & Evil" can be taken for credits toward a degree from High Point University, it means that one of the accrediting agencies (in this case, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools) has taken a look and deemed it legitimate. And these people are literally the experts in what constitutes a substantive education.
With that out of the way, let's reorganize the list of classes above into four groupings:
Take a Breather
Sitting in a lecture hall all day can be pretty mind-numbing. Meanwhile, variable unit courses (particularly courses with a lab component, and also language courses) can leave students just a unit or two short of being a full-time enrollee (and thus eligible for financial aid, etc.), but without the space to take another full course.
Courses like these three solve one or both problems. They are all one-unit courses that allow students a change of pace for an hour or two a week, and might possibly work to fill out their schedules. But nobody's getting their degree on a foundation of surfing, tree climbing, and serving as the audience for music department rehearsals. Underwater basket weaving, maybe, but that's limited to one university in downtown Los Angeles.
Make It Interesting
These are generally the classes that drive conservative commentators the nuttiest. Certainly that was the case with Rushbo. "How dare universities pander to students with classes about Harry Potter and Judge Judy!" is the general idea. What right-wingers either don't understand, or choose to ignore, is that these classes aren't really about Lady Gaga or The Simpsons. They are about learning how to use information, how to think critically, how to write, etc. If the raw material being used to practice these skills is more accessible, then the end result is usually better. Is that pandering? Maybe a tiny bit, but not a lot. And the fact is, students are more likely to encounter Harry Potter or The Simpsons after they graduate than they are Geoffrey Chaucer or the plays of Molière.
Check the Department
It's not true anymore, but many years ago, California created the UCs (UCLA, Berkeley, etc.) to teach the "learned" professions (law, education, medicine, etc.) and the CSUs (San Luis Obispo, Pomona, etc.) to teach the "skilled" professions (animal husbandry, textile design, restaurant management, etc.). Though California (along with most other states) has abandoned this model, there are still many universities whose curricula include skills-based courses. "Cow to Cone," which is obviously a class about ice cream making, may sound silly... until you learn it's offered by Penn State's agriculture department. Similarly, the puppetry course is offered by UConn's design department. Examining how different cultures express themselves through one particular type of performance is actually very instructive. Plus, the course is undoubtedly cross-listed in the art and theater departments.
Why Are These on the List?
These courses, we're not even sure what the objection is. The first course is a 100%, down the middle of the plate, legit anthropology course. The second is the same, except the discipline is communications. As to the third, we realize that tact is not a Fox specialty, but is it not obvious how that skill would be broadly applicable in nearly any profession? And finally, the NYU Failure course is wildly popular, and has been credited with significantly improving campus mental health by giving students critical coping skills. You would think Fox would appreciate the value in learning how to deal with failure—the 2020 election, the Dominion case, Bill O'Reilly, Tucker Carlson, etc.
We don't know how much of what we have written above is obvious to non-academics. Maybe some of it, maybe a lot of it. In any event, we think it's a pretty good case study for how right-wing anti-education types either don't know what they are talking about, or are being deliberately disingenuous. (Z)