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Saturday, April 14, 2018

Diversifying a Classic Humanities Course

Responding to student criticism that its foundational humanities course is too “white” and “Eurocentric,” Reed College announces overhaul of the syllabus and format.

Reed College announced major changes to its signature humanities course Wednesday, months after student protesters charged that the course was too white, too male and too Eurocentric.

Instead of focusing on the ancient Mediterranean, the team-taught course -- which all first-year students take together, at the same time -- will now consist of four different time- and place-based “modules.”

Students will still study the humanistic traditions of the ancient Mediterranean and Athens in the first part of the course. But in the second half, students will engage with history and texts related to Mexico City in the 15th through 20th centuries, and Harlem from 1919 to 1952.

The changes to Hum 110, as the course is known, take effect next academic year.

Like many institutions, Reed has faced student demands that it make its curriculum more inclusive of people of color and non-Western traditions. But those demands took a distinctly Reed-like turn when a group of students staged a months-long sit-in of Hum 110 lectures, through the fall.

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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

actually studying the success of the white male it's probably not a bad idea it's the greatest success story in history

Anonymous said...


What nonsense! Reed had a strong reputation, but alas...comparing 30 years of Harlem to several hundred years of Greek and Roman civilization? Guess they can fool the kiddies since they were not exposed to much before heading off to college.

Another one scratched from the list.

Anonymous said...

What a sad commentary on the current state of academia