George Mason’s Orwellian “Just Societies” Requirement
I recently discovered that George Mason University, where I teach, plans to adopt a “Just Societies” course requirement. “Students entering Mason in Fall 2024 or later will be required to take two Mason…
What’s UNC Teaching These Days?
If I, a graduating senior, were to give one piece of advice to an incoming UNC student, it would be to research prospective classes diligently. Search online for syllabi, survey…
Against Scholar-Activism
The rise of political orthodoxy on campus is often cited as one of the key reasons for reforming universities. But if there is a rise of orthodoxy, what does this…
Divestment Isn’t Neutral
The UNC chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) doesn’t have a great track record on free speech and civil discourse. Its members have occupied university administrative buildings, attempted…
Should We Teach to Empower Students or to Keep Them as “Sacred Victims”?
Among the many destructive ideas that “progressive” thinking has unleashed on education in America is that it’s unfair to hold students from “underrepresented groups” to the same standards as others.…
Against Voter-Friendly Campuses
“Beware of Greeks bearing gifts,” Virgil’s Aeneid warns. To that I add: Beware of college administrators bearing plans to “enhance American democracy.” Too often, what appears to be a simple…
Moral Corruption at Community Colleges
Imagine you are an 18-year-old who struggled to finish high school. Shakespeare, calculus, European history—none of these played to your strengths. But you found your niche in art class, performing…
In Praise of Whistleblowers
What is racism’s limiting principle? At times, the answer has to do with practicalities: Xi Jinping would presumably enslave every last Uyghur if geopolitical and administrative circumstances allowed it. Or…
Hatred of Western Civilization Stokes the Campus Antisemitism Crisis
The unspeakable brutality and depravity of the October 7 Hamas assault on Israel led soon afterward to aggressive protests on many of our college campuses. The protests (and declarations, blog…
Academic Conferences Are a Scam
On September 25, 2023, I received an email notifying me that a previously accepted abstract, and the panel in which it was to be presented, were now being cancelled. The…