If your answer was Normandy, France, the site of the D-Day landings, you’re correct. But Jerry Davis is worried that kids these days might wager Nebraska.
That’s why the College of the Ozarks, where Davis is president, has launched a new required course for freshmen -- dubbed Patriotic Education and Fitness -- to combat what he sees as rising anti-American, antipatriotic sentiments in American culture that have been "bubbling for many years." How much that is true versus how much that is his perception is certainly up for debate, but given that one of the college’s five pillars is “patriotic education,” the course certainly fits the culture of the Christian liberal arts college.
8 comments:
When I first saw this article my immediate thought is that “Patriotic Education” sounds like pure propaganda and makes me think of Orwell’s 1984. However, the actual description of the class seems reasonable. Sure, I’m not a huge fan of the idea of marksmanship being an inherent part of being American, and I also personally see protocol regarding the American flag as unimportant, though when it comes to the second point I am aware that I dislike tradition for tradition’s sake and tend not to have a sentimental attachment to objects or care much about the symbolic nature of things, so I don’t see the American flag as important in the way that many people do. That aside, I think a class that gives students a better understanding of how the American government functions and a better understanding of American history and geography makes sense. Quite frankly, I also think we should has a country have a better understanding of global history and geography.
That all being said, I really hope this class teaches accurate American history. I think right now the American history typically taught in elementary school, middle school, and in many places high school, is more of American mythology that American history. In my experience, we tend to study the parts of American history that make America look good. I know I studied the Lewis and Clark Trail in depth, but we didn’t really talk much about the Trail of Tears. We studied WWII yet glossed over the atomic bombs and internment camps. The history of the United States contains slavery, genocide, xenophobia, racism, sexism, homophobia, economic inequality, exploitation... the list goes on and on. That doesn’t mean the United States has never done anything good, but I worry that the history taught in a “Patriotic Education” class would promote a view of America that ignores many important historical factors that contribute to inequality that exists to this day. Then again, that all depends on your definition of patriotic. I would argue that understanding your country's past, including the mistakes and atrocities, and understanding the problems that still exist from that and trying to work to lessen those lasting impacts and improve your country is more patriotic than insisting on believing your country is great and always has been, even if that requires actively ignoring reality in order to do that. I’d be really curious to see a syllabus for this Patriotic Education class. Also, regardless, I think it might be best for the class to have a less propaganda sounding name.
Interesting! Where do I sign up? I could use a refresher on my marksmanship skills. It’s been a while since I’ve hunted or generally just shot off a few rounds at a shooting range. I like Julians thoughts and perspective and he makes some good points, although I see it differently. I made a rule a long time ago never to wear the American Flag as a piece of clothing or hat or costume. For me, coming from a military family, I have a different understanding about respect for the flag. I have been to the airport when a fallen soldiers body has been removed from the plane and stood there with his widow at his flag draped coffin. It’s one of those things that I don’t recommend that you have on your bucket list. My father died this past July, he was military. Sitting at the graveside while Taps was being played, the flag folded and a 3 gun volley was fired puts everything in life into perspective.
I learned social studies, American history and politics from elementary school all the way through my undergrad. I’ve studied the atrocities committed in the name of the United States against indigenous peoples, foreign nations and its own American citizens. Courses like this, although maybe modified, should be a requirement for every freshman really. Too many people have lost the understanding of how the victors write the history and the losers stories get buried. It would be interesting to see the syllabus for this course to see how it’s laid out and what it covers. As Julian said, if it covers both the good and bad of American history, then go for it.
I started reading this article thinking it was such a good idea, and finished feeling like the class would end up being dogmatic and dictatorial. As a conscientious objector, anything that has people acting like they are in the military, raises my hackles. I think this class’s basic goals are good ones: to allow ordinary citizens to understand those serving in the military, and understand civics and governmental structure. The latter seems like it should take place in High School when everyone studies US History. However, now that teachers must teach for the tests, I understand if there is not the time to adequately impart to students how the government works. And understanding the country that you live in is important. But WORSHIPING the country you live in without seeing its flaws is not conducive to change and is not in the spirit of the Founding Fathers who wanted to allow the common citizen to change the country if it was not working for the Everyman.
The fact that this school’s sports teams will not play against teams who will not stand for the national anthem implies that they are promoting reverence for the country without room for detractors. Everyone should have freedom to disagree with the national anthem. Freedom of speech is important, but freedom of thought is even more so.
Die Gedanken sind frei, my thought freely flower
Die Gedanken sind frei, my thoughts give me power
No scholar can map them, no hunter can trap them
No one can deny, die Gedanken sind frei
Like Julian hearing the phrase "Patriotic Education" is a very big red flag for me. To me it seems like a small step away from indoctrination, but that might just be my interpretation of it. However, the details of the course that are listed in the article aren't very reassuring. It says that the course includes "physical- and military-oriented education components -- such as map reading, rifle marksmanship, military organization and protocol regarding the American flag". Some of these skills seem practical, but the idea of having to learn how to use a gun in a mandatory college class is baffling to me. I understand that different universities have different values, but could you imagine if instead of interp we went to a shooting range? Something about this seems really off-putting to me and I hope that the class gives an honest picture of American history, but I have a feeling it will probably be fairly biased.
I am the child of an enlisted soldier who served for 23 years. I grew up in military culture, have affection for many parts of it, and still feel at home when surrounded by military people. I consider myself deeply patriotic.
And I find this repulsive.
1) Davis claims the course is designed to counteract “rising anti-American [and] antipatriotic sentiments in American culture” as if both of those trends are somehow the result of a lack of education and service in the military and not related to the way our nation has behaved, how it is being run, and the implosion of the “American Dream” mythology. It implies that a lack of patriotism is wrong, which is dangerous. A country doesn’t deserve anyone’s patriotism. It earns it. And it must earn it continually. I am not obligated to love this country because it has afforded me a privilege it has denied many. I am obligated, as a citizen, to be aggressively critical and work to make it better.
2) Patriotism and martial spirit are two different things and it should stay that way. Military behavior and training shouldn’t be conflated with patriotism because it (wrongly) implies that the military is the root of patriotism and creates a dynamic in which criticism of an idolized military becomes unpatriotic. It’s dangerous. You don’t have to ape military behavior to understand love of country. This course isn’t teaching people to identify their own personal idea of patriotism, but pressuring people to conform to one idealized version of it.
It also implies that the prevalence of a certain kind of patriotism in the military makes it the “right” kind of patriotism. It is only one kind. And it is the kind you need to have to be willing to go to war. Having an entire citizenry with that kind of patriotism will turn us into a nation of hawks.
3) Universities and colleges shouldn’t be “intentional” about patriotism because that’s indoctrination. Contrary to what Mr. Davis says, patriotism isn’t a necessary “skill” like English. If you want students to be better citizens, teach courses about civic engagement and activism. If you want students to known Omaha Beach is in Normandy, teach American history courses.
Maybe if people like Mr. Davis were more interested in creating a generation of activists and public servants we’d make enough progress to convince more people this country is worth loving.
I wish I had 't overslept so I would have more time to discuss this article. I agree wholeheartedly with Rachel's well-crafted comment. The thought of a patriotic education, where students learn to protect and worship the flag and the government, no matter what, is beyond terrifying. The idea of a fitness curriculum that glorifies the military and blurs the line between one's own patriotism and the official stance on what patriotism looks like is equally terrifying. I consider myself a patriot. I have a deep love for what this country is supposed to stand for, "liberty and justice for all." And it is my love for this country that makes me constantly question and criticize its behavior. People who love their country should hold it to a certain standard, not shout that protest and change are equal to disrespect. When I imagine the graduates of this university, I see hundreds of facebook posts about how insulting it is for Colin Kaepernick to take a knee during the anthem, because they've learned that the flag is God and worshipping it is the only way to be American. This needs to be shut right down.
While the name of this course certainly seems to allude to an Orwellian level of indoctrination, this school is a private institution that is allowed to have whatever curriculum it chooses. Students have the choice to go to this school, and if students do not agree with this curriculum then they can choose to not attend. Academic freedom is a necessary component of any higher education system as it fosters and encourages free thought and an exchange of ideas. Candidly, some of this course seems to be geared towards ensuring that students have a full understanding of basic knowledge trivia about American history, which I do not see as entirely bad; however, the more militaristic aspects of the course seem to be a extremely off putting, and will likely serve as a force for indoctrination of impressionable youth.
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