General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsLiving and working in Red States ain't for sissies!
As of yesterday, I am a tenured college professor (yay! but that's another story)
I teach art history. For college students. In other words, I teach for grown ups.
A lot of my content deals with nudity, sexuality, and other grown-up and sometimes difficult topics.
I just found out that our governing board has piloted a censorship program at one of our colleges, and is planning on rolling it out to the rest of them (including mine).
This is supposed to ensure that "obscene or offensive" content is not accessible to minors. You see, many of our students are actually high school students who are taking courses to get ahead or with an agreement between us and the high school that they get high school credit for college courses. They make up about 5% of the students I have in my classes.
I have never censored my content in light of this. I teach for grown ups. It is a college class. My assumption has been that parents are aware of this, or they would not consent to let their minor children take the course.
Now, in this pilot program ALL students accessing school computers are blocked from any websites that may contain nudity or other possible "inappropriate" materials. This means my students may soon be similarly blocked from doing research for my classes (at least on campus). I hear that the school where this is being piloted, that nursing students are also having problems accessing their materials.
All this because a bunch of parents showed up at a governing board meeting screaming because their darling babies had seen a clip of "The Last Temptation of Christ" in a philosophy class.
I have a poster of Leonardo's "Vitruvian Man" on my wall in my classroom. I wonder how long I have before I'm forced to take it down. Believe me, I won't let it happen without a fight.
Ugh.
Can I just say "fuck you" to dumb parents?
And "fuck you" to puritans in general?
sinkingfeeling
(51,457 posts)offensive things that exist.
htuttle
(23,738 posts)I work at a public university, and what you're describing is unpossible here.
Coventina
(27,121 posts)I'm so sorry.
I encountered puritan attitudes in the small town I grew up in while participating in the Theater dept, but the community colleges in this somewhat purple (thanks to gerrymandering) state tend to be more worried about lawsuits than what God thinks of them.
Coventina
(27,121 posts)That suggests that they (the Governing Board) are in violation of the First Amendment through this policy.
However, if experience is anything to go by, it will be ignored.
The only remedy would be if students started suing that their rights to a fair and equal education are being violated by the policy. However, given the political climate, I doubt that will happen.
misanthrope
(7,418 posts)would be if the school thought it was costing them money somehow. In modern America, the idea of colleges and universities as institutions of higher learning, first and foremost is antiquated. They have become infected with the philosophy of running everything "like a business."
htuttle
(23,738 posts)No nudes here -- take that would-be Leonardo stuff elsewhere?
Coventina
(27,121 posts)Because, you know, nekkid people are EVIL!!
jpak
(41,758 posts)Most of the figures are of nekkid mans and wymins.
And they go into great detail about male and female reproductive systems and sexual responses.
Coventina
(27,121 posts)I guess it's still allowed to be lectured on in the classroom.
jpak
(41,758 posts)and proclaimed...
"They are not all that big"
She didn't mean it that way...
Hilarity ensued...
So sorry for your institution...
Coventina
(27,121 posts)The joys of public speaking!!
Ohiogal
(32,006 posts)I loved my art history classes in college. I cant believe a bunch of backwards anti-intellectuals are ruining this for everyone! I think that if a high school student is able to take college classes, he or she is mature enough to handle art history. And nursing?? Because what is nursing besides learning ... um ... human anatomy? Good Lord. I dont know whether to laugh or cry.
And, congrats on your receiving tenure!
BigmanPigman
(51,609 posts)Are they going to make you put black squares on the nude subjects of artwork next?
RKP5637
(67,111 posts)Brawndo
(535 posts)No part of the content of your class should be censored or omitted, not one bit. If the concern is about the small percentage of minors attending then they should require a parent's signature to enroll. Hell, I'll join you in saying "fuck you" to puritans and dumb parents.
UpInArms
(51,284 posts)I was a figure model for art classes in the 1970s
🤦🏽?♀️
Ohiogal
(32,006 posts)Maybe I drew you!
I was in Texas
backtoblue
(11,343 posts)As far as the censorship...
walkingman
(7,628 posts)views without having to worry about administrative consequences. Think about doing the things you love and embrace your purpose filled life. Congratulations for the tenure, it represents a lot of hard work and you deserve the privileges it offers.
Coventina
(27,121 posts)Yes, no longer being on probation means that I have a lot more leverage to fight for academic freedom....and I plan to use it!!
madville
(7,412 posts)I bought a 1100 SQ ft house built in 1994 on one acre for $90k, property taxes are $650 a year and property insurance is $550 annually. This house would be 7 figures where I used to be in the SF Bay area.
AJT
(5,240 posts)mr_lebowski
(33,643 posts)maxsolomon
(33,345 posts)In the '70s.
I was in a room with NAKED PEOPLE! With genitals I COULD SEE!
No one gave a flying fuck, least of all my Catholic parents. It's not like it was sexy.
misanthrope
(7,418 posts)Granted, they look down their noses at Protestants and talk about them as being unrefined and backwards. About the only difference I see between the groups are their specific rituals and the Catholics are a tad bit more open about drinking but in every other way they are all politically and sociologically identical as conservatives.
maxsolomon
(33,345 posts)And as a result, we are all Ex-Catholics now!
Good times.
renate
(13,776 posts)Congratulations!!!!
JoeOtterbein
(7,702 posts)...best movies of ALL TIME.
BTW, I would say FU to the dumb parents in a heartbeat. But that is why I don't have your awesome job. I hope they see the errors of their ways and your class can proceed unimpeded.
Best of wishes from me!
AdamGG
(1,292 posts)Because she hadn't even seen it herself and was just taking the church's word that she should protest. It was a deeply spiritual and thought provoking movie, I think it went over the head of the nitwits who had problems with it.
JoeOtterbein
(7,702 posts)And you are correct that it just went over their heads. My Catholic Mom refused to see it. She would have been wowed too if she did.
calimary
(81,318 posts)It left me pondering - literally for weeks - the profound extent of the Sacrifice that Jesus made.
And of course there were several of the prerequisite Great-Sixth-Century-BC-Minds-of-Our-Time outside the theater, protesting.
And on that note, CONGRATULATIONS Coventina!
Response to Coventina (Original post)
ancianita This message was self-deleted by its author.
Ilsa
(61,695 posts)She (or he) doesn't know where certain injections are administered, and they don't have that knowledge because some prude wouldn't let them view A&P? What a bunch of idiots! They'd rather have "innocent" idiots working in the state vs worldly experts.
Different Drummer
(7,621 posts)Volaris
(10,272 posts)neither is the idea that Jesus of nazereth was Fully a Human Being (if the doctrine of the Catholic Church is to be believed, at least...which means that at a minimum, he struggled with his chosen celibacy same as anyone else who made that decision)
And I agree with you that the puritians can all go fuck themselves....I GAURANTEE their kids are having better sex than them, and thats NOT a reason for them to be all jealous and repressed and shit. Fuck THAT.
If you're tenured, you teach what YOU WANT, and everyone else can go get bent.
Word.
mountain grammy
(26,623 posts)looks like you'll need it with that board of governors.
mr_lebowski
(33,643 posts)And, as always ... f*** the bozos.
pnwmom
(108,980 posts)That is a big deal, Coventina. I am so happy for you!
lunatica
(53,410 posts)Makes you wonder just how far back they want to go. It would have to before Adam and Eve, cause they were naked. The Bible sez so!
caraher
(6,278 posts)Fled the Land of Pence.
As for the censorship thing, you might see what AAUP has to say. This is clearly an academic freedom issue and there are national standards and guidelines your school should be compelled to observe.
appalachiablue
(41,145 posts)I hope sense prevails and you have calmer waters ahead. (MA Art History here).