Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I tend to agree with this professors opinion that the refusal had more to do with lesbian content than supposed "pornography," and the idea that exposure to anything lust inducing is a sin that must be avoided. Victoria secret, and perfume ads on TV are pretty lust inspiring. Do these students avoid all TV, magazines, music videos, and everything else that might make them feel a little tingly?
It's not the job of a secular college to cater to religious tastes. If one fears exposure to ideas they disagree with, there are many excellent religious institutions they could attend.
What’s really disappointing, however, are the reasons students have given for refusing to read the book. According to The Chronicle, they think it’s pornographic. When I heard that, I grabbed my copy off the shelf to find the porn I apparently missed the first time around. I’m not sure how one labels a book pornographic without actually reading it, of course. Maybe it’s a new twist on the Stewart test: I know it when I don’t see it? Either way, it represents the antithesis of education, which requires both the opening of books and the opening of minds.
It’s true that a few panels of grey-scale drawings in the 232-page book do depict partial adult nudity and consensual sexuality. Certainly no one is exploited or objectified, making these examples far less offensive than your average love scene—both in popular culture and in classic literature. Which leads me to the conclusion that it’s not really the illustrations that have caused this most recent controversy, but rather the *****-identitifed people depicted in them.
I also agree with his opinion that students who refuse to to even attempt to read this book don't belong in college. No one said they have to stare at the few panes depicting sexual situations, and allow themselves to get all hot and bothered. One could probably even skip the whole page, and not miss much. Reading a book does not imply agreement, or acceptance of it's views.
Education—especially higher education—obliges us to read, hear, and see things that we might not otherwise encounter. Anyone committed to learning must therefore engage with people, perspectives, ideas, and experiences that may at first seem strange, confusing, or problematic. Learning means we attempt to understand—it doesn’t mean we have to like everything we’re exposed to. We can disagree with the authors of the books we read, but we have to read them first. Worthwhile ideas and values can withstand exposure to other ideas and values. But those seeking a university education should be prepared to have the worldview and perspectives they developed at 18 challenged and expanded. If not, why go to college? Or read? Or think?
Except that it has won tons of awards and was the basis for the Tony-winning musical of this year - - which kind of shows that it does, in fact, have redeeming value.
I also agree with his opinion that students who refuse to to even attempt to read this book don't belong in college. No one said they have to stare at the few panes depicting sexual situations, and allow themselves to get all hot and bothered. One could probably even skip the whole page, and not miss much. Reading a book does not imply agreement, or acceptance of it's views.
I wonder if the same student would object to Rabbit, Run, or Lolita, or Lady Chatterley's Lover being on a reading list. Or if, like in the article, it's more about gay being "gross." (And I wonder how much actual porn this kid has seen.)
Interesting to see where this goes - - do the comments go to commentary about academia, whether graphic novels are worthy of universities, commentary about millenials, or somewhere else?
Yeah, like whether Junior should spend his parents' tuition money on liberal arts courses that only get more useless as time goes on. Maybe he can get a job at a comic book store.
Yeah, like whether Junior should spend his parents' tuition money on liberal arts courses that only get more useless as time goes on. Maybe he can get a job at a comic book store.
Go to business school then. Duke has been teaching literature for the entirety of its existence.
Yeah, like whether Junior should spend his parents' tuition money on liberal arts courses that only get more useless as time goes on. Maybe he can get a job at a comic book store.
What are you talking about? Liberal arts classes are not useless nor are they getting any more useless.
Places requirement on freshmen to read book during summer.
Student refuses to read book
School drops student
Case closed
There are plenty of others waiting in like to take student's place.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
