Political Correctness

Colleges & Universities Brown University
1

<p>I’ll be a senior next year and I’m considering applying ED to Brown. I was searching for articles tonight and I found this from the Dartmouth Review.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.dartreview.com/archives/1998/11/17/race_writing_and_manhood_at_brown.php[/url]”>http://www.dartreview.com/archives/1998/11/17/race_writing_and_manhood_at_brown.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Granted, I’m sure one class doesn’t represent the entire school, and the author obviously doesn’t actually attend Brown, but I have heard about Brown being extremist liberal/politically correct before. I do consider myself a liberal, but not an extreme, far left one. I usually associate what I read in this article more with LACs like Wesleyan and Oberlin, but to what degree is this a reality at Brown as well?</p>

<p>Edit: Okay, this calmed me down a little:
<a href=“http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2005/09/16/brown[/url]”>http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2005/09/16/brown&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

2

<p>i wouldnt trust the dartmouth review</p>

3

<p>wow…but surely the dartmouth correspondent can’t fabricate all that up-…</p>

4

<p>1) it isn’t the dartmouth, it’s the “dartmouth review”–a pretty notorious and extremely controversial conservative paper whose entire existence revolves around berating perceived political correctness</p>

<p>2) here is a little background on the dartmouth review (calling homosexuals “sodomites” is probably a little much, no matter what your views are on political correctness)
<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dartmouth_Review[/url]”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dartmouth_Review&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://www.dartmouth.edu/~thepress/read.php?id=257[/url]”>http://www.dartmouth.edu/~thepress/read.php?id=257&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

5

<p>here is an article lauding brown’s political theory project to support intellectual diversity
<a href=“http://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/magazines/2005/mayjune/buildit.htm[/url]”>http://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/magazines/2005/mayjune/buildit.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“Center for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics | Brown University”>Center for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics | Brown University;

6

<p>this thread reminded me of something i wanted to ask, and this isnt just at Brown: Do people use the term “first-year” instead of “freshmen” because we’re not all men anymore? When did this vocab change happen? Does anyone else agree with me that it’s stupid?</p>

7

<p>I agree that its stupid! Same with calling majors ‘concentrations’…but that has nothing to do with political correctness.</p>

<p>I think that brown tries way too hard to be politically correct, and some of the things they do are ridiculous. What ****es me off most is the TWTP, which ironically didn’t allow whites to attend until recently. In fact when I was a freshman it was the first year the program was open to everybody, but they certainly didn’t encourage me to come. In fact, when I picked up my keys and orientation info and such, I accidently walked into a room where a TWTP something or other was going on, and I was directed elsewhere because I wasn’t in the right room. I wasn’t even asked where I was going, they just assumed I didn’t belong; very irritating.</p>

8

<p>Brown was the only school that invited conservative activist Horowitz to come to campus and debate reparations. President Simmons sat in the front row.</p>

9

<p>Do you think ‘brown’ invited him? No. It was the college republicans…</p>

<p>What does that have to do with the ridiculous TWTP anyways?</p>

10

<p>“Brown University has no core curriculum, and it has no requirements either. Students can take an unlimited amount of classes pass-fail. The theory is to allow students control …”</p>

<p>Ignoring the PC stuff, the above comment bothered me. Is this true? As a parent, I would not want to be paying for this.</p>

11

<p>Actually, mkm56, that above comment is what makes most people choose Brown over other top schools, or any school for that matter. The open curriculum provides academic freedom to choose, but with that choice comes maturity. Without any requirements, I’m going to have more opportunities to test the waters of other academic departments I wouldn’t even think of doing. Why would you want to pay for your child to sit through a boring class that is “required” during Freshman year?? - as if English 101 is really going to “enrich” their college experience.</p>

12

<p>Meh, I think that the administration is overly correct and the student body, or those that I have come in contact list, arent.</p>

13

<p>Matty,
I guess I’m thinking of my own kids, but if my #2 son did not have to take English, History, Philosophy, etc.–I know he wouldn’t. He would do nothing except all science and math which would not be a very well-rounded education. Sometimes it has surprised my kids how interesting and how much they learned in a class that they “had” to take. Also unlimited P/F? How does that work when applying to graduate schools? How does one compute a gpa? A student could be doing stellar work or just getting by and still receive a Pass?</p>

14

<p>GH,</p>

<p>So did you attend TWTP this past year since you felt so wronged by your prior lack of invitation? My money is on no.</p>

15

<p>You can’t…its only for freshman. If I had known better when I was a freshman, I would have attended. My suitemate last year told me some very interesting stories about the experience.</p>

16

<p>mkm56, given that Brown has one of the highest/best grad school placements in the country, i don’t think you have to worry too much. And just because you CAN take all your classes pass/fail doenst mean you HAVE to. If he takes classes for grades and gets As, the grad schools will know he is getting As. mkm, with regards to getting “a well rounded education” I first say what my high school college counselor said about the term well rounded, “well rounded is just another way of saying you’re a jack of all trades, a master of none.” Are taking classes your son does not enjoy, and are on subjects he will never use later in life really going to enrich his education?</p>

17

<p>I can see both sides of this issue. On one hand, yes its a bore to take classes in which you have no interest whatsoever, on the other hand it might be nice for him to be able to carry on a conversation about something other than hydrocarbons, amines or whatever all those other chem terms are :). Are you allowed to take classes in your major P/F?</p>

18

<p>“Are you allowed to take classes in your major P/F?”</p>

<p>Yes.</p>

19

<p>but you don’t have to, and his advisor will discourage him from doing so</p>

20

<p>mkm45 – yes, you are allowed to, but it is strongly discouraged by most departments. It will hurt you in attempting to gain departmental honors, and it will also look bad on grad/professional school applications. If you don’t care about either of those things, then yes, you can.</p>