http://www.avclub.com/article/duke-students-refuse-read-alison-bechdels-fun-home-224339
[CC admin note: the article was also covered by CNN: http://edition.cnn.com/2015/08/24/living/fun-home-bechdel-duke-freshman-feat/index.html]
Those poor sensitive coddled babies :(( …not !!!
Wait until they come face to face with the REAL world!
:))
That’s a shame. Fun Home is a pretty powerful (or at least thought-provoking) read. It’s also very, very funny.
By the way, your title is misleading. It was not even an assignment. It was a recommended summer reading.
I just think that the naive freshmen are funny. If this is offensive, they should really read some of the things in their Bible sometime. Plus, they are asking students opinions about a book they haven’t read. How can they have one? Very funny.
Everyone is just glad it isn’t at their school.
The freshman boy who was uncomfortable with cartoon boobs is never going to hear the end of it from classmates. Lol
For kids smart enough to get into Duke, they should know what “recommended” means.
For kids smart enough to get into Duke, they should know that part of becoming an educated person means reading things that are outside your comfort zone.
That too. You can hate it AFTER you’ve read it, if you choose. But being educated means learning how to form an educated opinion. And you can’t do that about a book you haven’t read.
A comic book seems about right for Duke.
(not being a monster under a bridge, the joke was just too obvious)
Aside from that, if the kids say they are offended, I would be curious to know what they watch for TV / Movies. The actual material they seem to be offended by is fairly prevalent, even if it is implied in anything rated PG-13 or higher. Oh, and if drawings are a problem, don’t ever go to an art gallery.
This must be an example of “book smarts vs street smarts” and the type of student encountered by Bill Deresiewicz.
I would be embarrassed if my kids protested a book like this.
Personally, if I were the dean over there at Duke, I’d double-down on this and make the book required reading. Show those little punks a thing or two.
I personally agree with the reaction of “get over it, open your mind.” I will say, however, that I suspect the reaction might have been different if it were different groups being offended by the reading material. I’m pretty darn liberal, but it’s also evident to me that the reaction might very well be different if it were a novel that contained the “n” word or something that criticized Middle East policy or cultures.
Hmm. What if was Atlas Shrugged? I’d have more sympathy for somebody who didn’t want to read it on religious or ethical grounds, but I still think I’d tell them that this is college, not elementary school.
^I’d still make my kid read it. I’d expect him or her to arrive at school loaded for bear with a list of cogent arguments to counteract those of the author. It isn’t much of an education to read only works that agree with one’s already held opinions.
Like Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?
Like The Kite Runner?
Sometimes you just have to say, even if it’s only to yourself, “Get over it!”
Here’s an article about the Duke program involved: https://today.duke.edu/2015/04/summerreading2019
And, again, that it was a suggestion, not a mandate.
I wonder how the press got word that “some” students didn’t want to read a particular book from a list of suggestions? I mean, I’m sure that some of the kids any high school in the country weren’t crazy about the summer reading list, but no one called the press.
It sounds to me like a small group with a particular axe to grind was looking for some publicity.
Actually, it’s not a list of suggestions. It’s a single book that everyone is asked to read, and discussions of the book will be part of freshman orientation. It may not be strictly mandatory, of course.
I think “The Press” has access to Facebook, too.
Oops, good point. I’m not on facebook and forget the power it has.