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Depending on the university, I don’t think it’s necessarily hyperbole at all.</p>
<p>Taking the school I know best, Duke draws a sharp distinction between the departments of English (which utilizes traditional methodologies) and Literature (which is fond of various theoretical frameworks). I think the OP would approve of the English department, which is quite rigorous with a set core of classes. The Literature department, on the other hand, is notoriously politicized and quite often deals with texts as something merely to be crammed into an existing theoretical construct. </p>
<p>As for Marxism, Duke was proud to be home to a thriving Marxist Studies department. For better or worse, it has gradually dwindled into a shadow of its former self and is now only a certificate (hosted, naturally, in Literature).</p>