A college student is asking her school to “eradicate” books because she deems the “garbage” content offensive.
Tara Schultz, a Crafton Hills College student, complained to her college's administration that the graphic novels required for her English 250 course were not appropriate, as they are "pornographic and violent."
Speaking to Redlands Daily Facts, Schultz said, “I didn’t expect to open the book and see that graphic material within. I expected Batman and Robin, not pornography.”
English 250 is a course that satisfies a general education requirement at Crafton Hills College for individuals to pursue an associate’s degree.
The professor who assigned the readings, Ryan Bartlett, is an associate English professor at Crafton Hills College.
On Rate My Professor, Bartlett has overwhelmingly positive reviews, earning four-point-eight stars out of a possible five.
Bartlett told Redland Daily Facts this is the first time he has had a student complain about the course material in the three semesters he has been teaching the course.
Schultz told Redlands Daily Facts that at a minimum, she wants a “warning on the books.”
“At most I would like the books eradicated from the system. I don’t want them taught anymore. I don’t want anyone else to have to read this garbage,” she added.
The “garbage” in question includes the graphic novel “Persepolis,” which is an autobiographical account of the Marjane Satrapi’s life in revolutionary, war-torn Iran.
Schultz also objected to the content found in Alison Bechdel’s “Fun Home,” Brian Vaughan’s “Y: The Last Man, Vol. 1,” and Neil Gaiman’s “The Sandman, Vol. 2: The Doll’s House.”
Bartlett defended his decision to include the books in the curriculum in an exchange with Redland Daily Facts:
“I chose several highly acclaimed, award-winning graphic novels in my English 250 course not because they are purportedly racy but because each speaks to the struggles of the human condition.”
He continued,
“As Faulkner states, ‘The only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself.’ The same may be said about reading literature. The characters in the chosen graphic novels are all struggling with issues of morality, self discovery, heart break, etc. The course in question has also been supported by the faculty, administration and approved by the board.”
Schultz, her parents, and her friends hope to have the books removed by the school. If that is not feasible, they say a "warning" would suffice.