What cuts are appropriate in this drudging economy? Professors of Oral Sex, Queer Theory, and Male Prostitution? So says a GA Legislator. In a nutshell:
“I’m saying we all need to pull together and when we have things that are extraneous and outrages, which I don’t think should be discussed with our tax dollars, maybe some of this will come to mind when we have to make budget cuts,” said [Rep. Calvin, with an "R," naturally following his name] Hill, vice chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.
GSU responds:
Some areas of expertise are technical, political or scientific, Millsaps said, “some may be mundane, others may cover controversial subjects. All require individuals who meet the accepted standards and requirements within their respective fields in order that public policy and decisions can be made based upon solid research and knowledge.”
Truth be told, there are contexts in which I might agree with Rep. Hill. Some programs may be extraneous. However, Georgia State University is a major research university, and in order to maintain its status as a respectable research university, it has to, well, research.
And research means exploring new ideas; new fields. Intellectual development exists on the fringes of what is already known. Even studies in traditional fields- math, science, law, are only furthered when pushing the boundaries of what is known. If we wallow in only that which has been covered, we don’t push forward at all. It’s not research.
Likewise, these fringe studies- which aren’t whole studies in and of themselves, naturally, but components of larger programs, which, sadly are not “Oral Sex,” “Queer Theory,” or “Male Prostitution.”
If you’d like to check out the radical professors of GSU, here is the homepage for Mindy Stombler, whose work on oral sex is a valid examination of power dynamics between masculinity and femininity. Kirk Elifsonfocuses on causes and effects of hiv/AIDS on particular communities- of which male prostitutes are just one component. Clearly, that’s not worth studying. And Queer Theory? Just type “Queer Theory” into GSU’s search engine and hit upon multiple professors in multiple courses. And I could only find one course- one- in the whole undergraduate catalog devoted to queer studies- “Queer Identity” in the sociology department (it’s on page 455 if you’re interested), which shares a course number with a Women’s Studies course. Show me one of these that is an invalid path of research- especially for an institution that is a research university.
Filed under: Current Events, Education, Gay Stuff/Gay Rights, Other Articles | Tagged: Calvin Hill, College, Education, GA Lgislature, gay, Georgia Legislature, Georgia State, Georgia State University, GSU, Higher Education, lesbian, Male Prostitution, Oral Sex, Queer Theory, Research
