A Time To Explore

To the editors:

The reason Harvard does not require courses on Shakespeare or the Constitution is because most of us learned about them in high school (Op-ed, “Bring Back the Dead White Men,” Nov. 6). College is a place to delve deeply into one’s chosen field; for example, in visual and environmental studies we learn that the “African Art” you mention crucially influenced Pablo Picasso, a dead white man. (Or do Spanish men not count?)

In addition, this would seem to be the worst possible time in American history to contend that ideas of “Islam and nationalism in the Middle East” are not “important” or “have no impact.” Is it not important understand other countries before we’re at war with them?

Emily J. Carmichael ’04

Nov. 6, 2003