Social Rice University Offers ‘Afrochemistry’ Class To Address ‘Inequities In Chemistry’

[Spounman]

https://dailycaller.com/2024/01/10/prestigious-rice-university-afrochemistry-class-chemistry/

Rice University, a prestigious academic institution, is currently offering a course on “Afrochemistry” that seeks to address “inequities in chemistry and chemical education.”

According to an online course schedule and catalog, this chemistry class has no final exam and goes from Jan. 8 to April 19, 2024.

“Students will apply chemical tools and analysis to understand Black life in the U.S. and students will implement African American sensibilities to analyze chemistry,” a course description from the catalog noted. “Diverse historical and contemporary scientists, intellectuals, and chemical discoveries will inform personal reflections and proposals for addressing inequities in chemistry and chemical education. This course will be accessible to students from a variety of backgrounds including STEM and non-STEM disciplines. No prior knowledge of chemistry or African American studies is required for engagement in this course.”

Will this lead to any scientific breakthroughs?
I wonder what the pre-requisites will be.

 

[Zazen]

I don’t even understand the description in the article. It sounds like a generous way of saying this is chemistry for dummies.

 

[Michaelangelo]

That’s pretty explosive

 

[KnockoutsGalore]

Modern Mathematics Confronts Its White, Patriarchal Past

Mathematicians want to think their field is a meritocracy, but bias, harassment and exclusion persist

www.scientificamerican.com

 

[White Whale]

Thank the left for making chemistry, math and science into racial political.

 

[HereticBD]

"Afrochemistry" sounds like something a racist chemist would come up with to degrade the qualifications of their black colleagues.

 

[Scheme]

Observing whiteness in introductory physics: A case study

https://link.aps.org/pdf/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.18.010119

 

[koquerelle]

This great documentary predicted most of that shit.

 

[Lord_Impaler]

Painful

 

[Wadtucket]

Finally something is being done about the wh*tewashing of chemistry

I'm signing up

 

[NoSmilez]

No real big issue. It's seems like an intro class. I took a look at their catalog. They have chemistry of cooking and chemistry of art. I would take that class. I took two semesters of organic chemistry and physical chemistry when I was in school. It would be nice to chill and sit in a class where the max capacity is 15 students.

 

[JudoThrowFiasco]

If it's an elective, who cares. Universities have been bilking students for decades with comically useless social science / arts / soft science courses

 

[Scheme]

If it's an elective, who cares. Universities have been bilking students for decades with comically useless social science / arts / soft science courses

Not sure about this particular university, but many universities receive government funding, and virtually all universities are propped up by taxpayers due to how student loans are handled. Universities/colleges have skyrocketed their tuition fees as a result. So these overly bloated programs and offerings are really just enriching the post-secondary bureaucracies at the expense of student's money, as well as the taxpayers'.

 

[A Very Serious Cat]

Are black people not insulted by stuff like this?

 

[Fox by the Sea]

Nickel, please.

 

[Whippy McGee]

 

[NoSmilez]

Not sure about this particular university, but many universities receive government funding, and virtually all universities are propped up by taxpayers due to how student loans are handled. Universities/colleges have skyrocketed their tuition fees as a result. So these overly bloated programs and offerings are really just enriching the post-secondary bureaucracies at the expense of student's money, as well as the taxpayers'.

They have to fulfil some quotas. They don't get additional funding if they don't have these programs either. The real issue with high cost of tuition aren't really these programs or the teaching faculty but rather why the administrative staff is so big. For this small 15 person class; a dean/administrator needs to be appointed to be in charge of this program.

 

[panamaican]

As usual, I came looking for the molehill that inevitably underpins these mountainous threads.

Not a requirement for the major. 15 student max enrollment. Sounds like any generic dumb college elective.

It's not even the worst college elective I've ever read about:

The Strangest (Real) College Courses

The stupidest college courses are the wackiest, most rudimentary, and oddest college courses actually taught at respected universities. From the things that you really should already know how to do, like getting dressed - something you can learn at a Princeton University course - to learning how...

www.ranker.com

But it mentions race so here we go...

 

[JudoThrowFiasco]

Not sure about this particular university, but many universities receive government funding, and virtually all universities are propped up by taxpayers due to how student loans are handled. Universities/colleges have skyrocketed their tuition fees as a result. So these overly bloated programs and offerings are really just enriching the post-secondary bureaucracies at the expense of student's money, as well as the taxpayers'.

Well it's a private school in the US, so I think it's public funding is going towards research grants not course offerings. I agree all student loans should be the onus of the borrower.

But these puff courses have been offered for decades, this one is getting attention because of the racial spin, but it's on par with other throw away courses.

 

[Zazen]

No real big issue. It's seems like an intro class. I took a look at their catalog. They have chemistry of cooking and chemistry of art. I would take that class. I took two semesters of organic chemistry and physical chemistry when I was in school. It would be nice to chill and sit in a class where the max capacity is 15 students.

I just think we don’t need to inject race into everything, even Neil deGrasse Tyson turns down these universities during black history month when he gets invited.