Defending Western Civilization

An important bill to build a School for Western Civilization at UT is going through the lege. The hearings have been held, but it is still in committee (Chair Dan Branch). A Daily Texan Article on the bill:

State Rep. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, introduced a bill to create the School of Ethics, Western Civilization and American Traditions at UT during the House’s Higher Education Committee meeting Wednesday.

Students in the school would be required to take 18 hours of Western civilization studies, including courses covering ancient philosophy and literature, the Bible and Renaissance and Enlightenment classics.

These courses would count for 18 hours of the traditional core curriculum requirement, and students would then have to complete an additional 18 hours of coursework in Western civilization.

This is a great idea. It is shocking to say the least to have some faculty members critical of the bill. Dr. Pangle said “The name ‘Western Civilizations and American [Traditions]’ sounds really right-wing, like there’s an axe to grind,”

Really? Yes, I have an axe to grind. My tax dollars today go towards indoctrinating kids in dumb and wrong ideas, at Universites like UT where the 'core' have been hollowed out into an empty shell and where politically correct pseudo-intellectual nonsense abounds. Taxpayers are supporting institutions that educate poorly for too much money. Meanwhile, as UT and liberal arts Colleges get worse yet more expensive, I worry about where to send my kids.

If we have this school, at least I know my kids and other studends will be learning something useful to their civic education.