Yale Cancels “Intro To Art History” Course Because It’s Too White

This is the last term Yale University will offer “Introduction to Art History: Renaissance to Present,” a once-renowned survey course.  Why?  Because it’s 2020 and that means the survey course of art through Western Civilization wasn’t diverse or inclusive enough.

According to the Yale Daily News, Tim Barringer, chair of the Art History department and instructor for the course, believes that focusing on the Western canon and its most influential works is “problematic” because it comes at the expense of focusing on other regions, genres, and traditions that are “equally deserving of study.”

“I want all Yale students (and all residents of New Haven who can enter our museums freely) to have access to and to feel confident analyzing and enjoying the core works of the western tradition.  But I don’t mistake a history of European paintings for the history of all art in all places,” Barring told the news agency in an email.

Of course the history of European art isn’t the history of all art.  If that’s the issue, Yale should have simply changed the course name rather than cancel it altogether.

That wouldn’t be woke enough, however.  It’s not the characterization of the course Yale doesn’t like – it’s the course itself.  They dislike the idea of “an idealized Western ‘canon’ – a product of an overwhelmingly white, straight European and male cadre of artists.”

Never mind the massive impact Western art has had on civilization, Yale says, we need to downplay that in the name of diversity.  In fact, Yale is changing its art history curriculum to better align with the leftist agenda better reflect the “essential truth” that there is no one history of art.

Now, the curriculum will emphasize the relationship between works from Western and non-Western countries, and students will be encouraged to consider the ways the artwork relates to race, gender, class, capitalism, and climate change.

Ugh.  I love art.  The original “Intro to Art History: Renaissance to Present” sounded great.  A new course designed to look at art through the lens of climate change?  Count me out.

I’m so glad I finished college before higher education completely lost its mind.