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University of Texas limits on teaching of "unnecessary controversial subjects"
- duxup 8mo ago>The policy does not define what qualifies as “controversial” or what constitutes a “broad and balanced approach.” I'm sure it will just be "things that powerful people tell us not to talk about".
- pixl97 8mo ago"Talking about Ken Paxtons extra marital affairs is controversial, I'm sure.
- evmaki 8mo agoDisappointing to see my alma mater gradually self-sabotage into irrelevance.
- CamperBob2 8mo agos/alma mater/country
- Lendal 8mo agoThe entire tech industry is rooted in the study of subjects which were extemporaneously considered unnecessary by the average person.
- ChrisArchitect 8mo agoRelated previously: Texas A&M Ends Women's Studies and Overhauls Classes Over Race and Gender https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46827968 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46827968 Texas A&M bans part of Plato's Symposium https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46529257 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46529257
- josefritzishere 8mo agoSelf censorship under an authoritarian government is all too common https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-censorship https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-censorship
- hagbard_c 8mo ago[flagged]
- kanbara 8mo agothis is the govt stifling free speech, and fwiw climate is not controversial; climate change is a real and existential threat. sheltering students who have other (read: conservative) views is anti-knowledge and anti-education.
- hagbard_c 8mo agoQ.E.D.
- AlexeyBelov 8mo agoSorry, I don't understand. Can you elaborate?
- selridge 8mo agoLmfao you are fucking endorsing climate denial!
- hagbard_c 8mo agoQ.E.D.
- Eddy_Viscosity2 8mo agoThe thing is that the university admin are not going to apply this in good faith. We know this because the current conservative movement is a steady stream of bad faith actions. From deportations, to free speech, to corruption, to weaponizing the DOJ, to DOGE, etc. etc. This policy WILL be used to censor anything even a tiny bit to the left of hard right and will NEVER be used to censor anything on the right side of hard right.
- vannevar 8mo ago"Here again it is important to note that 'controversial subjects' should be taught if they are germane to the topic but taught without bias. To take the subject of 'anthropogenic climate change' I mentioned above it should be possible for two students to achieve similar grades if one of them supports the thesis while the other denies it as long as both use sound arguments to come to their conclusions." In principle, of course everyone would agree with this. In this particular instance though, there is no known scientifically "sound argument" against anthropogenic climate change. The appearance of controversy is entirely manufactured, just as the case for the healthfulness of cigarettes was manufactured in the 60s, and for the same reasons: the protection of entrenched economic interests. And because this is a law, and the Texas state government controls the massive state funding of the University of Texas, the application of this law will be purely political. Could a valid argument against the anthropogenic hypothesis ultimately emerge? It seems unlikely, but it's possible. This law will preclude anyone coming up with it, however, because any flimsy argument in line with the views of Texas' current regime will be accepted as valid. There is very little market for scientific truth in Texas right now.
- diogenes_atx 8mo agoUT Austin graduate here. Nowhere in this article does the word "censorship" appear. But that is the only way to describe this new policy. In recent years, UT Austin has suppressed peaceful protests and demonstrations on campus concerning the war in Gaza. Now the university is censoring "unnecessary controversial subjects," and although the new rule does not define what qualifies as “controversial,” it should be obvious to everyone what is prohibited. Ironically, the state of Texas in 2019 enacted a law aimed at protecting free speech on public university campuses, a measure that was ostensibly intended to reinforce the First Amendment rights of students and faculty. The law designated common outdoor areas as traditional public forums and required policies for disciplining those who interfere with free speech. Back then, conservative legislators were trying to ensure that so-called "woke" or "politically correct" instructors and administrators did not suppress the articulation of conservative opinions. It is time to change the school motto for UT Austin from "Disciplina Praesidium Civitatis" to something more appropriate for the institution: "All Students and Faculty Are Equal, but Some Students and Faculty Are More Equal Than Others."
- black_13 8mo ago[dead]
- jmclnx 8mo ago>departments into a new Social and Cultural Analysis department. Sound like a Bible Study Department to me. But you can head to Mass, NY and Calif. Schools. There may very well have plenty of openings due to Trumps banning of international students. Plus you will be able to study real Social and Historical Subjects if you so desire.
- deleted 8mo ago[deleted]
- burnt-resistor 8mo agoMaybe that sentiment explains why a giant Scientology "office" opened up right next to UT's campus... the promotion of ignorance, censorship, and an unwillingness to confront uncomfortable things like reality.
- 46493168 8mo agoIt's been there for years, they only just recently remodeled.
- burnt-resistor 8mo agoAh was it? I didn't notice it before I guess with all of the demolition and corporate/private equity skyscrapers sprouting around and behind it. They had a one story "store" in Mountain View CA on Castro St (downtown shopping/eatery area) for a long time, but I guess they wised-up and moved[0] into a Better Call Saul-style strip mall more obscure and cheaper because it's more of an "LA celebrity" thing. 0. https://maps.app.goo.gl/szLiu9DiqbLbNGDY8 https://maps.app.goo.gl/szLiu9DiqbLbNGDY8
- rsrsrs86 8mo agoNazi states of America
- lostmsu 8mo agoI guess they are gonna have to cancel all psychology programs.
- johnea 8mo agoDoes this mean all bible study and other religious courses are cancelled?