coldhearted scientist وداد

I used to give the culture class as an issues-in-culture class and it was good, but now I am giving it as a true cultural studies class and it is outright exciting, partly because it is so theoretically precise. Here is the issue: I have a curriculum.

The administration now says that since it is culture and culture includes almost anything, I should change the curriculum for students who may have another major, so that they can use the class to learn to speak and write in Spanish about their major.

I thought the reason to have another major or a minor was to acquire another discipline, not just to acquire a language capability. Apparently people do not realize that we have a discipline — do you think? On the one hand I may have to defend assigning Raymond Williams (in Spanish translation, in this case) in a Spanish class since he is not Hispanic, but on the other, I am to jettison anything for the sake of whatever.

I read Williams’ “Culture is Ordinary” this evening, although I am not teaching this precise essay. It is such a humane piece, everyone should read it.

Axé.