GET
      FTN
      ea
      ae
      A
      tay
      ae
      oe"
     
     
      et
      Prae
      tek
      ee
      oe
      ee?
      lela
      :
     
     
      ee
      end
      iar
     
    

    
     
      Pe
      ee
      ;
      ie
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      €
     
     
      Backlash
     
    
   
   
    
     
      A
      Column
      for
      the
      Politically
      Incorrect
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Coeditors:
      Peter
      Hanus
      &
      Joseph
      Murphy
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ISTHE
      CURRICULUM
      BIASED?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -A
      Statement
      of
      the
      National
      Association
      of
      Scholars
     
     
      American
      higher
      education
      is
      facing
      widespread
     
     
      demands
      to
      eliminate
      the
      allegedly
      ‘‘Eurocentric’’
      and
     
     
      ‘*pnatriarchal’’
      bias
      of
      the
      curriculum.
      While
      the
     
     
      details
      vary
      from
      campus
      to
      campus,
      these
      demands
     
     
      tend
      to
      focus
      on
      four
      objectives:
     
    
   
   
    
     
      (1)
      that
      the
      ‘‘canon’’
      be
      revised
      to
      include
      more
     
     
      works
      by
      blacks,
      other
      ethnic
      minorities,
      and
      women;
     
     
      (2)
      that
      ‘‘the
      issues
      ofrace,
      gender,
      andclass’’
      be
     
     
      introduced
      into
      a
      greater
      variety
      of
      courses;
     
    

    
     
      (3)
      that
      more
      courses
      in
      women’s
      studies
      and
      minor-
     
     
      ity
      studies
      be
      developed;
     
    

    
     
      (4)
      that
      courses
      in
      women’s
      studies
      and/or
      minority
     
     
      studies
      be
      required
      of
      all
      undergraduates.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      V
      arious
      justifications
      are
      commonly
      proffered
      for
     
     
      making
      these
      changes.
      It
      is
      alleged
      that:
     
    

    
     
      (1)
      works
      by
      minorities,
      women,
      and
      Third
      World
     
     
      authors
      have
      been
      excluded
      from
      the
      curriculum;
     
    

    
     
      (2)
      minority
      and
      female
      students
      feel
      alienated
      and
     
     
      their
      educational
      progress
      is
      retarded
      by
      being
      asked
     
     
      to
      study
      works
      primarily
      by
      white
      males;
     
    

    
     
      (3)
      in
      order
      to
      overcome
      their
      own
      prejudices,
      white
     
     
      males
      must
      become
      acquainted
      with
      the
      cultures
      and
     
     
      problems
      of
      minorities
      and
      with
      the
      perspectives
      and
     
     
      problems
      of
      women;
     
    

    
     
      (4)
      the
      traditional
      curriculum
      represents
      the
      hegemony
     
     
      of
      Western
      culture,
      covertly
      supports
      a
      status
      quo
     
     
      inherently
      oppressive
      of
      women
      and
      minorities,
      and
      is
     
     
      unfairly
      imposed
      on
      students
      from
      different
      cultures;
     
     
      (5)
      the
      traditional
      desiderata
      of
      truth,
      objectivity,
      and
     
     
      critical
      intelligence
      can
      be
      met
      only
      by
      adding
      the
     
     
      perspectives
      of
      women
      and
      minorities
      and
      by
      facing
     
     
      up
      tonew
      questions
      they
      raise;
     
    

    
     
      (6)
      an
      increasingly
      diverse
      society
      and
      interdependent
     
     
      world
      require
      that
      our
      citizens
      gain
      greater
      under-
     
     
      standing
      of
      different
      cultures.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      National
      Association
      of
      Scholars
      disputes
      the
     
     
      first
      five
      of
      these
      arguments
      and
      believes
      that
      the
      last
     
     
      entails
      something
      other
      than
      the
      changes
      being
      pro
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      posed.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      First,
      any
      work,
      whether
      formerly
      neglected
      or
      widely
     
     
      known,
      should
      be
      added,
      retained,
      or
      removed
      from
     
     
      the
      curriculum
      on
      the
      basis
      of
      its
      conformance
      to
     
     
      generally
      applicable
      intellectual
      and
      aesthetic
      stand-
     
     
      ards.
      Asound
      curriculum
      cannot
      be
      built
      by
      replac-
     
     
      ing
      those
      standards
      with
      the
      principle
      of
      proportional
     
     
      representation
      of
      authors,
      classified
      ethnically,
      bio-
     
     
      logically,
      or
      geographically.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Second,
      the
      idea
      that
      students
      will
      be
      discouraged
      by
      ©
     
     
      not
      encountering
      more
      works
      by
      members
      of
      their
     
     
      own
      race,
      sex,
      or
      ethnic
      group,
      even
      were
      it
      substanti-
     
     
      ated,
      would
      not
      justify
      adding
      inferior
      works.
      Such
     
     
      paternalism
      conveys
      a
      message
      opposite
      to
      the
      one
     
     
      desired.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Third,
      other
      cultures,
      minority
      subcultures,
      and
      social
     
     
      problems
      have
      long
      been
      studied
      in
      the
      liberal
      arts
     
     
      curriculum
      in
      such
      established
      disciplines
      as
      history,
     
     
      literature,
      comparative
      religion,
      economics,
      political
     
     
      science,
      anthropology,
      and
      sociology.
      But
      more
     
     
      important,
      mere
      acquaintance
      with
      differences
      does
     
     
      not
      guarantee
      tolerance,
      an
      ideal
      Western
      in
      origin
     
     
      and
      fostered
      by
      knowledge
      of
      what
      is
      common
      to
      us
     
     
      all.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Fourth,
      the
      idea
      that
      the
      traditional
      curriculum
      ‘‘ex-
     
     
      cludes’’
      the
      contributions
      of
      all
      but
      males
      of
      Euro-
     
     
      pean
      descent
      is
      patently
      false.
      From
      their
      beginnings,
     
     
      Western
      art
      and
      science
      have
      drawn
      upon
      the
      achieve-
     
     
      ments
      of
      non-Western
      societies
      and
      since
      have
      been
     
     
      absorbed
      and
      further
      enriched
      by
      peoples
      around
      the
     
     
      globe.
      That
      the
      liberal
      arts
      oppress
      minorities
      and
     
     
      women
      is
      yet
      more
      ludicrous.
      Evenif
      the
      curriculum
     
     
      were
      confined
      to
      thought
      strictly
      European
      in
      origin,
     
     
      it
      would
      still
      preserta
      rich
      variety
      of
      conflicting
     
     
      ideas,
      including
      the
      very
      concepts
      of
      equality
      and
     
     
      freedom
      from
      oppression
      invoked
      by
      those
      who
      wo
      uld
     
     
      reorient
      the
      curriculum.
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Fifth,
      while
      diversity
      of
      background
      i
      is
      valuable
      to
      the
     
     
      discussion
      of
      issues
      to
      which
      those
      differences
      are
     
     
      germane,
      objectivity
      is
      in
      general
      not
      enhanced
      but
     
     
      subverted
      by
      the
      idea
      that
      people
      of
      different
      sexes,
     
     
      races,
      or
      ethnic
      backgrounds
      necessarily
      see
      things
     
     
      differently.
      The
      assertion
      that
      cognition
      Is
      deter-
     
     
      mined
      by
      group
      membership
      is
      itselfan
      example
      of
      —
     
     
      stereotypic
      thinking
      which
      undermines
      the
      possibility”
     
     
      ofa
      true
      community
      of
      discourse.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      X-P
      RESS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      February
      13,
      1992
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Page
      10