English professors at Cambridge University are trying to “decolonize” their course in the face of claims of “structural anti-Blackness” at the school. To that end, they’re encouraging students to study modern rappers like Kanye West. A letter was sent out earlier this year in response to an open letter signed by four hundred students – past and present – that condemned the faculty’s “structural anti-Blackness and racism” and claimed that Cambridge students were “actively discouraged” from writing about race.
According to the faculty, here are just a few of the measures aimed at achieving a “truly decolonized degree:”
- Six thousand-word essays on subjects like Gil Scott-Heron and Kanye are examples of how progress is being made. Apparently they think dissertations on them highlight how students are already writing on – and therefore being supervised/taught on – both writers of color and issues of race, colonialism and empire.
- They also use Shakespeare’s “Antony and Cleopatra” to study and discuss race and empire.
- They’re also championing the work Black writers.
However, critics are accusing the 811-year-old institution of pandering to fringe groups of “woke zealots,” and turning its back on great literature for political reasons. In fact, they say that the changes to the syllabus are being driven by a fringe group of politically correct activists who threaten academic excellence and promoted victimhood.
Source: Daily Mail