Ehhh Gadz Lovey, A Yale Student [Mis. Hum]

Somewhere along the line, parents and teachers from K-12 spoiled a generation. Young adults between the ages of 18-22 who spend $45,800 for tuition and $19,404 for room and board at Yale University are at it again.

Perhaps you recall Nicholas & Erika Christakis from Halloween season of 2015. Mrs. Christakis had the gumption to tell these special snowflakes to suck it up when it came to costumes and free speech. The Christakis have tendered their resignation from their positions at Yale. Mr. Christakis is resuming his research career. While Mrs. Christakis is considering working in early childhood where the bastards "don't try to get you fired."

So what do Yale students do after they successfully ruin the livelihood of certain administrators? Why of course go after the curriculum. Yale has a mandatory two-course commitment for English majors. That course is "Major English Poets". One would think if you are going to be an "English" major, you would probably have to take courses relating to "English" literature and poetry. But, that's just me.

And who are these "English" poets? White guys of course. Because nothing says "white guy" than an actual male from the U.K. from a couple of hundred years ago. And of course the special snowflakes can't have that.

But students think this sequence "creates a culture that is hostile to students of color." They write:

When students are made to feel so alienated that they get up and leave the room, or get up and leave the major, something is wrong. The English department loses out when talented students engaged in literary and cultural analysis are driven away from the major. Students who continue on after taking the introductory sequence are ill-prepared to take higher-level courses relating to race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, nationality, ability, or even to engage with critical theory or secondary scholarship. We ask that Major English Poets be abolished, and that the pre-1800/1900 requirements be refocused to deliberately include literatures relating to gender, race, sexuality, ableism, and ethnicity.

It’s time for the English major to decolonize — not diversify — its course offerings. A 21st century education is a diverse education: we write to you today inspired by student activism across the university, and to make sure that you know that the English department is not immune from the collective call to action.

One would hope that Yale would stand firm with their curriculum. But, I'm not holding my breath.

posted by Open Blogger at 02:32 PM

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