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> Let's not pretend that you are allowed to teach at Harvard, at least in certain departments, without a very specific political leaning. And certain other poli

> Let's not pretend that you are allowed to teach at Harvard, at least in certain departments, without a very specific political leaning. And certain other political leanings are not allowed in any department. I can't speak to all of Harvard's departments, but I know it's completely possible to have a wide variety of political viewpoints in SEAS. The faculty itself is probably to the right of the immediately surrounding community (that that this means much in Boston Metro, but I think it's probably true in the case of SEAS). > UC requires a mandatory "diversity statement" for faculty job applications: Diversity statements typically focus on a certain type of service and teaching activity. The "how it effects my teaching and advising" part of the statement could talk about making special efforts in your teaching to help first generation college students, or supporting students who aren't neurotypical, or being really good at working with the specific circumstances of students who come from non-traditional backgrounds (eg adult learners). The outreach/service portion of the statement could discuss bringing resources to underserved rural communities. Or providing learning opportunities for prisoners. Or a million other things. Source: actually did this. Got job offers. The fact that you think writing a "diversity statement" means you have to fit a certain political mold says a lot more about what you think diversity means than about diversity statement requirements. The diversity statement is about proving that you can at the very least create an inclusive learning environment for people from non-traditional backgrounds. Why in god's name should this be political, or in fact not a requirement for a teacher? Comparing diversity statements to statements of religious faith is absurd. If you can't write a page about eg helping autism spectrum students succeed in CS 1, and someone else can, then you might not be the best candidate for a CS 1 lecturer. Opinions on the Westminster Catechism, on the other hand, are not relevant to teaching students about linked lists.

nobodyandproud 6y ago
“Diversity”, like what happened with Lawrence H. Summers? An individual who I thought got a raw deal and was completely misunderstood, when he gave his speech.
- core-questions 6y ago
  Really? Seems like a typical parenthetical elite, with all the connections and intrigue that go with it. His history is a standard playbook of actions benefiting himself and his people over everyone else.
  - nobodyandproud 6y ago
    His speech elicited a walk-out. It was received very badly and it led to his ouster. As far as I can tell he’s done well for himself since then, but that’s because he already had a network of connections. One misconstrued speech was all it took to ruin a chance to lead a premier east coast uni.
    - throwawaygh 6y ago
      This thread started as a discussion about Liberty discriminating against boring rank and file faculty/gay students, and ended with “the world is ending because being president of an elite university is a GASP political job!” (Newsflash: uni prez is a deeply political job in every sense of the word and has been since the birth of the university many hundreds of years ago) The idiocy of that conversational arc is basically the point I’m trying to make.
      - nobodyandproud 6y ago
        Liberty Uni is heavily biased. Let’s get that out of the way. Now I’m responding to the assertion to that one doesn’t need to be of a certain stripe to make it in liberal institutions. You downplay and say that a Harvard pres. position is highly political; which is fair, but the reaction also shows that a pervasive and intolerant groupthink is present. It may tolerate the odd dissenting professor, especially if they’re protected by tenure, but the buck stops there. No such protections for students first making their way into the world. Not exactly a bastion of free thought and discourse.
core-questions 6y ago
> but I know it's completely possible to have a wide variety of political viewpoints in SEAS What _you_ and Harvard in general think of as a wide variety of political viewpoints, and what _actually_ constitutes a wide variety, are likely very different things.
- throwawaygh 6y ago
  I grew up in bright red land, the sort of community where one is obligated to go to church when visiting home and folks notice if you don’t. Shooting clay follows the Easter egg hunt. Gay marriage is sinful and we all learned in Sunday school that Rome fell because of the bathhouses. I know well what a wide variety of political viewpoints looks like, because I’ve lived in at least three extremes. Have you? Harvard’s faculty is left of center in aggregate (did I ever say otherwise?) but they aren’t uniformly radical and there are a lot of moderates and conservatives in the ranks.

nobodyandproud 6y ago

“Diversity”, like what happened with Lawrence H. Summers? An individual who I thought got a raw deal and was completely misunderstood, when he gave his speech.

core-questions 6y ago
Really? Seems like a typical parenthetical elite, with all the connections and intrigue that go with it. His history is a standard playbook of actions benefiting himself and his people over everyone else.
- nobodyandproud 6y ago
  His speech elicited a walk-out. It was received very badly and it led to his ouster. As far as I can tell he’s done well for himself since then, but that’s because he already had a network of connections. One misconstrued speech was all it took to ruin a chance to lead a premier east coast uni.
  - throwawaygh 6y ago
    This thread started as a discussion about Liberty discriminating against boring rank and file faculty/gay students, and ended with “the world is ending because being president of an elite university is a GASP political job!” (Newsflash: uni prez is a deeply political job in every sense of the word and has been since the birth of the university many hundreds of years ago) The idiocy of that conversational arc is basically the point I’m trying to make.
    - nobodyandproud 6y ago
      Liberty Uni is heavily biased. Let’s get that out of the way. Now I’m responding to the assertion to that one doesn’t need to be of a certain stripe to make it in liberal institutions. You downplay and say that a Harvard pres. position is highly political; which is fair, but the reaction also shows that a pervasive and intolerant groupthink is present. It may tolerate the odd dissenting professor, especially if they’re protected by tenure, but the buck stops there. No such protections for students first making their way into the world. Not exactly a bastion of free thought and discourse.

core-questions 6y ago

> but I know it's completely possible to have a wide variety of political viewpoints in SEAS What _you_ and Harvard in general think of as a wide variety of political viewpoints, and what _actually_ constitutes a wide variety, are likely very different things.

throwawaygh 6y ago
I grew up in bright red land, the sort of community where one is obligated to go to church when visiting home and folks notice if you don’t. Shooting clay follows the Easter egg hunt. Gay marriage is sinful and we all learned in Sunday school that Rome fell because of the bathhouses. I know well what a wide variety of political viewpoints looks like, because I’ve lived in at least three extremes. Have you? Harvard’s faculty is left of center in aggregate (did I ever say otherwise?) but they aren’t uniformly radical and there are a lot of moderates and conservatives in the ranks.