Posted by
Ben on Wednesday, November 14, 2007 1:26:11 AM
I'm a student at a top twelve university. They like to tell us we're top ten, but it's just not so.
That's fine, though, for freshman year all I heard was "work hard, play hard." As if that isn't the motto of every single college campus in America.
I spent most of my time irate. For example, I would love to take a class in American History dealing with that little event we call The Founding. Can't be done here, they don't have time for that.
That being said, we have enough Women's and Gender Studies classes that one of my friends takes five of them a semester. I'm an economics major and I can't get five classes a semester. I can hardly get five classes above the 300 level. And she had five women's studies classes in one semester. Outrageous.
Here, the Classics' department has been gutted. You can take "Not Members of the Club," a class about how assorted ancient civilizations suppressed women and slaves. Here's the description:
Both the Athenian Democracy and the Roman Senatorial Oligarchy were societies in which political power was the exclusive property of free, citizen males. With very few exceptions, the astounding accomplishments of those societies were also the creations of free, citizen males. This course examines the lives of two disparate but comparable groups of outsiders within Greek and Roman society. The status, rights, and accomplishments of Athenian and Roman women are explored and placed in the context of other pre-modern societies. Likewise, the institution of slavery in Greece and Rome is explored and compared with other slave-holding societies, ancient and modern.
Outstanding. That'll be $34,500 please. Want to take an American History course? Check out this excellent option:
Through primary sources, including films as well as narrative accounts, this course will investigate the context, causes, content, and consequences of the political and cultural upheavals in American society between 1950 and 1975. Domestically and internationally, the events of the period were rooted in developments during the preceding years of the late 1940s. We will, therefore, explore relevant precursory threads as well. The focus of the course will alternate between national and local settings. Why did what happened in these years happen and did any of it matter or make a difference? What changed and what did not? Were those engaged in activism unrealistic in their assumptions, discontent, dissent and protest? Were those years "unreal?" Or was it a time when many Americans, even those who were passive or who opposed the protesters, in fact reflected upon issues of privilege and political, economic, and social power in the United States and in the world? Discussion sections are required. This course satisfies the modern course requirement for history majors.
Oh, yes. What was I thinking trying to learn about Hamilton, Jefferson, and Franklin. Who are those guys? I ought to be in "Intro to Women's Studies," where one of the assignments is to take on a traditional role of the other gender. For men, there are lots of options. They can shave their legs, paint their nails. For women, it's more difficult, because there are no traditional male roles left. I have a friend who says they could "try to fix something," but he doesn't have much of a political future ahead of him.
I just stay in economics and math courses. A language course one in awhile is probably ok, but anywhere else is simply begging for pain, at least if you're a white male. We're the only ones who've never ever been oppressed.
I always feel like I'm being punished for the fact that Rome, Greece, and America were founded by white males. I'm sorry that's the way the culture was, but you can't very well go around dumping on other people's cultures. If they were a culture of moon worshippers who force their men to drink urine and cover their faces, it would be ok. White men who give speeches and lead armies? That would be a serious breach of the academic standard.