>“How is math manipulated to allow inequality and oppression to persist?”
That doesn't seem like injecting ethnic studies into math to me.
In fact, I think this is an excellent type of question. Schools should be teaching more critical thinking exactly like this, in every domain. For example, manipulation of scales, axes, statistical bias, and mathematical context are one of the key tools that people like climate change deniers use to spread their propaganda. Mathematics education should be about more than just handraulically banging out a bunch of long division. Interpretation and context are key underpinnings of mathematics.
Oh course I do, which is why several of my comments in this thread were about the importance of statistics education.
I'm okay with having classes pointing out propaganda so long as it is even handed in pointing out propaganda irrespective of agenda. If a professor only points out the propaganda of those with whom they disagree, that's a bad class.
Part of educational development has to include the realization that your instructors themselves have individual biases. To expect educators to be completely even handed and bias free is unrealistic.
Agree and I think many people here on HN realize that. I can't say the same for many of the people I know that are college educated, which leads me to think that we're largely missing that aspect of educational development.
>“How is math manipulated to allow inequality and oppression to persist?”
That doesn't seem like injecting ethnic studies into math to me.
In fact, I think this is an excellent type of question. Schools should be teaching more critical thinking exactly like this, in every domain. For example, manipulation of scales, axes, statistical bias, and mathematical context are one of the key tools that people like climate change deniers use to spread their propaganda. Mathematics education should be about more than just handraulically banging out a bunch of long division. Interpretation and context are key underpinnings of mathematics.