The fallout at Harvard from L’Affaire Gay continues. On Wednesday, Harvard Divinity School announced the removal of one of the school’s most popular courses from its curriculum.
“A Priest, a Rabbi, and a Mullah Walk into a Bar” (DIV 421) is an elective that has been offered at Harvard for decades. DIV 421 focuses on the use of “pulpit humor” during religious services, and over the years it has featured guest speakers such as Billy Crystal, Joan Rivers, Ricky Gervais, and Whoopi Goldberg.
According to Marla Frederick, Dean of the Divinity School, “this course is the latest casualty in the culture wars that plague our nation. Last semester the instructor of DIV 421 told two classic liturgical jokes in class that several students found highly objectionable; the first was ‘Huns versus Nuns’ and the second was ‘When Allah Ate Challah’. Rather than continue to risk a firestorm of controversy ignited by humorless dimwits following every class session, we have decided to eliminate the course entirely. I must admit, I’m getting tired of dealing with this bulls**t.”
DIV 421 will be replaced by a new elective, DIV 428: “Sparkling or Tap? Current Controversies in Baptismal-Font Water.”