Berkeley’s Best and Worst

The editors of the California Patriot at Berkeley have performed an invaluable service for undergraduates there by compiling a list of the best and worst classes, in their experience, on campus. The problem is that half of the cream-of-the-crop courses are in Political Science while half of the worst are in history, economics and, yes, business administration.

“Even a convincing speaker like the retired Professor Leon Litwack did not make the claims in this class believable,” the editors report of History 7B, “From the Civil War to the Present.” “Racial animosity is a part, but by NO means the entirety of U. S. history.”

“And calling anti-affirmative action legislation ‘racist’ is not a characteristic of intellectual depth, it’s a DNC talking point.” Budding economists do not fare much better.

“Professor Martha Olney’s one-sided teaching method of the subject matter gives a somewhat slanted view of economic principles to new students in the undergraduate course,” the editors note of “Introduction to Economics,” or Economics 1. “She’s been known to present graphs of GDP, GNP, and labor markets designed to exalt Clinton while clearly negating Bushes Senior and Junior.”

Believe it or not, even business majors are not spared politicization. But then, what do you expect from Berkeley?

Of “Undergraduate Business Administration 101B,” the editors write, “This course is poorly designed in that the professor disagrees with the textbook, so students have to keep track of which parts of the book they are supposed to disregard.”

The course is entitled “Macroeconomic Analysis for Business Decisions,” but don’t be fooled. That label hints at a free-market approach that the instructor has no intention of taking.

“In addition, Professor James Wilcox told the class in Spring 2007 that he disagreed with everything that Milton Friedman had said,” the editors warn. Other courses the magazine’s staff gives demerits to deliver about what their titles promise:

~ “Introduction to Social/Cultural Anthropology” “focuses partially on transgender and ‘third gender.’ Unfortunately, the class treats the latter as a reality instead of a theory which will contradict the beliefs of many conservatives.”

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Berkeley’s catalogue describes Anthropology C147B as “an introduction to social theory and ethnographic methodology in the cross-cultural study of sexuality, particularly sexual orientation and gender identity.” Entitled “Sexuality, Culture, and Colonialism,” the class stresses “the relationships between culture, international and local political economy, and the representation and experience of what we provisionally call homosexual and transgender desires or identities.”

Malcolm A. Kline is the executive director of Accuracy in Academia.

Malcolm A. Kline
Malcolm A. Kline is the Executive Director of Accuracy in Academia. If you would like to comment on this article, e-mail contact@academia.org.