I would never presume to lecture a computer scientist on how to teach their material, as I am unqualified.
This computer scientist should not pontificate about teaching subjects where he is unqualified.
Teaching about race is political. Full stop.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/02/opinion/work-school-classroom-politics-harvard.html?smid=bs-share
This computer scientist should not pontificate about teaching subjects where he is unqualified.
Teaching about race is political. Full stop.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/02/opinion/work-school-classroom-politics-harvard.html?smid=bs-share
Comments
https://www.amazon.co.uk/IBM-Holocaust-Strategic-Alliance-Corporation/dp/0609607995
I also suspect CS could use this perspective, inequity exists in that curriculum.
he sees nothing wrong with developing weapons or surveillance tech used exclusively for killing minorities. I highly doubt that Palestinians are wealthy enough to buy that tech to use against Israel.
“Sure genocide is horrible, but this fellow sent out an email about it and that is also bad.” 🙄
Oh wait it’s because he doesn’t think sociology belongs at the university.
for example look at how tufecki injected politics into virology. look at the damage she did to something she has NO knowledge about. now her status and $ cant let her retreat or fix the mistakes.
he was only 2¢.
(full disclosure: I've been in charge of one of the top UK CS programmes for the past two decades)
There is one important rule everyone should follow: you treat all your students equally and grade everyone fairly, regardless of politics
Anything beyond that, the instructor decides
Shut up and sing.
Now…
Shut up and teach?
Who can say?
I taught English. Nazis burned books. Republicans ban books. These actions make teaching literature about as woke as it gets. I didn't choose politics, they politicised reading.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_programming#History_of_the_name
I guess now I know.
This is why we need critical race theory. Presuming education's neutrality, objectivity, all of this is a kind of colorblind racism.
No one with these hot takes is ever saying it is biased to critique liberals or progressive policy in the classroom.
That’s something they should be examining when learning about computer science.
I'm not trying to be snarky or rude but I find the way you use the word political confusing. is what you're communicating here that something political is subjective, or maybe reasonably up for negotiation?
And feeling free to pontificate on race while knowing nothing is a kind of racism. It's pure disrespect.
It was important in the new republic to remove emotions from the law.
https://academic.oup.com/jsh/article/57/1/49/7099520
It's why I've turned to shunning, beginning with MAGA fam & friends.🤣
There’s no way in with those folks.
No? So you're not rational?"
Dan Luu talks about this issue below:
The Logical Song
https://youtu.be/fBoYZqmcZuc
*(yes I consider comp sci a form of engineering, and admit I am uninformed and might be wrong, here)
But the truly skilled amongst are acutely aware of the limiting assumptions and simplifications for any working model we develop.
It’s a growing problem.
His blog, linked from his home page, is a mixture of computer science and pro-Zionist pieces, where he calls out, but apparently does not name, Harvard students as antisemitic.
I can't read the Times oped, but I'm thinking it's disingenuous.
I'd say I was disappointed, but I guess I've gotten accustomed.
Ignoring that, maybe not surprisingly, is also political.
Simpleton.
And also, has my dude never read the ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct? https://www.acm.org/code-of-ethics
We may have crossed paths during my education. Did you teach at Mankato State University in MN during autumn of 1989 through April 1994 (and beyond)?
Full agreement here.
Privacy and security, copyright law, algorithmic content recommendations, accessibility for the disabled, open vs proprietary standards, hiring and firing and skill assessment... politics is everywhere.
Classes should teach the subject they teach, and teaching it well should be the main focus. Teachers should not advantage students who agree with them politically.
That said, classes should focus teaching what they teach. Often that will require talking about race (especially in engineering).
Whether Professor Barak knows it or not he brings his own ideology to the classroom.
Just his presence in the classroom is political; in 1986, 35% of BAs in CompSci were women. In 2016, 19% of BAs were.
https://www.yalescientific.org/2020/11/by-the-numbers-women-in-stem-what-do-the-statistics-reveal-about-ongoing-gender-disparities/
AI’s notorious for “hallucinating” citations to non-existent publications.
I’d argue that’s in part because it was coded primarily by young men who think openly stating “I don’t know” is a wimpy, self-castrating statement.
Just a thought.
He’s not political, but he teaches about AI. He teaches cryptology. Does he mention the biases, errors, and concerns?
He works with people from various backgrounds and countries. Does he acknowledge the history of CS?
Ergo, teaching is political. People who think differently are deluding themselves.
The British government decided that eliminating gays was more important than anything else Turing might have done in his natural lifetime.