Why Evolution is True is a blog written by Jerry Coyne, centered on evolution and biology but also dealing with diverse topics like politics, culture, and cats.
Today’s Jesus and Mo strip, called “cube,” came with this note (and an admission that the strip is late to the party): Provoked by this ridiculous story that appeared in December last year. The story, of course, is about how the instructor at Hamhanded University (really Hamline U.) was fire for showing two paintings depicting the face … Continue reading Jesus ‘n’ Mo ‘n’ Hamline
I saw this tweet early this morning, and was surprised (Hamline University is a small—ca. 2000 student—private liberal arts school in St. Paul, Minnesota: BREAKING: At an all-faculty meeting at Hamline today, 86 percent of full-time professors voted to ask President Fayneese Miller to resign. Will update @SahanJournal https://t.co/ZnTIn5qHBW — Becky Zosia Dernbach (@bzosiad) January … Continue reading Hamline University faculty calls for their President to resign
I’ve discussed “Muhammadgate” at Hamline University quite a few times before, and, at any rate, the details are given in the update below from the American Association of University Professors (AAUP; click on screenshot) and especially in the AAUP’s report here and pdf here. In short, in June, 2022, an adjunct professor of art history, Erika … Continue reading The AAUP rebukes Hamline University for academic mistreatment of a professor
At the same time, academic freedom does not operate in a vacuum. It is subject to the dictates of society and the laws governing certain types of behavior. Imara Scott, in an April 2022 article published in Inside Higher Ed, noted that “academic freedom, like so many ideological principles, can be manipulated, misunderstood, and misrepresented…academic … Continue reading Hamline University reconsiders its stand on academic freedom; fired instructor sues the school
As I’ve reported, Hamline University, a small liberal-arts school in Minnesota, recently fired an unidentified professor who showed two images of the body and face of Muhammad to one of his/her classes. The prof even warned the students in advance that the images would be shown, giving them a chance to opt out. And despite … Continue reading Hamline University assailed for firing professor who showed images of Muhammad’s face in class (with a trigger warning)
I just wanted to pass along this email I got from FIRE (the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression), for it contains a link to a page where you can sent an email directly to Hamline’s President Fayneese Miller about the Islamic painting fracas that prioritized faux blasphemy and faux offense over academic freedom. I … Continue reading A note from FIRE on Hamline fracas, and a site where you can write to the University’s president.
“Respect for the observant Muslim students in that classroom should have superceded academic freedom.” —Fayneese Miller, President, Hamline University And so Hamline University joins the Big Two of other liberal-arts schools that have embarrassed themselves via the administration’s defense of the indefensible: The Evergreen State College and Oberlin College. Evergreen defended thuggish students who were … Continue reading The NYT finally writes about the Hamline University/Muhammad story, and Kenan Malik offers his take
If you read this site you almost certainly remember the controversy beginning in late December, 2022 at Hamline University, a small liberal-arts school in Minnesota. I wrote several times about what ensued when an art-history teacher, Erika López Prater, showed her class two images of Muhammad depicted as a person. One, very famous (below), showed … Continue reading In wake of controversy over showing images of Muhammad, and a faculty vote of no confidence, the president of Hamline University “retires”
This story is unbelievable but is true. The summary piece in New Lines Magazine describes how a professor at Hamline University, a private liberal arts college in St. Paul, Minnesota, was fired for showing an image of Muhammad’s face to their [the prof apparently uses plural pronouns) class. The professor and class are unnamed. This … Continue reading Professor fired for showing art class image of Muhammad with his face visible (something not unusual in the history of Islamic art). Students and university go wild with crazy allegations of “Islamophobia”
As I’ve written about several times, Erika López Prater, an instructor at Hamline University in Minnesota, was fired by the school for showing a 14th-century image of Muhammad’s face in her art-history survey course. (She also showed a painting of the Prophet with his face veiled but rest of his body complete). The instructor warned … Continue reading Minnesota art-history faculty, as well as a Muslim organization, support fired instructor who showed her class a painting with Muhammad’s face (and a new video with the instructor)
