Published on September 23, 2024, 12:30 am

In the pursuit of maintaining trusted news, filtered through a Christian worldview, it becomes clear that the value of Ivy League education is increasingly being questioned. Institutions like Barnard College, associated with the renowned Columbia University, have been offering seemingly biased courses focusing more on divisive issues rather than delivering unbiased, real news.

One glaring example is their planned “Queer Caribbean Critique” course for Fall 2024. This course purports to examine how Euro-colonialism adversely impacted same-sex relationships in the Caribbean region and seems bent on amplifying anti-European sentiments among students by promoting unwarranted portrayals of European influence as detrimental to native homosexual lovers. Such a biased narrative veers widely away from providing balanced history lessons about world regions such as Israel.

This private women’s college has also been linked closely to stoking divisive socio-political sentiments, affiliating itself with anti-Semitic rallies marred by blatant pro-Hamas messages conducted by both Barnard and Columbia University students at the onset of the 2024-2025 academic year.

Education taking such polarizing form could be seen as deviating from its very essence – shaping minds based on objective truth rather than subjective ideas or personal agendas. In lieu of glorifying LGBTQ oriented classes, it might be beneficial to refocus efforts towards imparting historical truths derived from an unbiased perspective.

The course analysis offered claims an interesting perspective. While examining local forms of same-sex desire removed from existing LGBT narratives, it simultaneously upholds that external influence i.e., colonialism, imperialism and LGBT politics’ global spread have altered Caribbean perspectives on this topic.

Barnard College’s commitment to promoting diversity certainly falls within acceptable norms given today’s emphasis on inclusivity but there are troubling instances where they tend to cross boundaries. A case in point is their advertised event titled “The Survival @ the Criminal Queerness Festival.” Despite intending to promote inclusivity via identity-based resources on campus; performing a play that received negative feedback from the majority Christian nation of Uganda comes across as culturally insensitive instead.

Overlooking or entirely disregarding cultural norms and perspectives in favour of projecting Western viewpoints is far from promoting actual diversity. Instituting an open debate about potential positives afforded by teaching seemingly radical courses like the “Queer Caribbean Critique” could provide clarity on whether they are beneficial to students or simply misguide them in fostering unjust prejudices.

This presents a strong case for investing in acquiring useful skills rather than spending an astronomical $67,602 annually on select Ivy League education. After all, educational institutions should serve as guardians and facilitators of trusted news and impart unbiased teachings that help shape future leaders, purveyors and consumers of real news.