|
||
|
||
|
|
 |
College cans class on atheists
February 14, 2001 BY DAN ROZEK SUBURBAN REPORTER
The College of DuPage is dropping a planned class on atheists of note, amid complaints from a prominent suburban atheist that the course promised to be a "hatchet job" attacking nonbelievers. But college officials said Tuesday they're canceling the class, not because of the complaints, but because they decided it appeared, based on a catalog description, to be "academically inappropriate." "I didn't think it was academically sound," said Ed Storke, associate dean of liberal arts at COD. "The description sounds like it's pushing a particular point of view." Atheist Rob Sherman of Buffalo Grove complained about the "Significant Atheists" class to the college Monday after hearing about the course description published recently in a quarterly catalogue. COD officials announced the cancellation of the class Tuesday, though they insisted that decision had been made last week, before Sherman protested. "The decision to drop the course was made before we heard from him," COD spokesman Bill Troller said. The class had been scheduled to start in late March, for three credit hours. Sherman argued it would have painted prominent atheists in history--such as Charles Darwin and Sigmund Freud--as troubled, obsessed individuals. "It was a hatchet job," Sherman said. "What the course really should have been described as was `Finding Fault With Significant Atheists.' " A quarterly catalogue published last week by COD describes the class this way: "They feared brilliant, powerful domineering fathers; they rejected faith, art and beauty; they were depressed and obsessed with death, sex and fear. Beginning from the middle of the 19th century to the middle of the 20th century, this course will explore the similar backgrounds, experiences and spiritual struggles of the four European men recognized as modern atheism's most significant forerunners: Charles Darwin, Thomas Huxley, Friedrich Nietzsche and Sigmund Freud." The humanities class was to be part of the college's Older Adult Institute, which offers classes for students 65 and older. Storke made the call to drop the class. He said that, based on the description he saw, it didn't meet his criteria for "fairness and academic soundness. This description, to me, is out of line. I thought this was too one-sided." The class, according to college officials, was to be taught by a part-time instructor, Kanan Rosenstein, who couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday. Storke said he isn't sure Rosenstein wrote the course description. Instead, Troller said it appears that staffers at the college did. Sherman in the past has successfully sued the village government in Zion to force it to change the "God Reigns" motto emblazoned on the Zion seal and fought against prayers at suburban village board meetings. Though pleased that the college canceled the class, he questioned how it ever was approved. "The obvious purpose of this taxpayer-funded course is to make atheists and atheism look bad," Sherman said. Storke said he initially approved the class last year after seeing a different, less inflammatory description in a different college publication that said it would "explore the similar backgrounds, experience and spiritual struggles of the four European men generally recognized by modern philosophers as modern agnosticism's and atheism's most significant forerunners: Charles Darwin, Thomas Huxley, Friedrich Nietzsche and Sigmund Freud."
|
|
[News]
[Sports] [Business]
[Showcase] [Classifieds]
[Columnists] [Feedback]
[Home] |
