I Teach Computer Science, and That Is Not All

"I teach computer science, and that is all," wrote Boaz Barak, of Harvard University, in a recent op-ed in The New York Times.a The main point of the op-ed was to protest the growing politicization of U.S. higher education, especially at elite universities, where we have seen many faculty members proceed from scholarship to advocacy. But in spite of the provocative title, the content of Barak's op-ed is quite more nuanced. "We should not normalize bringing one's ideology to the classroom," wrote Barak, and I could not agree more. But he also wrote that "The interaction of computer science and policy sometimes arises in my classes, and I make sure to present multiple perspectives." Here, Barak is advocating fairness and balance, rather than neutrality and avoidance of non-technical topics.