Writes Ilya Shapiro in "Revised AP African American Studies curriculum delivers course students deserve" (NY Post).
February 5, 2023
"If the revised framework for the Advanced Placement course in African American Studies had been the pilot program all along..."
"... Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wouldn’t have objected and the proposal wouldn’t have become national news. But the College Board, which designs and administers AP classes and exams, felt the need to wave a red flag by including such 'topics' as intersectionality, queer studies and Black Lives Matter in what should have ostensibly been a high-concept history class.... [I]f you’re... going to have an AP African American Studies course, what would you put in it? Probably what can now be found in the revised framework, with units on (1) early African societies, (2) the slave trade and abolition, (3) Reconstruction and black codes, and (4) the civil rights movement and modern black culture. You don’t need an education doctorate to recognize that you shouldn’t give trendy topics like 'intersectionality and activism' and 'the reparations movement' as much space as weighty aspects of the American experience like 'disenfranchisement and Jim Crow laws' and 'HBCUs and black education'—which is what the initial framework did.
The original idea was surely to advance theory and ideology, not history and culture...."
Writes Ilya Shapiro in "Revised AP African American Studies curriculum delivers course students deserve" (NY Post).
Writes Ilya Shapiro in "Revised AP African American Studies curriculum delivers course students deserve" (NY Post).
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48 comments:
It should be called AP US History. Just because Democrats can’t lose any more AA voters doesn't justify a glory class for all things liberal in the hopes they can stop the slide…
Like the Chinese, you've got to do the trial balloon to see what you can get away with. (Even shooting it down becomes a way to advance the cause, because only racists would do that.) This is a long war, and Progressives think that God... er, History, is on their side.
It would be nice if every African American Studies course at least mentions that slavery persisted worldwide for thousands of years, including within Africa, and was abolished largely through the initiatives of Western European nations. Even after Western abolition, slavery continued on in much of the world, including throughout most of Africa.
What are the odds that a complete semester of AA history would devote three minutes to the above observation?
Would anyone with AA studies familiarity care to comment on this question?
Bringing slaves to this country was soooooo much more trouble than it was worth...
Ron DeSantis, to the College Board: "You're welcome!"
He's not flashy and entertaining, like Trump, but he's so much better at the culture-stuff that matters. He knows how to 'get er done.' I'm waiting to see how his throw-down with the DEI swamp in the University system works out. Should be epic.
Would there be African-American history without white Europeans in North America? It should be called American history.
African-American (i.e. 1/2 compromised, color bloc, diversity class).
That said, American studies: anti-slavery, anti-diversity, anti-congruence, pro-life.
I always look for commentary on African American Studies from people fired from their job for a racist tweet.
You don’t need an education doctorate to recognize that you shouldn’t give trendy topics
You not only don't beed an EdD for this, you don't need one for anything except, perhaps, impressing the neighbors. Or, in my case, clients. I did not pursue one after I found it would not even do that in my case.
It is a more useless degree than an ms in Ed which way more useless than a ba in ed. At least the ba allows you to get a work permit.
John Henry
"Would anyone with AA studies familiarity care to comment on this question?"
Totally. Just imagine if anyone from Shapiro to the commenters on this thread asked themselves this before weighing in.
'It would be nice if every African American Studies course at least mentions that slavery persisted worldwide for thousands of years...'
As well as the fact that white folks in America were the ones who freed them from the Democrats and spent trillions to get them up to speed.
Answer to all questions for AP black history: YT Dunnit
Apartheid mitigated the progressive conflict between Mandela's Xhosa and Zulu, and native collateral damage.
A bit off topic, but I'd like to plug Ilya Shapiro's excellent recent book, Supreme Disorder, which does an admirably evenhanded job of explaining the history of Supreme Court appointments.
"... Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wouldn’t have objected and the proposal wouldn’t have become national news. But the College Board, which designs and administers AP classes and exams, felt the need to wave a red flag by including such 'topics' as intersectionality, queer studies and Black Lives Matter in what should have ostensibly been a high-concept history class.... [I]f you’re... going to have an AP African American Studies course, what would you put in it? Probably what can now be found in the revised framework, with units on (1) early African societies, (2) the slave trade and abolition, (3) Reconstruction and black codes, and (4) the civil rights movement and modern black culture."
I'm sure the "intersectionality, queer studies, and Black Lives Matters" components would have been part of the topic "(4) the civil rights movement and modern black culture," as, they are. Decry these subjects, condemn and dismiss them though many may, these issues are part of modern black culture. Including them in contemporary academic discussion opens the door for other serious scholars who may take issue with these topics, (or aspects of them, or how they're presented), to reply with their own papers, books, and classes to provide contrary (or more balanced) views, assuming the presentation of the subjects were seen to be special pleading for a point of view--biased--rather than a product of rigorous and objective study. "Social sciences" may not be actual applied physical sciences, but the back and forth of competing opinions, supported by historical and contemporary studies, surveys, facts, and statistics is the process by which such topics can be rigorously examined for validity, flaws, or failures.
Instead,they're condemned (and peremptorily banned) because they are too current, too "touchy" for those who prefer to believe or assert that racial strife (and racism) in America is largely, if not wholly something in our past, rather than an ongoing wound in the body politic (and lived experience). It simply places a gag on any discussion of these topics, erasing them from thought.
More to the point, it gives the opportunistic thug DeSantis the (ahem) opportunity to strut and posture before his supporters, for the sole purpose of guaranteeing their loyalty to him. It is an evergreen political tool: pander to the resentment, ignorance and prejudices of the worst and least discerning among the electorate to lock in victory at the pols. It did not begin with Trump, but he is a preeminent recent master of the practice, one which (the smarter) DeSantis is happy to employ.
Daniel12 -- I don't think you understand the question.
Dumb Lefty Mark: "I always look for commentary on African American Studies from people fired from their job for a racist tweet."
The tweet wasnt racist and it turned out to be completely correct.
Thats what angers the Dumb Lefties so much: accuracy and objective truth.
"What are you majoring in?"
College is increasingly filled with worthless degrees- African studies and gender studies and queer studies just adds to the pile. People borrowing money to pursue these worthless degrees are among the biggest suckers on the planet. No government anywhere should be funding any of this- it is a waste of time and resources. If it wasn't in the curricula of, lets say, the Harvard of 1980, it is likely a completely useless degree path today. The entire education industry is becoming a grifting operation.
"I always look for commentary on African American Studies from people fired from their job for a racist tweet."
Can the truth be racist? I suppose. Of course, it's still the truth.
Mark said...
I always look for commentary on African American Studies from people fired from their job for a racist tweet.
Over at the Grammys thread, Mark attacks anyone upset at the Grammys attacking Christians.
Here, Mark says that anyone who says something he doesn't like should therefore always be ignored.
Mark, what's it like being so functionally ignorant that you dont' even know what a principle looks like?
Does it ever bother you, being so sick, twisted, pathetic, and dishonest?
Or is the whole point that you are a sick, twisted, dishonest scum bag, and being on the Left lets you glory in that?
"More to the point, it gives the opportunistic thug DeSantis…"
Oh, come on Robert. Just call him Hitler. You know you want to.
"College is increasingly filled with worthless degrees- African studies and gender studies and queer studies just adds to the pile."
Yeah, I'm not sure it matters what they teach in those things. I do wish the government wasn't lending money for them.
Mike Petrik: "Daniel12 -- I don't think you understand the question."
Evergreen.
Instead,they're condemned (and peremptorily banned) because they are too current, too "touchy" for those who prefer to believe or assert that racial strife (and racism) in America is largely, if not wholly something in our past, rather than an ongoing wound in the body politic (and lived experience). It simply places a gag on any discussion of these topics, erasing them from thought.
Cook always provides the KGB opinion on cultural issues. Before Obama there was real progress on racism in this country. Why else would a black be elected president ? But Obama chose to stir up more racism along with his "wingman" Eric Holder who was a student radical at Columbia and has continued his ways since 2017. He is currently behind all the "ESG" agitation among corporations. Obama stirred up the fires to get 100% black voters.
More to the point, it gives the opportunistic thug DeSantis the (ahem) opportunity to strut and posture before his supporters, for the sole purpose of guaranteeing their loyalty to him. It is an evergreen political tool: pander to the resentment, ignorance and prejudices of the worst and least discerning among the electorate to lock in victory at the pols. It did not begin with Trump, but he is a preeminent recent master of the practice, one which (the smarter) DeSantis is happy to employ.
No, I can think of many Democrats who perfected the art of "strutting around." Adam Clayton Powell was a prominent example. Hank Johnson, of Guam capsizing fame, is another.
It's true Mike, that was not how baghdadbob intended that quote. What he meant to say was:
Would anyone like to educate me on this area, about which I have:
- A strong opinion
- Made no effort to learn in any way, and
- Don't plan to change my mind and ESPECIALLY don't plan to listen to someone who's studied the area who is of course biased?
(It's a very common question. So much so that answering it is a small but important part of the Jewish Passover Seder:
The Torah refers to four sons: One wise, one wicked, one simple and one who does not know how to ask a question....
What does the wicked son say? "What does this drudgery mean to you?" To you and not to him. Since he excludes himself from the community, he has denied a basic principle of Judaism. You should blunt his teeth by saying to him: "It is for the sake of this that Hashem did for me when I left Egypt. For me and not for him. If he was there he would not have been redeemed.")
I prefer my understanding of the quote.
I do wish the government wasn't lending money for them.
It's okay, the government is sharing responsibility (e.g. progressive prices, labor and environmental arbitrage, forward-looking deficits and debt construction) for both green dreams and Green deals through Medicare and Medicaid subsidies under the Obamacares umbrella.
The point of AP curricula is to convince universities that someone who passes the test has enough of a knowledge base to skip an introductory college class in that discipline. So from that point of view, what matters are the things universities usually teach in their lower division AA studies classes. If colleges won't give credit, then the testing entity will lose business.
Students take AP classes because they want to be able to test out of introductory college classes, or because the AP class is the one with the smartest students and best teachers.
It's the left that generally opposes AP classes because they are merit based and the left's precious BIPOC* students tend not to do well -- so the classes and tests must be racists.
* = excluding Asians
The point of AP curricula is to convince universities that someone who passes the test has enough of a knowledge base to skip an introductory college class in that discipline. So from that point of view, what matters are the things universities usually teach in their lower division AA studies classes. If colleges won't give credit, then the testing entity will lose business.
Students take AP classes because they want to be able to test out of introductory college classes, or because the AP class is the one with the smartest students and best teachers.
It's the left that generally opposes AP classes because they are merit based and the left's precious BIPOC* students tend not to do well -- so the classes and tests must be racists.
* = excluding Asians
There are some topics that you can discuss on the internet, but don't try saying them aloud in a classroom....I don't know if grievance studies is such a great idea. Our ancestors were all screwed over. Some more than others, but pretty much all. Titled aristocrats didn't move to America because they tired of all that privilege and idleness....The American Adam. We were born anew in this country and a lot of the old world prejudices were diminished and, in some cases, forgotten. Scarlet O'Hara's father moved to America and became a landowner. Back in Great Britain at about the time Mr. O'Hara was becoming gentry, the Duke of Wellington had to fight a duel because he granted (propertied) Irish Catholics the right to vote. There you have it. An poor, immigrant slave owner became the equal of his well born neighbors.....Some will point out flaws in this story of aspiration and equality. Perhaps they exist, but it's worth noting that if the white immigrants hadn't succeeded in their quest for equality, you can bet the Blacks wouldn't either.
"I'm sure the "intersectionality, queer studies, and Black Lives Matters" components would have been part of the topic "(4) the civil rights movement and modern black culture," as, they are. "
There are thousands of topics that "are" components of the topic "(4) the civil rights movement and modern black culture". Can't cover them all. That requires some form of screening to prioritize. Apparently things like queer studies is such a high priority, to Robert Cook, that it meets the cut off point.
But there are many components that are considered off limits like Africans as slave traders, disappearing fathers, Rap music lyrics, crime statistics and the ugly underbelly of BLM (e.g. "pigs in a blanket" and fund raising for personal enrichment), negative outcomes with D leadership in urban areas, how welfare destroys incentives and more.
Lots of black parents object to CRT as harmful to their kids.... Think they would rank intersectionality as a swell topic?
Sure as your list these topics are part of "modern black culture". How loud would Cook scream if these topics were even touched upon in an AA course.
This whole affair is just the teapot, not the tempest. Very few students are going to be taking and paying much attention in this class, one way or another. That's high school for you.
This is the tempest. Disney+. Thousands of kids are learning African American History this way. Lesson #1: Slaves Built This Country!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAzGObgdz1I
Robert Cook said...
I'm sure the "intersectionality, queer studies, and Black Lives Matters" components would have been part of the topic "(4) the civil rights movement and modern black culture," as, they are.
No, they aren't, not in any actually significant amount.
They're mainly obsessions of white Lefties like you, Cookie.
Including them in contemporary academic discussion opens the door for other serious scholars who may take issue with these topics,
If we had honest academia, that might be true.
but since the Left destroyed all honesty, and replaced it with left wing politics, that would never happen.
And even you, Cookie, aren't stupid enough to actually believe that modern academia would allow honest discussion about "race" in America
"Social sciences" may not be actual applied physical sciences, but the back and forth of competing opinions
Only exists in American academia between the far left and the even more lunatic left.
Instead,they're condemned (and peremptorily banned) because they are too current, too "touchy" for those who prefer to believe or assert that racial strife (and racism) in America is largely, if not wholly something in our past,
Nope. We just know that racial strife in America either comes from flat out lies (like claims that the police are fundamentally racist against "people of color") or the Left's racism against "whites" and "Asians".
Compared to the amount of anti-white and anti-Asian racism in America, anti-Black racism is essentially non-existent
"Oh, come on Robert. Just call him Hitler."
DeSantis isn't Hitler. Yet.
"But there are many components that are considered off limits like Africans as slave traders, disappearing fathers, Rap music lyrics, crime statistics and the ugly underbelly of BLM (e.g. "pigs in a blanket" and fund raising for personal enrichment), negative outcomes with D leadership in urban areas, how welfare destroys incentives and more."
Those are all valid subjects for inclusion in African American Studies, and they should be.
"Compared to the amount of anti-white and anti-Asian racism in America, anti-Black racism is essentially non-existent."
Totally gobsmacked!! Hahahaha!
Robert Cook said...
Me: "Compared to the amount of anti-white and anti-Asian racism in America, anti-Black racism is essentially non-existent."
Totally gobsmacked!! Hahahaha!
Harvard deliberately discriminates against Asians in admissions, and is fighting now in SCOTUS to keep the power to act in that racist manner.
What is the specific anti-black racism in "higher education" equivalent to that?
Corporate America is adopting DIE, which is explicitly anti-white, anti-male, anti-heterosexual, and anti-Christian discrimination. What is their anti-black discrimination?
Give specifics. Because if you can't, all you have is bullshit.
And no, "they hire / promote fewer blacks" is not in ANY manner proof of discrimination.
"We submitted the following functionally identical resumes, and the white ones got 2x as many positive responses as the black ones" would be evidence. IF the resumes were provided for us to analyze, and they actually were functionally equivalent.
But you can't do that, because that isn't happening in the US. What IS happening is that the black resumes get 2x the positive response, because of DIE racist BS
Robert Cook said...
"But there are many components that are considered off limits like Africans as slave traders, disappearing fathers, Rap music lyrics, crime statistics and the ugly underbelly of BLM (e.g. "pigs in a blanket" and fund raising for personal enrichment), negative outcomes with D leadership in urban areas, how welfare destroys incentives and more."
Those are all valid subjects for inclusion in African American Studies, and they should be.
Were they included in the original AP course? no?
Then we're all in agreement that said course was poorly designed, and needs to be changed
Win, DeSantis
Cookie didn’t read the original AP outline, apparently.
"Then we're all in agreement that said course was poorly designed, and needs to be changed."
No. You are not "we." (Unless you have multiple personality syndrome).
Those are topics that can and should be included in African American studies programs, but that is for the schools to build into such programs as they expand their African American Studies classes and curricula. It's not as if every possible aspect of African American Studies can be covered in one AP course, no more than can the entire subject of "Western Civilization" (or even just US History) can be covered in one course.
Robert Cook said...
"Then we're all in agreement that said course was poorly designed, and needs to be changed."
No. You are not "we." (Unless you have multiple personality syndrome).
Those are topics that can and should be included in African American studies programs, but that is for the schools to build into such programs as they expand their African American Studies classes and curricula. It's not as if every possible aspect of African American Studies can be covered in one AP course, no more than can the entire subject of "Western Civilization" (or even just US History) can be covered in one course.
Ah
So left wing political BS like CRT should be included for everyone, and DeSantis is a "thug" for getting that garbage pushed out.
But topics that make the Left's narrative look bad should NOT be part of the official curriculum.
Yeah, GFY you dishonest hack
"[I]f you’re... going to have an AP African American Studies course, what would you put in it?"
Emmet Till. Emmet Till. Emmet, Emmet, Emmet Till!
"[I]f you’re... going to have an AP African American Studies course, what would you put in it?"
Orenthal James Simpson.
"No. You are not "we." (Unless you have multiple personality syndrome)."
You choose your pronouns, we'll choose ours. Bigot.
"So left wing political BS like CRT should be included for everyone, and DeSantis is a 'thug' for getting that garbage pushed out."
CRT isn't being taught to everyone. What, specifically, makes it "left wing political BS?" What makes it "garbage?" Can you describe exactly what it teaches and how its content is flawed or false?
DiSantis is a thug for unilaterally stripping a class from a school curriculum without discussion or careful study of the pros and cons of the course. This sets the precedent for governors to cancel history classes that teach disturbing facts about their state's (or the nation's) history, or any courses for any other arbitrary reasons.
Robert Cook said...
"So left wing political BS like CRT should be included for everyone, and DeSantis is a 'thug' for getting that garbage pushed out."
CRT isn't being taught to everyone. What, specifically, makes it "left wing political BS?" What makes it "garbage?" Can you describe exactly what it teaches and how its content is flawed or false?
CRT is based on the assumption that any difference in outcomes is caused by, and proof of, racism.
Which makes it complete and utter bullshit.
Joe grows up with a mother and father who are married to each other, and love their kids
Mike grows up with a mom who cycles through multiple boyfriends generation multiple kids, none of whom have a father in their lives.
Joe does better in life than Mike.
"Racism!" shout the left wing lunatics
Here Cookie:
http://ace.mu.nu/archives/403072.php
Disney+ Is Indoctrinating Children With CRT, Telling Them That Blacks Are Owed Reparations And That Lincoln Didn't Really Free the Slaves
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