Identity and Ideology in the UMPI MA in American Studies

[Jonathan Whatley]

This course shows extreme ideological bias in its description of the courses, choice of courses, and viewpoint discrimination (eg; an odd choice to pretend that the Civil War had only one side fighting.)

Although the degree includes the course AMS 560 Echoes of Valor: Union Civil War Soldiers’ Experiences in Pension Records with a dual focus on historical methods and Union soldiers (but no mirror-image with a specific focus on Southern soldiers), it also includes the course AMS 530 The American South (and no mirror-image course broadly about the North or New England).

Although we don’t know the exact assignments, a student interested in Confederate soldiers’ experiences could well be able to explore those topics either as a counterpoint to Union soldiers within an assignment in AMS 560, or as a subfocus within an assignment in AMS 530. Not to mention in the courses about oral history, local history, and violence in America.

Both the most charitable and the simplest reasonable explanation for a course with a specific focus on Union soldiers’ experiences in pension records is that a faculty member has a specific expertise in that topic.

This is a university from a very, very blue state.

Let’s be junior American studies scholars and investigate local history records, 2024 election results in Maine by municipality. Presque Isle voted Trump 53.9% Harris 44.6%. Presque Isle is part of a large geographic area of Northeastern Maine containing only Trump voting municipalities, except one tiny blue dot of Madawaska Lake Township, where a majority of the township’s 110 voters did go for Harris.

Maine statewide did vote Harris 52.4% Trump 45.5%. Its senators are a centrist Republican and a centrist Independent who caucuses with Democrats. Its current two-term governor is a centrist Democrat, but its previous two-term governor until 2019 was a stridently pro-Trump Republican.

[Lady_Gumshoe]

I gave up attempting to discuss items on here when numerous participants "liked" the previous post saying that conservatives are inherently bigots and thus not deserving of humanity.  Im skeptical that anyone embracing that level of hate is willing to have an honest discussion. 

Maybe some people liked your previous comments only because the topic finally picked up again after a long latency period. It doesn't necessarily mean they agree that those on the right side of the aisle are bigots. Maybe some do, but in the big scheme of things, who cares? Although I'm a conservative I simply toed the line when it came to my undergrad minor, poli sci. I may have completed my BLS their way but my convictions never changed, and I am well aware of the left mentality prevailing in most universities. That's not a cop-out, but honestly those professors weren't going to change my mind any more than I was going to change theirs. I was incredulous almost every day how more malleable minds could morph into extreme leftist beliefs. It's basically the same thing as working for a snarky boss in a job you love. Kicking beehives serves no purpose. Playing the game is a coping strategy to get what you want from the world without it destroying you. It's literally the art of the deal. I have forfeited nothing.

[wow]

I gave up attempting to discuss items on here when numerous participants "liked" the previous post saying that conservatives are inherently bigots and thus not deserving of humanity.  Im skeptical that anyone embracing that level of hate is willing to have an honest discussion. 

I may have missed a post here, so could you please direct me to the one that said that neither conservatives nor bigots were deserving of humanity? Or have we both read the same posts but interpreted in different ways?

[bluebooger]

lock this stupid thread -- its way off topic

[wow]

lock this stupid thread -- its way off topic

I agree it is stupid. I have a mixed assessment of whether it's off topic. I think it's on topic in the sense that it sticks to the subject of the thread. However, I'm not sure it belongs in the UMPI subforum--every time it gets bumped to the top of that subforum, it detracts from actual posts that people who want to learn about UMPI actually want to see. I'm all for moving this thread to "Off Topic," where it will be completely on topic.

[Jonathan Whatley]

I'm all for moving this thread to "Off Topic," where it will be completely on topic.

Done! There’s a temporary redirect to the thread on the UMPI forum, and a permanent link within the main thread on the MA in American Studies.