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March 23, 2006
Gender Imbalance in Higher Ed
What Jennifer Delahunty Britz describes in her column in today's New York Times about higher standards for female college applicants than male ones is, of course, affirmative action for men, although she doesn't use the term. The fact that she “apologize[s]” to women “for the demographic realities” implies that there is injustice in this. If the reason for higher numbers of women attending and graduating from college is that men have greater job opportunities than women without a college degree and for this or some other reasons are electing not to attend college, she is clearly she is right. It's unfair. If, on the other hand, our schools are failing to prepare men for college at the same rate as women, than, following the logics of other affirmative actions, is the bias in admissions justified? I would still argue that it is not, and agree with Britz, unless there is either proof of historic and ongoing discrimination or bias in admission criteria that undervalues important skills that male applicants might have in greater abundance. I find this unlikely. Should high schools examine possible failings in preparing boys for college? Absolutely.
Posted by johnn at 10:18 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 14, 2006
AAUP issues a statement on the nasty FBI visit to Prof. Tinker-Salas...
...and it can be found here.
Posted by johnn at 09:48 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 10, 2006
The Medieval Enclave
A Jesuit theologian, Edward T. Oakes, reviewing Gary Wills' latest book on the Catholic Church, chides him with this little gem:
As he should know from his own position as a Catholic professor at a secular university, the two great institutional legacies of the Middle Ages to modern civilization are the Catholic Church and the contemporary university, of which the latter is surely the more rigidly hierarchical: With its politically correct orthodoxies, its hegemonically imposed anti-hegemonic discourse, its salary-mongering, its freedom from taxation (how Constantinian!), its speech codes, its teacher evaluations conducted sub secreto pontificio, its heated debate over the minutest matters, its hair-splitting fights over teaching loads and research assistants (tenure as benefice!), the contemporary university makes the Catholic Church look like a Quaker meeting house.Minus the predictable and exaggerated bits about the political correctness and anti-hegemonic discourse, he is, of course, onto something.
Posted by johnn at 08:54 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
March 09, 2006
Speaking of goons and clowns...
... i.e., the FBI and so forth, I received an email from the Latin American Studies Association lamenting the fact that Cuban scholars will once again be barred from attending our congress, to be held this time in San Juan, PR, next week. The US, laudably, even made an exception to allow the Cuban baseball team to play in the World Baseball Classic. But I guess historians and anthropologists are less likely to defect and play catcher for NYU or Princeton.
I dutifully called the CA Congressional delegation to complain, but it's not likely to have done much good.
I vote for LASA never again to meet in the US until all our colleagues can attend.
Posted by johnn at 08:21 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Wrong about Lula
I seem to have been wrong about the effect of the PT (Workers Party) corruption scandal on Lula's reelection prospects.
According to O Globo, he's carrying a solid lead in the polls.
Posted by johnn at 08:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Venezuela, the US, terrorism
Just a brief concatenation of facts that, together, speak for themselves:
1) The US participates in a military coup attempt against a freely and fairly elected Latin American government ... Venezuela in 2002.
2) Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez internationalizes his dangerous brand of ideology through the destabilizing act of...providing cheap fuel oil to poor people in cold parts of the US.
3) Local and federal officers from a joint task force on terrorism conduct an intimidating interview with Pomona College Latin American historian Miguel Tinker Salas about his contacts with Venezuelans.
And here I thought that the Task Force on Terrorism meant against terrorism. Silly me!
Here's Pomona President David Oxtoby's commendable statement about the latter event:
To the Pomona College community:On Tuesday, March 7, Miguel Tinker Salas, Arango Professor of Latin American History and Chicano Studies, was visited in his Pearsons Hall office by two men from the Los Angeles County Sheriff/FBI Joint Task Force on Terrorism. To avoid rumors, I wanted the Pomona College community to be aware of the facts.
The agents asked Professor Tinker Salas a number of personal questions as well as questions about the Venezuelan government and the Venezuelan community in the U.S. During the meeting, they told him that he was not a subject of investigation. The tone and content of the questioning, however, troubled him deeply. He was also troubled by the fact that the agents reportedly questioned some of the students outside his office while waiting to see him.
Miguel, as all of you know, is a superb Wig Award winning teacher and a fine scholar on Latin American history, politics, and culture who is sometimes asked by the news media to comment on topics related to his research, including Venezuelan politics. The College supports him and his scholarly work without reservation. I am extremely concerned about the chilling effect this kind of
intrusive government interest could have on free scholarly and political discourse. I am also concerned about the negative message it sends to students who are considering the pursuit of important areas of international study, in which they may now feel exposed to unwarranted official scrutiny.The College is currently consulting with legal advisors about the most effective way to register a strong official protest about this intrusion into our scholarly and educational activities, and we will take appropriate action as soon as their advice is received. We are also asking for their help in assuring that all members of the College community are fully informed about their rights and their options in such situations.
David Oxtoby
President
(It does leave me wondering a little bit what the level of support would be for someone not so "award winning" and about whose scholarship the College had some "reservations," simply because some such scholars have not been supported by their institutions elsewhere at moments like this.)
UPDATE (3-9-06, 22:19 PST): Pomona Professor John Seery has posted an entry on the Huffington Post about this incident.
UPDATE (3-10-06, 21:17 PST): And Elena Shore, writing in New American Media (and also published in Counterpunch).
UPDATE (3-12-06, 16:48 PST): Kathleen posted the FBI's sort-of apology on Planned Obsolescence.
Posted by johnn at 06:23 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
March 02, 2006
The Right to be Ignorant
A survey (reported on today in the Chicago Tribune and to us angelinos in our little Tribune Co. subsisdiary called the Los Angeles Times) showed that only 1% of Americans can name all five rights enumerated in the First Amendment to the US Constiution, as opposed to the 20% who can name all five members of the Simpsons family. Let me say first that I am shocked and outraged at the low 20% figure. Secondly, while the 99% who can't name the rights of the First Amendment are "ignorant," as the article says, the 38% who said the right to "take the Fifth" is part of the First are just plain morons. The ones who don't know who's buried in Grant's Tomb, I'll bet. Forty percent is roughly the moron fraction I've been assuming for a few years now, and it's nice to see it confirmed in sound figures.
Columbia U law professor Michael Dorf was quoted in the article as suggesting a Simpsons episode on the Constitution. Capital idea, and it just may happen, too. 'Cause you know Lisa knows!
Posted by johnn at 01:28 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack