European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 30, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Daily a Magazine turmoil Over College curriculum by Richard Bernstein new York times t Stanford University they still talk of the Day nearly a year ago when about 500 Stu dolls. On a March with the Rev. Jesse l. Jackson canc up Wilh a slogan for Iho next generation. The students were eco ebrling a new course Al Stanford one that would Soltess the Conan buttons of minorities and women la Western culture and they chanted. Hey. Hoy. A. To. Western culture s got logo  faculty those Days assert that the slogan expressed no hostility to inc likes of Plato and Saint Augustine. Jean Jacques Rousseau and John Stuart Mill Allol whom Are on Stanford s current list of required Reading Lor freshmen. Bui in claiming a kind of equal time for minority contributions to american civilisation. The Chan did rented a demand Hal is Ope cled to be accepted by Ine faculty m Iho weeks ahead responding to Asse hons Hal Iho Core Reading Lisl Relle Cli whal some have referred to As a european Western and male Bias and what others Call sexist and racist  the Stanford faculty seems Likely to approve a measure that  Elmr Ialo the Western Cul Iuie coins i halts required of All freshmen the course which Ivis been offered since 1980 is Bawd on .1 list of 15 acknowledged masterpieces of philosophy Anuj ? 0 in ils place  he a r  yearlong requirement called culture ideas arid values that would include the study of at least one non we Plern culture and works by a . Minorities and persons of cd a " the turmoil Over Trio curriculum with ils voc inn res of goo Palesi. Premises to reawaken to 1o" g  nubile m american education some Arr Juc Hal by ignoring class Ciufu Western culture Unive Isihos risk a my Stu Denis ignorant of the works oly no Trul lie at the Hoa i of Thair of no Viii action others Hajj i l a ii or t Sion culture 11 Loo resin Cut pc it to to adequate in an a r1 no Rit i  d and Hal  1. Nol in it in it c i i. Cd Lur in inc or a i i v .1 ijr.,.re it a j  Rel , i or i cd co f Currick us run of Irion have 1 Iod to i re in a rat. ,  Clu dents course in both wfiilo1" Ricl non we Lurn Culli cil Sian lord Sorri j to be unusual those Days m the Sti hipness of the anti Western altitudes among some students  arc asserting incl Only thai the study of the Wesl ii inc Pleic but Al o Hal n thing iks than me dominance of a particular while male View of history. The anti Western rhetoric at Stanford comes just a conservative voices such As whoa of Allan Bloom in his Host Selling the to song Al the american wind and William j. Bennett the Secretary of education have contended thai inc failure of students to know the great works of the West s past has left item intellectually impoverished. This Hind of doable has gone on Belore and since it s Goiny on at Stanford it May have a if uple a Fleck Sennet said in a Telephone  they arc moving confidently and swiftly into the late 1960s, and Why anybody would want to do thai intentionally i Don t know he said it looks Fomo As though policy by intimidation is at work. Unfortunately a Fol of academic leadership is readily intimidated by the noisiest of its students and  Stanford s proposed now curriculum was drafted at the end of a two year discussion involving numerous Public meetings written exchanges in Campus publications and a special student faculty task Force. The debate was spurred try the major Black student organization which was joined in its demand for change by feminists and groups representing other minority Stu Denis. The new course will begin in 1939 and while its enact Content remains undetermined Wilt presumably prompt a search for a Alively unknown or underrated works by woman and africans to to included in the Core list of acknowledged classics. Members of the task Force Hal formulated inc suggestions say they represent a Middle ground a claiming Many of Iho elements of the old Western Cui Kire course while paying More attention to the contributions to american civilization made by groups other than a White males the recommendations have produced what Wiiiam m. Chase an English professor and vice Provost for academic planning called a mood of disappointment and polite Aizic nation on Trie fart of Many in the faculty. Chance and others have predicted that to a acuity which is due to discuss the i , Al a meeting Ini month will vote Iho changes but More Oul of a sense a. Ivice Saiy Compromise than intellectual enthusiasm.  of the changes say that student pressure should play no role in devising Cuiriz curium. Also they contend that to Label history s most Ittu Enlil works is examples of a while Malo cull ure and Tittle else is to make a travesty of Western culture. It s a version of academic populism and populism is always dangerous for a University Chace said education is education secretory wet cum j. Bennett Al a High school Syi College students Are intellectually impoverished by Lack of knowledge about great worlds of West s past. Nol a democracy. Student soon l come hero thinking hat they know As much As their professors. There is a system of deference and ii the system Breaks Down we re in real trouble. We owe it to our students to Tell them. Here s the kind of thing you will find of Long Lerm value. These arc the things that thousands of people have lived their lives by to relegate Ihen to the status of while male writing May be factually True but re s of Low  some maintain that dropping the old Western culture course Marks the Triumph of a kind of tyranny of the minority they say proponents of the change were Quick to Label opposition As racist the overriding motivation for the change is political  said Isaac d. Vaichas a classics Skidell. I think the consequences will be the impoverishment of Iho  experience " Many faculty members including supporters and opponents of Iho now plan contend that the demands of minority students. Who constitute about one thud of freshman classes slammed irom a desire simply to be represented in a curriculum that excluded Mieir own heritages Greal figures. The resentment and  of some was expressed by Amanda Kemp former president of the Olack student Union who wrote in Iho student newspaper. Trio Stanford a july thai inc implicit message of Iho coif run curriculum is Nigger go Homo William King the current president of the Black student Union said the Western culture requirement Tias had y very significant Impact because it s a course Hal every student Al 1 in univ Cisily has to Lake la s the one requirement that really says to us we re different " he added we want a sense that America where we Are now is nol us the Progress that came Horn England and France that in was l Only Thomas Jef Torson and the hounding fathers other groups Contri Bulej significantly saturday january 30. 1988 the stars and stripes Pago 13