Lit programs that have not succumbed to postmodernism/cultural studies

[Anonymous]

Literary criticism / critical theory is a separate area of concentration. You’re still reading the original texts. You are not supposed to believe what Derrida is writing without questioning it; that is the value of learning critical theory and textual analysis.

[Anonymous]

The only thing we need to know about Walt Whitman was that he was a racist. That's what passes for higher education these days.

[Anonymous]

So a serious “literature” education only values English langauge writers who have been dead for at least 150 years. Nothing else is of value. That’s not studying literature

[Anonymous]

University of Dallas

[Anonymous]

Thomas Aquinas College

[Anonymous]

St John's College

[Anonymous]

Great Books-style schools are generally going to be pretty good for this.

The premier secular one is St John's.

Some of the Catholic GB-oriented colleges: St. Thomas Aquinas, Thomas Moore, Wyoming Catholic, John Paul the Great, University of Dallas (which offers some more traditional courses of study as well), Collegium Sanctorum Angelorum.

Some of the Protestant GB-oriented colleges: New College Franklin, New Saint Andrews College, Sattler College (also offers regular courses), Gutenberg College, John Witherspoon College.

Others: Zaytuna (Muslim), Dharma Realm (Buddhist), Saint Constantine (Orthodox)

Outside of Great Books, your best bet is more conservative schools, e.g. Hillsdale or Grove City.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree with OP.

One LAC offers a course titled Queer Feminist Environmental Studies (Hamilton College).

Is it required?

Required or not, it’s still ludicrous.

I agree, but I just wouldn’t send my kid there. Doesn’t affect me.

Basically any college has fluff classes nowadays. I saw recently in the NYT that there’s a class at Harvard focused on Taylor Swift. Most parents would still be thrilled if their kid got into Harvard, even if they would hope their kid didn’t take classes like that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I see you're not a big fan of tolerance or freedom of expression.

Or they have standards..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I see you're not a big fan of tolerance or freedom of expression.

DP. Quite the opposite. It’s today’s triggered youth who are intolerant. Any view that doesn’t perfectly alight with their microscopic lived experience makes them melt like butter in the hot sun. A pandemic adolescence spent online in isolation churned out a heck of a lot of whackos.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree with OP.

One LAC offers a course titled Queer Feminist Environmental Studies (Hamilton College).

Is it required?

Required or not, it’s still ludicrous.

I agree, but I just wouldn’t send my kid there. Doesn’t affect me.

Basically any college has fluff classes nowadays. I saw recently in the NYT that there’s a class at Harvard focused on Taylor Swift. Most parents would still be thrilled if their kid got into Harvard, even if they would hope their kid didn’t take classes like that.

My college, not Harvard but a T20, had a course called “Beethoven and the Beatles”. It was phenomenal. It was taught by a music school professor but was through the arts and sciences college, so no music theory knowledge was required. He was probably the most gifted lecturer I’ve ever seen. He was the guy the college trotted out on admitted students day to give a lecture to students and parents. My dad, who didn’t go to college and thought I was semi insane for trying to go to such an expensive place (when I could have gone to some places for free) came out of there glowing and understood immediately why someone would choose that.

[Anonymous]

The wonderful thing about getting an education is you should come out of it with the self-awareness that you didn’t learn everything and the drive to fill in the gaps.

Your kid doesn’t have to go to college to read Shakespeare. It’s not hidden in some back shelf at the library.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see you're not a big fan of tolerance or freedom of expression.

DP. Quite the opposite. It’s today’s triggered youth who are intolerant. Any view that doesn’t perfectly alight with their microscopic lived experience makes them melt like butter in the hot sun. A pandemic adolescence spent online in isolation churned out a heck of a lot of whackos.

So much projection here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see you're not a big fan of tolerance or freedom of expression.

DP. Quite the opposite. It’s today’s triggered youth who are intolerant. Any view that doesn’t perfectly alight with their microscopic lived experience makes them melt like butter in the hot sun. A pandemic adolescence spent online in isolation churned out a heck of a lot of whackos.

Seems to me that Harold Bloom was the one who was triggered by the idea that there might be literature or perspectives out there different from his lived experience as a horny old white guy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The wonderful thing about getting an education is you should come out of it with the self-awareness that you didn’t learn everything and the drive to fill in the gaps.

Your kid doesn’t have to go to college to read Shakespeare. It’s not hidden in some back shelf at the library.

So true.