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Students Call for Banning of Peace Studies Class
Andrew Saraf, left, with fellow critic Avishek Panth. Saraf ignited debate with a post to the school list-serv: "The [Peace Studies] 'class' is headed by an individual with a political agenda."
(By Sarah L. Voisin -- The Washington Post)
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For McCarthy, it seems Peace Studies is not just a cause; it is a crusade.
"Unless we teach them peace, someone else will teach them violence," he said.
Students might spend one class period listening to a guest speaker who opposes the death penalty and another, if they choose, standing along East West Highway protesting the war.
But that, students said, is part of the course's appeal.
"We're all mature enough to take it all in with a hint of skepticism," said Megan Andrews, 17. "We respect Mr. McCarthy's views, but we don't absorb them like sponges."
When they walk through the door of their fourth-floor classroom, students said, they never know what they might find. Once McCarthy brought in a live turkey to illustrate a point about animal rights. Everything went well until the turkey escaped and urinated in the hallway.
And Friday, when students opened the door, they saw Mahatma Gandhi -- or, rather, Bernard Meyer, a peace activist from Olympia, Wash., dressed as Gandhi. Meyer spent most of the class time taking questions from students about "life" as Gandhi. McCarthy, too, jumped in, quizzing Gandhi about his views on arranged marriage. At the end of the period, he jumped from his chair.
"Let's take a photo of us with Gandhi," he said, gathering the students.
Susie Doyle, 18, said she respects Saraf and Panth for having the courage to speak out on the school e-mail list about their concerns. She does not agree, but said: "It would be a little hypocritical to jump on them. I have a little trouble with them criticizing the course since they haven't taken it, but it's important that they speak up."
In the meantime, Saraf and Panth said, they plan to do more research and present their case for discontinuing the course to the administration. For now, however, the administration said it has no plan to do away with Peace Studies.
"Peace Studies is one of the things that makes B-CC unique," Bulson said. "It's been an institution here, and kids from all across the spectrum have taken it. It's not about indoctrination. It's about debate and dialogue."
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