Special snowflakes were sheltering in safe spaces while the petition was being circulated.
Some millennials might be spurring a comeback of Western civilization at one of the nation’s premiere universities.
Stanford University students will vote April 7 and 8 on whether to reinstate a two-quarter Western civilization requirement after the success of a campus-wide campaign.
A petition, emailed to Stanford undergraduates by conservative student newspaper The Stanford Review, reads:
In accordance with Stanford’s commitment to educating its students, and in recognition of the unique role Western culture has had in shaping our political, economic, and social institutions, Stanford University should mandate that freshmen complete a two-quarter Western civilization requirement covering the politics, history, philosophy, and culture of the Western world.
After gaining over 370 signatures, it qualified to be featured in the Associated Students of Stanford University elections ballot.
Harry Elliott, editor-in-chief of The Stanford Review, told The Daily Signal in an email that their efforts have “already accomplished the first meaningful discussion on Stanford’s humanities core in years.”
Two campus discussion events about the initiative, including one led by university faculty and students, were held on campus earlier this month.
Elliott said the array of courses offered to fulfill the university’s Thinking Matters undergraduate requirements has created a “race to the bottom”. The 2015-16 catalog lists courses such as “Food Talks: The Language of Food” and “The Science of Mythbusters.”
“I was lucky enough to be selected for Structured Liberal Education, a year-long residential humanities programme teaching the Western canon; I think all students should be afforded that opportunity,” Elliott, an economics major, said.