[581] in Discussion of MIT-community interests
re: "diversity" and GIRs
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Wally)
Wed May 9 09:40:55 2001
Date: Wed, 9 May 2001 09:44:00 -0400 (EDT)
From: Wally <wally@sub-zero.mit.edu>
To: "Jimmy_B,MajMoola,MechWarrior,etc._Chien-ta Wu" <jimmbswu@MIT.EDU>
cc: mit-talk@MIT.EDU
In-Reply-To: <200105091325.JAA01710@MECHWARRIOR.MIT.EDU>
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.21.0105090938050.32346-100000@sub-zero.mit.edu>
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> -To satisfy this requirement, the undergraduate has the following
> options: 1.) Take Clarence Williams's culture diversity class, 2.)
> Take a culture/language class alien to him, eg., a generic Caucasian
> to take a Hahvahd class on the aborigines of Maylaysia, 3.) Attend a
> leadership training seminar like Leadershape (which has diversity
> classes), 4.) Participate in the activities of a cultural group alien
> to him, eg., a Black-American helps plan the activities of the
> EuroClub, or 5.) through a program developed by the student, in
> consultation with his advisor and the CUP, eg, an Asian-American who
> has lived all his life in an affluent, predominantly white suburb can
> choose to live in Chocolate City for one year and participate in their
> social activities, or alternatively, a student with sufficient
> appreciation of diversity can attempt to demonstrate to his advisor
> and CUP that he has sufficient appreciation of diversity/knowledge of
> alien human cultures.
With respects, this is is a little wacky.
It's gonna cause a little of the 'how-white-are-you' conversation style.
Moreover, does a class on The Bible satisfy this requirement for a Muslim?
Should I be able to take the Kung-Fu Cinema class to get out of this
requirement, even though I watch more kung-fu cinema than is healthy
anyhow? I've learned a lot about cultural difference through classes like
Literary Theory, oddly enough -- a class in which looking for difference,
attuning to textual specificity, is an important part of reading any text
-- but 'literature' isn't all that specific a category, culturally (less
so every day, though the notion of literature==art is relatively new).
Anyhow, my point is that 'the Other' is a bit broadly-defined to base a
class around, given the individual differences and proclivities of
students. Fuck diversity education -- soem people aren't worth the time it
takes to teach them, and it's only a token requirement anyhow. The people
who want such education will seek it out.
W.
