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Back in the day, if students wanted easy credits, they signed up for underwater basket-weaving. Now they just need a political cause.
The University of California, Berkeley is offering students college credit to work for an expressly political organization fighting for affirmative action and immigrant rights.
This semester, the African Studies department at Berkeley is offering a two-credit class called “Fighting to Learn, Learning to Fight: Building the Movement for Public Education and Equality.”
The class is sponsored by BAMN — The Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration, and Immigrants Rights And Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary — and advertises itself to students who want “to increase underrepresented minority enrollment, restore affirmative action and overturn Prop. 209 and pass CA DREAM Act 131 and a UC-Wide DREAM Act.”
According to its website, the class will focus on four main tenants of BAMN’s program: “the promise of public education and its role in American society, the centrality of fighting racism and the ‘New Jim Crow,’ the importance of building an independent, youth-led movement and our responsibility to fight for our own liberation as leaders.”
The class is part of Berkeley’s DeCal program, “a student-run democratic education program.” Students design and teach their own accredited pass/no-pass courses. However, the courses must be approved by a department and the Academic Senate.
The course is led by two student instructors. The faculty sponsor is Robert Allen, an adjunct professor of African American studies & ethnic studies, as well as a graduate adviser for the department. He has been actively involved with BAMN. (RELATED: SC college enacts mandatory fitness assessment program for freshmen)
According to the class syllabus, the coursework includes a weekly choice between a 1-2 page “reflection” paper or a “field organizing assignment.” Two of the three choices for the class’ final project are “producing a documentary video about a BAMN action” and “delivering a speech at a BAMN event.”
The course’s reading list contains BAMN material such as “The Character and Aims of BAMN” and “The BAMN Pledge.”
The political nature of the class has drawn the ire of some, especially groups opposed to affirmative action efforts.
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2011/08/30/be...#ixzz1WZMZunPw
The University of California, Berkeley is offering students college credit to work for an expressly political organization fighting for affirmative action and immigrant rights.
This semester, the African Studies department at Berkeley is offering a two-credit class called “Fighting to Learn, Learning to Fight: Building the Movement for Public Education and Equality.”
The class is sponsored by BAMN — The Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration, and Immigrants Rights And Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary — and advertises itself to students who want “to increase underrepresented minority enrollment, restore affirmative action and overturn Prop. 209 and pass CA DREAM Act 131 and a UC-Wide DREAM Act.”
According to its website, the class will focus on four main tenants of BAMN’s program: “the promise of public education and its role in American society, the centrality of fighting racism and the ‘New Jim Crow,’ the importance of building an independent, youth-led movement and our responsibility to fight for our own liberation as leaders.”
The class is part of Berkeley’s DeCal program, “a student-run democratic education program.” Students design and teach their own accredited pass/no-pass courses. However, the courses must be approved by a department and the Academic Senate.
The course is led by two student instructors. The faculty sponsor is Robert Allen, an adjunct professor of African American studies & ethnic studies, as well as a graduate adviser for the department. He has been actively involved with BAMN. (RELATED: SC college enacts mandatory fitness assessment program for freshmen)
According to the class syllabus, the coursework includes a weekly choice between a 1-2 page “reflection” paper or a “field organizing assignment.” Two of the three choices for the class’ final project are “producing a documentary video about a BAMN action” and “delivering a speech at a BAMN event.”
The course’s reading list contains BAMN material such as “The Character and Aims of BAMN” and “The BAMN Pledge.”
The political nature of the class has drawn the ire of some, especially groups opposed to affirmative action efforts.
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2011/08/30/be...#ixzz1WZMZunPw
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