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Seattle University dean placed on administrative leave amid student protests

Re: Too many ‘dead white dudes’? Seattle U students protest program’s curriculum

americanwoman said:
It's like those pyramids built themselves, right? Nothing notable there. :lol:
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Re: Too many ‘dead white dudes’? Seattle U students protest program’s curriculum

Gathomas88 said:
To be fair, I have a hard believing that a curriculum that included Plato would leave either of those things out. Though... I suppose you might have to take a class on theology to get the full run-down on Aquinas.

In any case, I don't see why students living in the Western World should be surprised that their lessons tend to focus more on ideas and events directly relevant to Western history and culture. They're simply not going to get much out of reading Islamic religious philosophy from the Middle Ages, and even Confucius and most of Chinese/East Asian history is more or less irrelevant to the Western experience right up until the 19th Century or so. If you want an in-depth analysis focusing on that kind of thing, you should expect to have to take a specialized class on it.
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See now here is a rational argument for leaving that out rather than make an outrageous claim those civilizations did nothing.
 
Re: Too many ‘dead white dudes’? Seattle U students protest program’s curriculum

I don't get it. I just checked the core curriculum at Seattle. All kinds of classes are offered on all sorts of non-dead white men. The University has a divinity school, so all sorts of classes are available on many religions. Eastern, Western, African, and Asian courses are available in culture, arts, literature, and business in the core and graduate programs.

It seems to me that the option is there to study dead white men or not; your choice. What exactly are the students whining about?
 
Re: Too many ‘dead white dudes’? Seattle U students protest program’s curriculum

ttwtt78640 said:
Hmm... is this not like going to a Chinese restaurant and then complaining about finding no hamburgers on the menu? If you wish to have less western influence than try attending a school in Asia, Africa or South America. ;)
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Schools there have problems with this too, the PC problem is alive and well in South Africa. It is not like the country was run by white people for the last 200 years or so.
 
Re: Too many ‘dead white dudes’? Seattle U students protest program’s curriculum

americanwoman said:
Augustine of Hippo for one.
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...who was educated in Rome. Augustine is pretty solidly located in the Western Philosophical Tradition, as much as he ended up as a Bishop in a Roman territory along the northern coast of Africa.

I mean, I don't claim to be part of the Native American Culture because I was born in Alabama.

What is the African philosophical tradition to hold up to the Greeks? I'm aware of Indian, Chinese, and Japanese-derivative versions, and later Middle Eastern philosophers who borrowed heavily as well from the Greeks before Islam began to actively stamp out inquiry.
 
Re: Too many ‘dead white dudes’? Seattle U students protest program’s curriculum

natsb said:
I don't get it. I just checked the core curriculum at Seattle. All kinds of classes are offered on all sorts of non-dead white men. The University has a divinity school, so all sorts of classes are available on many religions. Eastern, Western, African, and Asian courses are available in culture, arts, literature, and business in the core and graduate programs.

It seems to me that the option is there to study dead white men or not; your choice. What exactly are the students whining about?
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Protesting and Being Very Upset About The Injustice Of It All is how you signal your purity. It's not actually a protest of a deep problem with a goal, it's self-expression of the desire to be seen as virtuous.
 
Re: Too many ‘dead white dudes’? Seattle U students protest program’s curriculum

Kal'Stang said:
If those people want to learn more about other countries cultures then go there and learn. A university only has so much space and so much that they are able to teach. And why wouldn't they teach curricula that centers on western culture? They do live in it and the people that go to those schools are going to be living in it. More than likely most of those kids won't ever step one foot outside of this country so what's the real use in teaching about a culture that they'll never once experience much less see?
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Thats how I feel about wingnuts who complain about how american culture is going downhill. They should GTFO out of this country
 
Re: Too many ‘dead white dudes’? Seattle U students protest program’s curriculum

TurtleDude said:
the problem is-most of those whiners cannot proffer who they ought to study-
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I see nothing within the story that indicates that they have no idea which non-Western thinkers ought to be included into the curriculum.
 
Re: Too many ‘dead white dudes’? Seattle U students protest program’s curriculum

Winchester said:
And there is no reason they just can't read them on their own, maybe start a discussion group.
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They can. I don't see any reason why they shouldn't do both.
 
Re: Too many ‘dead white dudes’? Seattle U students protest program’s curriculum

Erod said:
Too many ‘dead white dudes’? Seattle U students protest program’s curriculum | The Seattle Times








Seattle University dean placed on administrative leave amid student protests | The Seattle Times



Cave story: Seattle U places dean on leave over psychologically abusive focus on dead white dudes – twitchy.com








Uh, that was the name of the black man's book, dumbasses.



How will you ever heal? Here's a participation ribbon to make you feel better.



I seemed to have missed the thriving societies of Africa, the Middle East, and South America, and their rich histories of accomplishment, inclusion, and technological advancement. The vast majority of notable historical occurrence and achievement has been centered around "dead white dudes." Sorry, but that's just the truth.
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Algebra and astronomy were both invented in the Middle East. In fact, the word "algebra" comes from the Arabic word "al-jabr", which means to reunite broken parts.
 
Re: Too many ‘dead white dudes’? Seattle U students protest program’s curriculum

This is a western university and naturally the history of the world written from the western perspective will be taught to them.if she does not like it she does not have to attend the uni
 
Re: Too many ‘dead white dudes’? Seattle U students protest program’s curriculum

ellesdee said:
There is a ton of profound and relevant literature from non-Western sources. No reason why a curriculum should completely center around Western philosophies. I think the students have a good point in demanding a more diverse curriculum. I don't think they have a legitimate reason to be calling for resignations.
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I t may come as a shock to those attending Seattle University, but there is an entire curriculum on Chinese art, literature, history, philosophy, language, culture, and even film history.
 
Re: Too many ‘dead white dudes’? Seattle U students protest program’s curriculum

VanceMack said:
I t may come as a shock to those attending Seattle University, but there is an entire curriculum on Chinese art, literature, history, philosophy, language, culture, and even film history.
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I'm truly glad to hear that.
 
Re: Too many ‘dead white dudes’? Seattle U students protest program’s curriculum

This is a catholic university located in one of the most liberal areas in Seattle. Its a nutso university that has no issues hiring socialists as economic professors.
 
Re: Too many ‘dead white dudes’? Seattle U students protest program’s curriculum

ellesdee said:
I'm truly glad to hear that.
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Most universities offer programs designed to be most effective to their undergrad population. The fact of the matter is that most students entering college are woefully unprepared and unread. Colleges spend a ton of time and resources developing non-credit reparative programs that get people ready to take basic courses. Your average college student doesnt want to have to read Twain, let alone Wang Shenxui.
 
Re: Too many ‘dead white dudes’? Seattle U students protest program’s curriculum

danarhea said:
Algebra and astronomy were both invented in the Middle East. In fact, the word "algebra" comes from the Arabic word "al-jabr", which means to reunite broken parts.
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Cool, teach that.

But what civilizations took that knowledge and did anything with it?
 
From WaPo in April:

One in four students have to enroll in remedial classes their first year of college, costing their families nearly $1.5 billion, according to a study released Wednesday by Education Reform Now, a think tank.

...What’s striking about the report is it dispels the widely held belief that only low-income or community college students are saddled with remedial courses. As it turns out, 45 percent of students enrolled in such classes hail from middle- and upper-income families. Nearly half of all students taking remedial classes attend public and private four-year colleges, while the remainder are enrolled in community colleges, according to the report.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...classes-have-become-a-hidden-cost-of-college/

I found the photo that prefaces the article striking: Notice how few students have come to class prepared and how many are sitting and waiting to be entertained.
 
Re: Too many ‘dead white dudes’? Seattle U students protest program’s curriculum

Erod said:
Too many ‘dead white dudes’? Seattle U students protest program’s curriculum | The Seattle Times






Seattle University dean placed on administrative leave amid student protests | The Seattle Times



Cave story: Seattle U places dean on leave over psychologically abusive focus on dead white dudes – twitchy.com








Uh, that was the name of the black man's book, dumbasses.



How will you ever heal? Here's a participation ribbon to make you feel better.



I seemed to have missed the thriving societies of Africa, the Middle East, and South America, and their rich histories of accomplishment, inclusion, and technological advancement. The vast majority of notable historical occurrence and achievement has been centered around "dead white dudes." Sorry, but that's just the truth.
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People don't want to accept the plain truth, which is that civilization is, aside from Asia and a few (relatively to their neighbors) exceptional parts of Africa and the Americas, primarily white in origin.

ellesdee said:
There is a ton of profound and relevant literature from non-Western sources. No reason why a curriculum should completely center around Western philosophies. I think the students have a good point in demanding a more diverse curriculum. I don't think they have a legitimate reason to be calling for resignations.
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Nonsense. The vast majority of the Americas, Africa, and the Pacific Islands were filled with ignorant savages before the Europeans came around. The only cultures that even remotely compare to Europe are the great civilizations of Asia, and even they are far our inferiors.
 
Re: Too many ‘dead white dudes’? Seattle U students protest program’s curriculum

VanceMack said:
Most universities offer programs designed to be most effective to their undergrad population. The fact of the matter is that most students entering college are woefully unprepared and unread. Colleges spend a ton of time and resources developing non-credit reparative programs that get people ready to take basic courses. Your average college student doesnt want to have to read Twain, let alone Wang Shenxui.
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My first thought is how are those topics being incorporated into the curriculum. Perhaps such non-Western views aren't being spread around throughout the varying curriculums. Then I'd question the protesters to find out more information about why they feel non-Western viewpoints aren't being included within the curriculum.
 
Re: Too many ‘dead white dudes’? Seattle U students protest program’s curriculum

danarhea said:
Algebra and astronomy were both invented in the Middle East. In fact, the word "algebra" comes from the Arabic word "al-jabr", which means to reunite broken parts.
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You know the Middle East has been heavily influenced by European thought, right? Heck their whole religion is just a Christian heresy.
 
Re: Too many ‘dead white dudes’? Seattle U students protest program’s curriculum

Paleocon said:
People don't want to accept the plain truth, which is that civilization is, aside from Asia and a few (relatively to their neighbors) exceptional parts of Africa and the Americas, primarily white in origin.



Nonsense. The vast majority of the Americas, Africa, and the Pacific Islands were filled with ignorant savages before the Europeans came around. The only cultures that even remotely compare to Europe are the great civilizations of Asia, and even they are far our inferiors.
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So then focus on the small minority that weren't indicative of ignorant savages.

I mean, I wouldn't include your comments into a college curriculum, either, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't teach any viewpoints that represent Western thinking.
 
Re: Too many ‘dead white dudes’? Seattle U students protest program’s curriculum

Paleocon said:
You know the Middle East has been heavily influenced by European thought, right? Heck their whole religion is just a Christian heresy.
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Actually, Arabs invented algebra and astronomy while Europe was embroiled in the dark ages, fighting the plague, and burning witches at the stake.
 
Re: Too many ‘dead white dudes’? Seattle U students protest program’s curriculum

ellesdee said:
So then focus on the small minority that weren't indicative of ignorant savages.
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Why should they?

Ethiopia isn't representative of Africa, and the Incas aren't representative of the Americas. Even
aside from that, they accomplished very little compared to Europe.
 
Re: Too many ‘dead white dudes’? Seattle U students protest program’s curriculum

Paleocon said:
Why should they?
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Because one of the main points of higher education is to be exposed to a wide variety of viewpoints on any given topic.
 
Re: Too many ‘dead white dudes’? Seattle U students protest program’s curriculum

danarhea said:
Actually, Arabs invented algebra and astronomy while Europe was embroiled in the dark ages, fighting the plague, and burning witches at the stake.
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The Arabs didn't invent astronomy. Their astronomy is descended from the Greeks, just as their math is.

And in any case, that one of the non-European societies that is among the closest to Europe produced a few contributions to scientific progress doesn't challenge the point. Europe is better.
 
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