Commentary
Oregon Daily Emerald
Friday, May 13, 2005
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■ In my opinion
Fighting for the humanities
“At present we know only that the
imagination, like certain wild ani
mals, will not breed in captivity.”
— George Orwell
Professors of philosophy, litera
ture and other humanities disci
plines wield almost no influence on
the general public, which treats their
work with contempt.
Humanities departments exhibit sti
fling intellectual conformity that drives
away bright students and retards the
advance of scholarship.
Doctoral students in humanities pro
grams take an average of 8.9 years to
achieve their degree. Half of them do
not get jobs the year they graduate.
Such was the picture Louis Menand
painted Tuesday night at a well-attend
ed lecture in the Lillis Business Com
plex. Menand, a Harvard professor of
English and American literature and
language and a staff writer for The New
Yorker, brought stark warnings about
“The Humanities and the University of
the 21st Century” to an audience com
posed mostly of faculty.
Menand noted several threats to con
temporary humanities scholarship, not
least of which is the absurd time spent
toward earning degrees that humani
ties programs force doctoral students to
endure. Menand rightly pointed out
that such an ordeal encourages “em
barrassing” labor practices — essential
ly the indentured servitude of doctoral
students — as well as self-censorship
among students who don’t feel they
can risk original thinking.
If the humanities’ internal problems
weren’t enough, Menand also outlined
the friction between the humanities
and the rest of society that borders on
a state of warfare. While in the past so
ciety recognized the value of humani
ties scholarship for its own sake,
CHUCK SLOTHOWER
TAKING ISSUE
humanists now must continually justi
fy themselves, Menand said.
Humanists express understandable
frustration that while even the most
radical scientific theories are regarded
with respect and reverence, society ex
pects humanists to do no more than
reaffirm society’s constructs.
Humanities classes face declining
enrollment, and universities more and
more grow to resemble trade schools.
Students vote with their feet for practi
cal studies such as business, education
and, I must admit, journalism.
Who can blame them? Graduates
who hold humanities degrees have a
notoriously difficult time getting jobs
after college, thus the birth of “Would
you like fries with that?” jokes. I re
member a man with whom I fought
wildfires a few summers ago. He had a
University degree in anthropology,
good enough to breathe ash and hack
at dirt for 14 hours a day.
I can think of no great solution to the
employability problem, and neither
could Menand. His best idea was that
the humanities should cross-pollinate
other fields. As he said, “Any profes
sional field can be made liberal” — in
the broad, nonpolitical sense, I regret
having to clarify — “by teaching it his
torically and theoretically.”
For instance, law students should
take a little history for perspective, and
physics students could learn from
philosophy. This is an excellent idea
that frees students’ imaginations from
the captivity of any particular field.
The School of Journalism and Com
munication, to its credit, already does
this to some extent. The school requires
16 credits of literature, eight credits of
history, eight credits of economics and
eight credits in each of three other fields
in the College of Arts and Sciences. Ad
ditionally, the school’s Communication
Theory and Criticism class examines
media from a variety of philosophic
perspectives, including those of Karl
Marx and Michel Foucault.
These efforts recognize that journal
ists who know a lot about inverted pyr
amids and predicate nominatives but
nothing about the world around them
do a disservice to their readers.
As I was told at the lecture by Jack
Powers, a University professor emeritus
of romance languages, the primary
duty of a university is to "teach people
to think critically.”
Unfortunately, part of the problem is
that many people don’t want students
to think critically. This is why we have
things such as Campus Watch, an or
ganization that singles out academic
departments and professors who dis
agree with its staunchly pro-Israel agen
da, or the spectacle of the Kansas Board
of Education deciding how to best in
ject creationism into public schools.
Lurking behind this — or, more ac
curately, standing in plain view — is a
reactionary agenda. At the beginning of
this 21st century, economic, political
and in some cases religious forces have
conspired in a thus far successful at
tempt to marginalize the humanities.
We must fight this development.
chuckslothower@ dailyemerald. mm
■ Guest commentary
(DMAS critics hinder
progress in classroom
1 was disgusted to read the article headlining Thursday’s
paper regarding the class enrollment restrictions of the Of
fice of Multicultural Academic Support classes (“Officials
defend class enrollment restrictions”).
First off, the whole story was written in a way that
makes Stephanie Ramey the victim of discrimination.
What she needs to do, along with the writer of this story
and whoever else believes the OMAS classes are discrimi
nating, is open her eyes. If you want to know what discrim
ination is, everyone should read the article that was juxta
posed right along with this article on the front page
regarding the discrimination that is instilled within the Col
lege of Education.
Students of color are being subjected to race discrimina
tion every day in our classrooms. I hear from them the ha
rassment they face from peers regarding their entire ethnic
makeup — their names, their skin color, their cultures.
Students of color are picked on not only by teachers but
also by fellow peers simply because they stand out from
the majority. I experience this as well. The race discrimi
nation we face extends well beyond the University cam
pus; our world is instilled with race discrimination.
Stephanie Ramey, along with the writer of the article,
doesn’t have to ever experience what students of color
go through because she is the majority; she doesn’t ever
have to think, feel or experience the things people of
color experience.
Students of color need an environment where they feel
they can be addressed and feel comfortable. Jared Paben,
Stephanie Ramey and the rest of you who believe OMAS
classes are discriminating are trying to cut down the foun
dation we are trying to build for students of color to
progress in school and life.
Jeffrey Boyce lives in Eugene
1 » M M M M • Hll
Diversity involves
ideas, not skin color
What is Gregory J. Vincent, the vice provost for insti
tutional equity and diversity, doing to the University?
Does diversity really mean segregating students of color
into classes where they can be with other students of
color and share their “student of color” experiences with
minimal non-color students present (“Officials defend
class enrollment restrictions,” ODE, May 12)?
Where does that leave white students on your list?
This is segregation; it is just labeled something different.
Vincent is acting in a racist manner. He is judging peo
ple based on their skin color, not by the content of their
character. Diversity is more than skin color; diversity is
of the mind.
TVy being white, conservative and heterosexual on
this campus. I am devalued more and more every day
when my feelings and experiences are ignored because
of my skin color. Self-identified conservative students
are still afraid to speak because of what may happen to
their education, careers and physical safety.
I have a dream that one day, I can say something and
not be taunted as a middle-class white girl. I have a
dream that one day, I will be able to talk to people with
out being blamed for their problems. I have a dream that
one day, my experiences will be recognized as equal to
others and that classes at the University will be truly di
verse in thought, not just in skin color.
I am white. I am a woman. I am conservative. There is
no reason I should feel bad about that or face barriers
because of my skin color. My rights to register for a class
are equal. My rights to speak my mind are important.
Stop segregating this campus into colored and white,
Greg Vincent, and start being colorblind.
Melissa Hanks lives in Eugene
■ Out loud
“This is a pretty big thing for U of O Chess
because we’re trying to break into the bigger
chess scene.” — UO Chess President and tour
nament coordinator Sara Hamilton on Sun
day. Eight players in the Oregon Class Cham
pionships were rated as master-expert.
“Chess is a sport.” — Hamilton on how to
classify chess tournaments.
“I absolutely place it as a top priority, and I
am very concerned about the warnings that
you give based on these numbers. But let’s
not get a message out that there’s some sim
ple solution if the administration would just
get off its rear end.” — Senior Vice President
and Provost John Moseley at the University
Senate meeting, responding to suggestions
that a portion of the University’s $600 million
fundraising campaign be dedicated to faculty
compensation.
‘For a sophomore math class, I shouldn’t
have to wait just because I’m white.” — Se
nior Stephanie Ramey about a University
policy that reserves spots in classes for minor
ity students.
“I am a student of color in a class where my
professors always validate white students’
ideas, statements and opinions, but never
mine. ” — A sign displayed during a Wednes
day protest against alleged discrimination
against minority students within the College
of Education.
“If he had written a novel of his life, it
would have been one of the most interesting
books you’d have ever read.” — Bob Miller,
the younger brother of community activist
Bruce Miller, who died April 26.
“All of us are in danger if we don’t win the
war on terrorism.” — Middle East expert Elan
Carr, speaking Monday to students and com
munity members about his experience in Iraq.
“We’re here, we’re high. Get used to it!” —
A chant heard during Saturday’s marijuana
legalization march in downtown Eugene.
“We feel like the ASUO, while their inten
tions may be good, we don’t know that
they’re going to get the job done. It’s gotten to
the point where it’s just outrageous.” — Port
land Student Action Council Interim
President Gary Blackwell on the need to
compensate students at the University’s Port
land satellite campus, who pay incidental fees
but do not receive benefits such as free
bus transportation.
“I’m not even particularly anxious about it
really. I’m just kind of curious as to what life
will be like when there’s less structure.”
— Dan Williams, who will retire from his po
sition as University vice president for admin
istration this summer.
“To win a race here in an Oregon uniform,
there’s nothing like it.”— Freshman distance
runner Galen Rupp, after his record-breaking
race during the Oregon Twilight at Hayward
Field on Saturday.
“This was an important year for the Court
in term of the decisions that it made and
precedents that were set.” — Courtney
Warner, former associate justice of the ASUO
Constitution Court, who resigned because of
her upcoming University graduation.
— From Daily Emerald news reports
CORRECTION
In “Officials defend class enrollment restrictions”
published Thursday, the Emerald reported that the
American English Institute has a Writing 121E class for
students whose first language is not English. That class
is offered by the University’s Composition Program, a
division of the English Department.
The Emerald regrets the error.