This is perhaps one of the more tangible examples of what I have started to call the problem of differing realities. The Christian Right has raised a generation that frankly lives in a different reality than the rest of us. This problem is starting to be felt in the workplace, certainly in politics and government, and in the academy.

Increasingly we are having to deal with people who either by choice or by upbringing live in, and are comfortable living in, an alternate reality. One cannot reason with such people, because reason depends on at least some common understanding of the world in which we live.

They have been taught to believe that some of the most fundamental truths of science, history, anthropology and more are the product of some cosmic liberal conspiracy to deceive them, and so they reject a vast body of basic knowledge about our world. It's scary when you consider that these folks will be voting, serving on juries, and running for public office.

by unworthy on Wed Oct 17, 2007 at 05:40:56 PM EST

"Perhaps a compromise can be forged. A university education is important for young people, and it would be a shame if some of these kids were denied one just because their parents enrolled them in a fundamentalist academy. (Some of these teenagers might not have had a say in the matter, after all.) If a student tests below average in math or English but still shows academic promise, he or she can often enter college on a probationary status and take remedial courses to get up to speed. Maybe the UC system needs to look at remedial biology and remedial history for all of those unfortunate young people led astray by Bob Jones University textbooks." Rob, I think I understand your meaning, and I appreciate it to be well-intentioned, but I disagree. By the time these students reach college age, they are usually legal adults and of the age of consent, by definition. In all liklihood the vast majority of them have had a fair amount of exposure to the notion of thinking for themselves. If by this time in their lives they still insist on clinging to neaderthal beliefs such as the earth only being 6,000 years old, there is little hope a remedial natural history class is going to enlighten them. University standards exist for a good reason, as I'm sure you'd agree, and to compromise those standards would be to compromise education in a retrogressive slide. As you say, " 'If the courses are adequately taught' is the key phrase here". Well, that's the standard, and there's no reason to doubt that such a standard can be objectively presented and defended. Yes, it's tough luck that these students have been effectively brainwashed at the hands of their fundamentalist parents, but the UC system is an institution of "higher" learning, and it's hard enough for clear-thinking students to get in as it is. It would be unadvisable, I think, to further handicap the most deserving students in favor of trying to rescue a mind that has a much less likely chance of actually benefitting from the UC system of education. "Oh, your parents sent you to a private Christian academy and you learned the "three R's" through a distored Biblical prism, kid? And now you can't even compose a coherent paragraph or do basic algebra? We're terribly sorry, but right now UC isn't where you need to be. May we suggest remedial instruction at the nearest fully accredited junior college? They have transfer programs that would serve you well. Best of luck, and study hard!" (And never, ever, compromise your education.)

by Forrest Prince on Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 02:15:03 PM EST

Whether students from fundamentalist schools have the academic ability and background to function in state colleges and universities should be only one element of the discussion. In many colleges and universities in other states, fundamentalist students have shown a remarkable desire to try to control what goes on in the classroom. While most instructors in colleges and universities do exercise intellectual freedom and teach "straight up and without apology", that does not mean there are no efforts at intimidation and those efforts are sometimes successful. It is not unusual for university instructors to walk into class worrying a little about who might be offended by today's discussion and what action that person might take. Fundamentalist students have been known to disrupt class, file false complaints, and spend entire semesters claiming (even whining) that particular professors do not respect their religious beliefs if they are not permitted to direct classroom discussions. In history courses, an open discussion of such topics as the Salem Witch Trials, deism and the Enlightenment, sex attitudes in the 1920s, and a variety of others, could in any given semester bring on a vindictive stream of complaints. They will claim that low or failing grades are falsely assigned by professors who are discriminating against them based on religion (grade complaints are generally minor, but no one enjoys defending against them). They are not only ill-educated, they are often vicious. For their entire lives, they have been taught that certain thoughts and ideas are dangerous and that they have a right to prevent the expression of those ideas. Public colleges and universities, they claim, should not interfere with their beliefs - meaning faculty members should be prevented from teaching them anything with which they disagree. California's standards for what the state will consider "adequately taught" seem lenient and more than fair and at least California has some standards. When students from fundamentalist schools begin entering state colleges and universities in large numbers, they will begin filing more and more lawsuits against those universities to force their agenda. Their behavior can leave the impression that they are encouraged by their parents and churches to create controversy (particularly after hearing several students say "my church doesn't believe that" in response to in class discussions, apparently expecting that should settle in further question). Why would they want admission to those dirty public colleges and universities, anyway? They will just learn about evolution, sex, and other unacceptable notions - unless they can take control of the curriculum. But, maybe that's just paranoia.

by gertrudes on Tue Oct 23, 2007 at 10:02:19 AM EST