As September approaches, several topics require your attention.
At the top of the list, I hope our Middle East experts will address curriculum issues related to 9/11. The terrorist attack continues to influence international relations curricula, but I believe history, political science and international relations programs largely fail to adequately teach Middle Eastern history and politics. They often fail to explain why the attacks occurred, and they fail to teach students about Islam, the region and America’s subsequent wars. A survey last year found that 30 percent of Generation Z students believe that Osama bin Laden’s ideas made sense—a disturbing sign of how poorly these important topics are taught.
Other topics also require your analysis.
Richard Vedder has written in detail about college sports, but there is room for more voices. Some argue that college sports, with their increasing professional opportunities and financial incentives, distract colleges and universities from their academic goals. Do you agree with this assessment?
Furthermore, I believe conservatives who are optimistic about the decline of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives—citing examples like Florida and Texas banning DEI offices and administrators—are naive. As I reported Earlier this year, these administrators often moved into teaching positions, where they continue to influence required courses and advance anti-American and anti-Western agendas. Even as conservatives claim victory by dismantling DEI departments, they are only picking the fruit that is easiest to harvest—celebrating the victory while leaving the underlying structure intact.
And finally, no author has yet looked into the crystal ball, even though we are in an election year. What new education policies might we see if Kamala Harris is elected? And conversely, how might Trump, if elected, shake up higher education?
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