And that's why I asked Santa for a KA-BAR Full Size US Marine Corp Fighting Knife.
Beginning in the spring semester, American University will offer "Contemporary American Culture: The Fifty Shades Trilogy," a course examining issues ranging from female sexuality to social media marketing in relation to the BDSM-themed Fifty Shades of Grey book series. [...] Tuition for the spring semester at American University costs $19,491 for full-time, undergraduate students.
Related: The admission -- as 2012 closed -- made the university the fourth college or university in that year to admit false reporting of some admissions data used for rankings.
h/t soundofmusak
20 Large for one semester? I'm going to get into the university-style perverted sex teaching business right away!
A fool and their money are soon parted.(anon)
Interesting how "Contemporary American Culture" will NOT cover the mindset, ethics, practices, or beliefs of hardworking, conservative, family-oriented Americans, even though they comprise a huge percentage of the population. They don't exist, I guess. If half the population consisted of any other group, their exclusion from a course claiming to cover The Culture would be rightly viewed as academic malpractice at best, or simply deliberate indoctrination and propaganda. Or they might just say, "Yep, that is what we are doing. Cuz' all the right people SHOULD think like us." That would, at least, be more honest.
I guess I'm odd in that I don't really have a problem with a university charging money for this kind of thing. In the abstract, I think there's value in studying pop culture trends and what they say about the broader zeitgeist (as an example, there's a growing trend towards post-apocalyptic themes in a lot of geek media that hasn't been this strong since the height of nuclear hysteria. It's probably nothing).
How much value? That's up to whomever's shelling out the cash. I think the real problem with universities isn't that they're offering useless courses, it's that parents are doing a wholly inadequate job of teaching their children how to choose a major.
From their homepage 'About AU':
"A global outlook, practical idealism, and a passion for public service define American University. Our academic strengths are grounded in social responsibility and a commitment to cultural and intellectual diversity."
This statement of soaring something ridicules itself - AU sounds like an ideal Bureaucrat generator...
All too many senior administrators of universities are scum or dregs. Better to put young people
under the tutelage of whores or biker gangs. They at least sometimes have principles.
While I would not be pleased if this "course" were being taught in high school, if any adult wants to spend $20k talking about bedroom gymnastics, I say let them. Maybe the "Intro Kama Sutra 101" was full. A little spanking never hurt anyone... permanently.
btw, Does this mean I have to register my Ka-Bar anytime soon? How about my Rapala filleting knife? Swiss Army knife, camper edition?
Twenty grand to participate in a love-in about the latest piece of literary porn... I tip my hat to the audacity and genius of the latest college scam. Wonder if the author gets a cut?
As for the knives, I'd say invest a little in sharpening tools, so as to make your own pointy weapons out of anything and everything.
WTF???? What about MALE sexuality? We men are the minority now,and should have certain rights above all others! Damn fem-nazis.
And texas canuck.....does that mean I have to register my Swiss Army watch with the little thingy that changes the date every day,or just my 26" machete?