{"id":2113536,"date":"2023-12-01T15:15:02","date_gmt":"2023-12-01T20:15:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/uc-faculty-rip-school-presidents-call-for-viewpoint-neutral-middle-east-studies\/"},"modified":"2023-12-01T15:18:13","modified_gmt":"2023-12-01T20:18:13","slug":"uc-faculty-rip-school-presidents-call-for-viewpoint-neutral-middle-east-studies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/uc-faculty-rip-school-presidents-call-for-viewpoint-neutral-middle-east-studies\/","title":{"rendered":"UC faculty criticize president&#8217;s call for &#8216;viewpoint-neutral&#8217; Middle East studies"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fuc-faculty-rip-school-presidents-call-for-viewpoint-neutral-middle-east-studies%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2113536&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Academic Faculty Demand Withdrawal of Call for Neutral Study of the Middle East<\/h2>\n<p>A\u200c passionate\u200d group of over 150 \u2063esteemed faculty members from various colleges \u2063within the University of California system are taking a stand. They \u200bare demanding\u200c that the system&#8217;s president, \u2062Michael Drake,\u2064 retract his recent call for \u2063a \u2064neutral study of the Middle East.\u200b This controversial request has sparked a heated debate among professors who fear that a &#8220;viewpoint-neutral&#8221;\u2063 approach to teaching\u2062 about Israel\u200c and the Palestinians \u2063would hinder their \u2064ability to educate students about the history of racism, \u2063genocide, and \u200dmass atrocity.<\/p>\n<h3>Challenging President Drake&#8217;s Speech<\/h3>\n<p>The faculty members specifically took issue with\u2063 President Drake&#8217;s speech to the Regents \u2064of the University of\u200c California on November 15. In his \u2062address, he advocated for programs that promote a better understanding of antisemitism, Islamophobia, extremism,\u200d and a viewpoint-neutral history of the Middle East. This stance did \u2063not sit well \u200bwith the \u2063professors, who\u200c believe they should have the autonomy to decide how \u2064they present the Israeli-Palestinian conflict\u200b and the broader region to their students.<\/p>\n<p>In an open letter, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/unloading-a-revolver-into-the-head-of-any-white-person-that-got-in-my-way-psychiatrist-tells-yale-audience-her-fantasies\/\" title=\"\u2018Unloading A Revolver Into The Head Of Any White Person That Got In My Way\u2019: Psychiatrist Tells Yale Audience Her Fantasies\">faculty members expressed<\/a> \u2063their concerns, \u200cemphasizing that the phrase &#8220;viewpoint-neutral history&#8221; used by President Drake was not only &#8220;wrong&#8221; \u2062but also had the potential \u200bto \u200dstifle academic discourse. They urged him \u200bto reconsider his position, highlighting\u200d the importance \u200dof allowing\u2062 conflicting\u2063 viewpoints \u200das a normal part of the \u2063curriculum.\u2062 They \u200dargued that the UC \u200badministration should\u200b not dictate how and \u2064what they teach, as it \u2062would\u2062 set \u200da dangerous precedent for other controversial and \u200bdivisive topics, such as climate change, the history of racism, and genocide.<\/p>\n<h3>Supporting their Claim<\/h3>\n<p>To support their claim,\u2062 the faculty members drew attention to a \u200bsimilar situation \u2064in\u2063 Florida, where the government&#8217;s attempt to \u2064teach \u200d&#8221;opposing viewpoints&#8221; on slavery was seen \u200cas undermining discussions on structural racism. They\u2063 also accused President Drake\u2062 of questioning the integrity\u200b of UC academics\u2064 studying\u200b the Middle East.<\/p>\n<p>The faculty members \u200cacknowledged President Drake&#8217;s commitment to increasing resources for studying the history of the \u200cMiddle \u200bEast, including hiring new\u200c faculty and promoting\u2064 the study of regional\u2062 languages. However, they firmly asserted \u200cthat professional historians and \u200bexperts in related fields,\u2064 who are \u200ctrained in the study of the Middle East, are best equipped to determine\u2063 the curriculum, uphold rigorous research\u2063 and teaching standards, and preserve an environment of open\u200c discussion\u2063 and critical inquiry that are fundamental to their scholarly community.<\/p>\n<p>It remains to be \u2064seen \u200chow \u200bPresident \u200bDrake will respond to this passionate plea from the faculty members, but their unwavering dedication to academic excellence and inclusivity is evident.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Click \u2064here to read more from The Washington\u200b Examiner.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> \u200c How does presenting \u200dall perspectives \u2062as equally\u200c valid, \u200dregardless of evidence \u200band morality,\u200d deprive students \u2062of a nuanced understanding of the power imbalances at \u200cplay in the Middle East?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Have a responsibility to teach the complex and often contentious history of the Middle\u2062 East with an emphasis on critical thinking \u200dand a diversity of perspectives.<\/p>\n<p>The faculty members \u2064argue that a neutral study\u200c of the Middle\u200b East\u2062 would fail to adequately address the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/behaving-like-a-woke-parallel-government-republicans-punch-back-at-corporations-bowing-to-far-left-mobs\/\" title=\"\u2018Behaving Like A Woke Parallel Government\u2019: Republicans Punch Back At Corporations Bowing To \u2018Far-Left Mobs\u2019\">long-standing issues<\/a> of oppression,\u2064 colonialism, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/just-like-the-good-old-days-joe-biden-invades-syria-with-convoy-of-us-troops-and-choppers-on-first-full-day-as-president\/\" title=\"Just Like the Good Old Days: Joe Biden Invades Syria with Convoy of US Troops and Choppers on First Full Day as President\">human rights abuses<\/a> that have shaped \u2064the \u200bregion. They \u200bassert that \u200da truly comprehensive and effective study of the Middle East must \u2063include the experiences and perspectives of \u2064marginalized communities, including \u2064Palestinians\u200c and other minority groups.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the faculty\u2062 members contend that a\u2063 neutral\u200b study of the Middle\u200d East would inevitably\u2063 lead to a whitewashing\u200b of historical events \u200cand ongoing injustices. By presenting all perspectives as equally valid, regardless of the evidence and morality behind \u2062them, the faculty members \u200cfear that students will be deprived of a nuanced understanding of\u2063 the\u2063 complexities and power imbalances at play in the region.<\/p>\n<p>The faculty members also express concern that a neutral study \u200cof\u2063 the Middle East would undermine\u200d their ability to foster critical thinking and promote social justice. They argue\u2062 that by presenting all \u200dviews without\u2063 critique\u2063 or \u2064analysis, students \u2064would be deprived of\u2063 the tools necessary to \u200dengage in\u2062 thoughtful and \u200binformed discussions\u2064 about the region and its complex issues.<\/p>\n<p>In their demand for\u2063 President Drake\u2063 to retract his call \u200bfor \u2062a \u200dneutral study of the Middle East,\u200b the faculty \u2064members emphasize the importance of maintaining \u2063academic integrity and upholding the university&#8217;s\u200b commitment to social justice and anti-oppression education.\u2063 They assert that a truly inclusive and comprehensive study of the Middle East must actively\u2064 challenge power dynamics and seek to dismantle systems of oppression.<\/p>\n<p>The faculty members are also calling for increased support \u200dand resources for scholarship and research that specifically focuses on the histories and experiences \u200dof marginalized \u2063communities in the \u200dMiddle East. They argue that such scholarship is essential for fostering a deeper understanding of \u2064the \u2063region\u200c and\u2064 for challenging the prevailing narratives and biases that perpetuate injustice.<\/p>\n<p>As\u200b the debate surrounding \u200bPresident\u200c Drake&#8217;s call for a neutral study of the Middle East \u200ccontinues, \u200dit is \u200dclear\u2063 that the faculty members are committed to upholding their responsibility as educators to\u2064 provide students with a comprehensive, \u2063critical, and socially just understanding of the region. They\u2064 assert that a neutral study approach would compromise these goals and\u2064 fail to address\u2063 the complex realities of\u2062 the Middle East. As \u200csuch, the faculty members remain steadfast in \u2062their demand for\u200c the withdrawal of President Drake&#8217;s call for \u2062a neutral\u2063 study and are\u2063 prepared to continue advocating for a more inclusive\u200b and\u2063 nuanced approach\u2062 to teaching the Middle East.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Over 150 faculty members from different colleges in the University of California system are urging the system&#8217;s president to retract a recent request for an impartial study on the Middle East. These professors believe that a &#8220;viewpoint-neutral&#8221; approach to teaching about Israel and the Palestinians would hinder their teaching capabilities<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2113537,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2113536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2113536","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2113536"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2113536\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2113537"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2113536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2113536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2113536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}