Social Justice Scam

When you hear the term “social justice,” be prepared to empty your wallet, particularly if it is paired with the word “economic.” “An academic program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the minor in Social and Economic Justice, illustrates the difference between education and indoctrination,” Jay Schalin of the John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy alleges.

The Pope Center is located in nearby Raleigh. The course is the “brainchild” of UNC sociologist Judith Blau, Shalin claims.

“If her own section of Sociology 273 is any indication, Dr. Blau clearly intended this program to be indoctrination,” Schalin writes. “The intellectual content of Blau’s course is based primarily on her book Human Rights: Beyond the Liberal Vision (co-written with Spanish sociologist Alberto Moncada).”

“The book has two main themes. The first is a full-frontal assault on the United States and its foundations: capitalism, individualism, and the Protestant religion. The second is painting collectivism, and international organizations based on collective thought, on a moral plane, high above American traditions.”

And it is not only used at UNC. “I have the misfortune of reading this book for a class at UCLA School of Law,” one customer wrote on Amazon. “The authors do a great disservice in trying to represent a counterargument for neoliberal economic policies.”

“There are numerous missing or incorrect citations.”

“I am a law student, but I would never presume to turn in something like this as a rough draft,” the reviewer concludes. “Where was the editor on this?”

“The second section of Sociology 273, taught by graduate student Alexis Silver, continues the trend toward indoctrination,” Schalin asserts. “The focus on the international human rights movement is diminished, although there are several readings from Blau’s and Moncado’s Human Rights.”

“Her emphasis is on inequality and abuses caused by global capitalism (using such leftwing authors as Barbara Ehrenrich and Jonathan Kozol) and illegal immigration (one selection is entitled Wasted Talent and Broken Dreams: The Lost Potential of Undocumented Students).”

(By the way, the May Day riots that followed Arizona Governor Jan Brewer’s introduction of safeguards to prevent illegal immigration and cut down on the crime that follows in its wake led to a lot of wasted property and broken windows.)

You would think that a minor such as this and courses such as these would be booked to capacity, particularly when, as in Blau’s case, even unfavorable reviewers note that she is an easy grader. Apparently not.

“The final option to satisfy the social justice requirement, African Studies 416, is taught by African and African-American studies professor Eunice Sahle,” Schalin reports. “It was last offered in the fall of 2009, with only 16 students signing up.”

Malcolm A. Kline is the Executive Director of Accuracy in Academia.