Recent posts

#51

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by Crazy_Ivan80 - Today at 09:43:13 AM

The magadrassas, soon to be even more stringent than Kabul Uni.

#52

Gaming HQ / Re: Europa Universalis V confi...

Last post by The Minsky Moment - Today at 09:38:26 AM

Yeah a new sweeping mechanic is what the game needs right now. What the hell, Johan.

At least you can't accuse him of complacency.  Just Complacency.

#53

Off the Record / Re: Brexit and the waning days...

Last post by HVC - Today at 09:35:28 AM

And what do marbles represent?

The stuff you can't lose.

That's why they belong in a museum.

The Earl of Elgin approves.

#54

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by HisMajestyBOB - Today at 09:33:48 AM

College isn't for learning. It's for sports.

#55

Off the Record / Re: Brexit and the waning days...

Last post by The Minsky Moment - Today at 09:33:44 AM

I think this needs a different Britain - and perhaps Trump prompts that but I'm not sure. I don't think Britain's every put any security and foreign policy marbles into the EU - we blocked every attempt to expand the foreign and security policy bits of the EU treaties. Even Blair who's one of the most pro-EU PMs we've ever had massively watered down the common defence article to basically subordinate it to NATO (it was also watered down following the Irish vote against Lisbon because of concerns around Irish neutrality).

Well perhaps I do need to clarify "marbles"

I don't think you can make absolute and crystal clear bright lines between security policy, diplomacy, foreign policy, trade, economic policy, taxation, and economic regulation.  In fact, one of the aspects of the "Trump Effect" has been to blur and break down those distinctions.  It's in that sense that I mean EU membership necessarily puts some marbles in the EU basket.

#56

Off the Record / Re: US - Greenland Crisis Thre...

Last post by HisMajestyBOB - Today at 09:32:35 AM

If it came to a vote on authorizing force against Denmark/Greenland, do you think it would pass?

Yes, the Republicans would roll over in a minute if told.  The Democrats are and have been completely ineffectual for years. 

That's not true. They're very effective at sending out fundraising emails.

#57

Off the Record / Re: US - Greenland Crisis Thre...

Last post by The Minsky Moment - Today at 09:27:29 AM

How do you bypass a void?

#58

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by The Minsky Moment - Today at 09:26:45 AM

In a follow-up email Wednesday, Werner said, "If a course includes eight books and only one has a main character who has an LGBTQ identity and the plot lines are not overly focused on sexual orientation (i.e. that is THE main plot line), I personally think it would be OK to keep the book in the course." She also clarified that faculty may assign textbooks with chapters that cover transgender identity, so long as they do not talk about the material or include it on assignments or exam questions.

MAGA Stalinism.

#59

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by The Minsky Moment - Today at 09:23:14 AM

No federal prosecutor will try to get an indictment.

True. But the state is investigating.
The state can bring charges; the obstacle will be the officer's broad immunity for actions taken performing official duties under federal law.

#60

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by Oexmelin - Today at 09:22:41 AM

The country where you can't teach Plato.

At least 200 courses in the Texas A&M University College of Arts and Sciences have been flagged or canceled by university leaders for gender- or race-related content as the university undertakes its review of all course syllabi, faculty members told Inside Higher Ed.

This is just the beginning of the system board–mandated course-review process. Faculty were required to submit core-curriculum syllabi for review in December, and some faculty members have yet to receive feedback on their spring courses, scheduled to begin Monday.

So far, queer filmmakers, feminist writers and even ancient Western philosophers are on the chopping block. One faculty member—philosophy professor Martin Peterson, who is supposed to teach Contemporary Moral Problems this spring—was asked by university leadership to remove several passages by Plato from his syllabus.

Another censored class is Introduction to Race and Ethnicity. Students enrolled in the sociology course this spring were told via email Tuesday that the class was canceled because there was no way to bring it into compliance with the system policy. One professor, who wished to remain anonymous, was asked in the fall to remove content related to feminism and queer cinema from their History of Film class. The professor refused, and the dean resubmitted the syllabus as a noncore "special topics" class, which enrolled students were notified of Wednesday.

"I'm seeing the enrollment drops as we speak," the professor said.

The enrollment declines could have the same result as the course review.

The expectation is that a lot of those classes will ultimately be canceled, not because of content but because of underenrollment," said another professor in the College of Arts and Sciences who wished to remain anonymous.

English faculty members received an email Tuesday from senior executive associate dean of the college Cynthia Werner telling them that literature with major plot lines that concern gay, lesbian or transgender identities should not be taught in core-curriculum classes.

In a follow-up email Wednesday, Werner said, "If a course includes eight books and only one has a main character who has an LGBTQ identity and the plot lines are not overly focused on sexual orientation (i.e. that is THE main plot line), I personally think it would be OK to keep the book in the course." She also clarified that faculty may assign textbooks with chapters that cover transgender identity, so long as they do not talk about the material or include it on assignments or exam questions.

In November, the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents decided that courses that "advocate race or gender ideology, sexual orientation, or gender identity" would be subject to presidential approval and launched a systemwide, artificial intelligence–driven course-review process across all five campuses. Faculty members are still confused about who exactly is reviewing their syllabi.

"The university is doing different things in different departments and colleges. They're interpreting these policies differently," said Leonard Bright, a professor of government and public service at Texas A&M and president of the university's American Association of University Professors chapter. "I've heard some say they were told that there are some committees [carrying out the review]. I've heard some say that it's just the provost and his close affiliates. We really don't have a real clear answer as to how these decisions are being made."

It's also unclear whether Texas A&M is violating a rule from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board that requires institutions to seek its approval before revising its core curriculum and "deleting courses." A spokesperson for the university did not respond to Inside Higher Ed's questions about the review Wednesday, including a question about how many total courses have been canceled so far.

The Texas A&M AAUP condemned the university's decision to censor Plato in a statement Wednesday.

"At a public university, this action raises serious legal concerns, including viewpoint discrimination and violations of constitutionally protected academic freedom," the AAUP chapter wrote. "Beyond the legal implications, the moral stakes are profound. Silencing 2,500-year-old ideas from one of the world's most influential thinkers betrays the mission of higher education and denies students the opportunity to engage critically with the foundations of Western thought. A research university that censors Plato abandons its obligation to truth, inquiry, and the public trust—and should not be regarded as a serious institution of higher learning. We are deeply saddened to witness the decline of one of Texas's great universities."

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression also slammed the move.

"Texas A&M now believes Plato doesn't belong in an introductory philosophy course," Lindsie Rank, director of campus rights advocacy at FIRE, said in a statement. "This is what happens when the board of regents gives university bureaucrats veto power over academic content. The board didn't just invite censorship, they unleashed it with immediate and predictable consequences. You don't protect students by banning 2,400-year-old philosophy."