Inside Higher Ed: Buying a Spot on the Syllabus
Some professors at Marshall University believe that the institution has crossed an ethical line by accepting a gift that requires that a specific book — Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged — be taught in a course.
While the criticisms have come from professors who are not fans of Rand’s philosophy, they stress that their objection has nothing to do with this particular book, and that they would have no problem with a professor making the choice to include it on a syllabus. Their concern, they said, is a university accepting a gift that requires any book to be taught — when book selection should be a faculty prerogative.
“Atlas Shrugged can be taught. It’s the required part that is problematic,” said Jamie Warner, director of undergraduate studies in political science. Under this precedent, she said, “you could see neo-Nazis giving money and saying that you have to teach Mein Kampf.“
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