The author argues that higher ed should focus on "professional" rather than "political" education. But there's an irony to that argument, in that the author teaches computer science--a field the US invested in to achieve its Cold War political aims. 1/ www.nytimes.com/2025/05/02/o... - ThreadSky

jessicacalarco.bsky.social • 18 days ago

The author argues that higher ed should focus on "professional" rather than "political" education.

But there's an irony to that argument, in that the author teaches computer science--a field the US invested in to achieve its Cold War political aims. 1/

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/02/opinion/work-school-classroom-politics-harvard.html?unlocked_article_code=1.EU8.39-w.pxGCfn3MzuuF&smid=nytcore-android-share

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enceladus727.bsky.social•18 days ago

Politics has ALWAYS had a place at universities and in the classroom. WTF does he think "Civics" is? Idiot.

I taught at major state universities. There is VOCATIONAL education that leads to employment, and there is learning for learnings' sake. That is why we have ELECTIVES, you DUMSHIT.

majeff.bsky.social•18 days ago

His bigger point is that professionalism is, in and of itself, apolitical. Workers should leave their morality at home and be good little drones for Marc Andreeson.

majeff.bsky.social•18 days ago

He's proud to be modeling that behavior and penalizing students on all sides of a political issue for being political.

majeff.bsky.social•18 days ago

It's an argument for the disciplining of labor in an increasingly authoritarian environment.

jessicacalarco.bsky.social•18 days ago

And unfortunately, that disciplinary model of instruction is (and has long been) rampant in higher ed.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/07/opinion/nyu-professor-fired-maitland-jones.html?unlocked_article_code=1.EU8.LrD4.6ji2cs2G4fim&smid=nytcore-android-share

bastillebish.bsky.social•17 days ago

I would love for dipshits like this step into a med school or nursing school for a day to help teach sexual and reproductive health, immunology + disease prevention, mental/behavioral health etc. We aren't being political, the topics themselves have become politicized.

jung-gt.bsky.social•18 days ago

Headline is provocative, but having read the piece, I agree with the author that we profs should not advocate our personal political beliefs onto our students. He acknowledges that CS and STEM intersect with social and political issues, and gives students resources for them to explore those issues.

jessicacalarco.bsky.social•18 days ago

But of course, we've collectively forgotten the politics behind STEM investments by moving away from a liberal arts model of higher education--one that aims to contextualize students' knowledge and encourage critical thinking--and toward the author's preferred "professional" model of school. 2/

matthematics.com•18 days ago

The assumption ofc is that STEM teaching is apolitical because “I’m here to teach content, not to teach students”… which is itself a political choice that upholds a highly inequitable status quo in the field.

jessicacalarco.bsky.social•18 days ago

Indeed. (And a point I wrote about myself for the @nytimes.com a few years back).
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/07/opinion/nyu-professor-fired-maitland-jones.html?unlocked_article_code=1.EU8.LrD4.6ji2cs2G4fim&smid=nytcore-android-share

retiredwhitelady.bsky.social•17 days ago

The best programmers I knew were mathematics majors.

zugernat.bsky.social•18 days ago

That’s not higher education. That’s job training.

zugernat.bsky.social•18 days ago

I mean there are certain aspects of education where ideology isn’t relevant. There’s no need for ideology in learning multiplication tables. But the idea that that should apply across the curriculum is absurd.

jackstilgoe.bsky.social•18 days ago

He also works for OpenAI

chetgaines.bsky.social•18 days ago

fuggin stupid

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