Written by: Madeleine Tucker and Reilly Tangen
Have you ever done something that you are embarrassed about, or that you regret?
Alright, now imagine if an entire year was spent discussing your transgression, completely ignoring the multitude of good things you have done in your lifetime.
Would this constitute an accurate picture of your character?
Well, in essence, this is what our American Studies class has accomplished this year. We have spent an entire year focusing on all of the terrible things that our country has done over its 238 year existence. But never once can we recall hearing a praise about our country, or a good consequence of an action or decision. In American Studies we did not learn about American history; we learned about an entirely pessimistic and unbalanced agenda. Not a day went by in which we did not talk about socioeconomic class inequalities, gender inequalities, and/or race inequalities. While these topics may be interesting and warrant some class discussion, an entire year was excessive.
We have learned little, historically, this year in American Studies that would produce an educated generation, which is such a shame. We were looking forward to learning about the full story of our country, chronologically, and seeing how we play a part in world history. We feel as if we have been indoctrinated rather than educated. Contrary to our instructors, we believe in the story of America, a land of freedom. A land that people from all countries have fled to, to escape the troubles of their own homeland. A country that is so confident, that citizens have the right to criticize.
Some things to note from our experience:
We would be perfectly okay with the way that this class is being taught if BOTH SIDES and ALTERNATIVE VIEWPOINTS were presented or at least respected. Of course, it is completely natural for people (teachers included) to have their own opinions, but while playing the teacher role, it is necessary to provide both sides of the argument and allow the student to make their own decisions. There, of course, were instances in which we felt we definitely learned something in this class. Analytic skills are extremely important and this class provided its students with a very beneficial amount of those. It is because of this, that we felt prompted and obliged to write this blog. Every moment is an opportunity for growth and learning, and we hope that this entry provided the class with an alternative viewpoint that you may critically analyze on your own.
Have you ever done something that you are embarrassed about, or that you regret?
Alright, now imagine if an entire year was spent discussing your transgression, completely ignoring the multitude of good things you have done in your lifetime.
Would this constitute an accurate picture of your character?
Well, in essence, this is what our American Studies class has accomplished this year. We have spent an entire year focusing on all of the terrible things that our country has done over its 238 year existence. But never once can we recall hearing a praise about our country, or a good consequence of an action or decision. In American Studies we did not learn about American history; we learned about an entirely pessimistic and unbalanced agenda. Not a day went by in which we did not talk about socioeconomic class inequalities, gender inequalities, and/or race inequalities. While these topics may be interesting and warrant some class discussion, an entire year was excessive.
We have learned little, historically, this year in American Studies that would produce an educated generation, which is such a shame. We were looking forward to learning about the full story of our country, chronologically, and seeing how we play a part in world history. We feel as if we have been indoctrinated rather than educated. Contrary to our instructors, we believe in the story of America, a land of freedom. A land that people from all countries have fled to, to escape the troubles of their own homeland. A country that is so confident, that citizens have the right to criticize.
Some things to note from our experience:
-
● If you are a Christian, you will likely feel uncomfortable in this class. Actually, It is okay to
be any religion but Christian. Christian doctrine is often criticized and portrayed in the
most negative light. How could you ever believe such nonsense?
-
● If you are white, be prepared to feel guilty about your race, something that no one can
control. But other races have no faults, remember.
-
● If you are male, you will feel guilty about your gender. C’mon even though we all have the
same rights, women still not equal enough. (P.S. go to somewhere where women don't
have rights i.e. Yemen, and then you are likely to realize the fortune that we have in the
U.S.)
-
● If you are on the conservative side, good luck. You will always be wrong, and you will be
shut down ASAP.
- ● If you are upper class, you should feel guilty about how much money your family has. Even if both your mom and dad work really hard and can barely afford to live in the area, you are still obligated to feel as though you are a snob.
We would be perfectly okay with the way that this class is being taught if BOTH SIDES and ALTERNATIVE VIEWPOINTS were presented or at least respected. Of course, it is completely natural for people (teachers included) to have their own opinions, but while playing the teacher role, it is necessary to provide both sides of the argument and allow the student to make their own decisions. There, of course, were instances in which we felt we definitely learned something in this class. Analytic skills are extremely important and this class provided its students with a very beneficial amount of those. It is because of this, that we felt prompted and obliged to write this blog. Every moment is an opportunity for growth and learning, and we hope that this entry provided the class with an alternative viewpoint that you may critically analyze on your own.
