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I'm taking a class on diversity and the curriculum is utterly fascinating. So far, we've read articles and watched films that deal with touchy topics like racism, sexism, homophobia and hate crimes. We write position papers and have point-counterpoint discussions. There are people from all walks of life in the class and with different majors. The debates are always lively and the professor mixes it up so much that we have to get to know everyone in the class. The class is also racially mixed. It's one of the most exhilarating classes I've taken at USC. The only drawback -- all this takes place online.
I won't get to see any of these interesting folks in person until after we've finished working together. That's really sad. But is it? I've been wondering whether the online environment is a more fertile place to deal with such issues, especially here at USC where -- and I've said this before -- all the "ism" issues seem harder to confront. Well, maybe I should say it's harder to find folks willing to sit and talk about these issues without blowing a gasket. Are there spaces on campus that have the kind of vibe you need to talk openly about politics, race and class? Here's a list of the hotspots:
Cool Beans and Immaculate Consumption: By default, coffee houses are great places to talk about, say, Alpha Phi Alpha's Creed Week poster -- the one hanging prominently in the Russell House and looking like an advertisement for "Black Girls Gone Wild."
School of Music entrance: You can almost always find chain-smoking pianists willing to discuss homosexuality and S&M overtones in Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker," while the music history nerds debate the whole "Beethoven was really black" issue.
Humanities Building courtyard: There are small pockets of political dissent. You have to look carefully. Find the grungy English, history and foreign language students.
Near The Gamecock racks: Sometimes articles in these pages strike a nerve so hard that strangers start conversations. I've seen this.
Classrooms: A tiny handful. But I've only heard rumors.
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