Mort Sahl Leaves Claremont

By Emily Meinhardt | July 24, 2009 at 9:50 am | News | 13 comments | |

 

The Berkeley Daily Planet reports that Mort Sahl will not be returning to CMC in the fall:

The past two years, he’s taught at Claremont McKenna College, in Southern California: “Two classes: ‘The Revolutionary’s Handbook’ and ‘Screenwriting.’ They wanted screenwriting. It’s all a facade; I really talk about the same thing. I try to bring them a fresh perspective to those stones unturned about American history.” He joked about the student body “running around with an Apple under their arm and an i-Phone in their hand, not understanding they’re carrying the instruments of divisiveness.” He won’t be returning this fall. “Two years is enough. Claremont’s too isolated. I’ve had a call from the University of Chicago, another from UCLA. Time to move on, do something else.”

The comedian-turned-professor was brought in by the Gould Center to teach interdisciplinary courses, covering such topics as classic films, jazz music, JFK’s assasination, and the social-political revolution of the 1960s. During his time in Claremont, Sahl was frequently spotted at Collins dining hall and Pomona’s Coop Fountain. Students at his new appointments will surely benefit from Sahl’s wit, observations, and life experience.

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Emily Meinhardt

Emily Meinhardt is the managing editor of the Forum. Hailing from the Midwest, she "studies" Government and Art History. But really, she loves news so much that she just stares at Google Reader all day long. Fun fact: she actually enjoys nagging writers and editing html -- or she just doesn't want to work on thesis. One or the other.

 
 
 
 
  • Anti-Humanities ’09

    Finally! What a waste of Gould Center’s money.

  • Anti-Humanities ’09

    Finally! What a waste of Gould Center’s money.

  • not a student of his.

    Wasn’t he missing for 3 days or something? It’s strange that he called apple products “instruments of divisiveness.” He should do a new ad for microsoft!!! He would be the granddad looking for a laptop w/ his grandson, and they would look at an apple laptop, and he would say, “that’s an instument of divisiveness.” and they would buy a dell.

  • not a student of his.

    Wasn’t he missing for 3 days or something? It’s strange that he called apple products “instruments of divisiveness.” He should do a new ad for microsoft!!! He would be the granddad looking for a laptop w/ his grandson, and they would look at an apple laptop, and he would say, “that’s an instument of divisiveness.” and they would buy a dell.

  • Max Davison

    Maybe now the department will bring back Robert Masello to teach Screenwriting. He was an amazing teacher and a former head TV writer. His class was great, he was always available outside of the classroom, and I never once got bored during the three hour seminar. Ask anyone who took his Screenwriting or Creative Journalism classes.

    I enjoyed speaking with Mort Sahl and he had some very good anecdotes about JFK, but there wasn’t enough to warrant pushing Robert Masello to the side for the sake of a “campus figure.”

    If the Lit Department is listening, please rehire Robert Masello. It’s a shame that his legitimate course was replaced by a farcical class about remembering the 1960s.

  • Max Davison

    Maybe now the department will bring back Robert Masello to teach Screenwriting. He was an amazing teacher and a former head TV writer. His class was great, he was always available outside of the classroom, and I never once got bored during the three hour seminar. Ask anyone who took his Screenwriting or Creative Journalism classes.

    I enjoyed speaking with Mort Sahl and he had some very good anecdotes about JFK, but there wasn’t enough to warrant pushing Robert Masello to the side for the sake of a “campus figure.”

    If the Lit Department is listening, please rehire Robert Masello. It’s a shame that his legitimate course was replaced by a farcical class about remembering the 1960s.

  • http://claremontconservative.com Charles C. Johnson

    Well said, Max.

    Here are my thoughts on the matter.

    http://www.claremontconservative.com/2009/07/so-long-to-mort-sahl.html

  • http://claremontconservative.com Charles C. Johnson

    Well said, Max.

    Here are my thoughts on the matter.

    http://www.claremontconservative.com/2009/07/so-long-to-mort-sahl.html

  • Liberal Arts Student

    Mort Sahl was an incredible professor who taught from his diverse lifetime of knowledge. I was one of the students in his original Revolutionary’s Handbook class and learned a lot. I may not agree with some of Professor Sahl’s opinions, but he taught us so much about critical thinking and the idea of learning how to learn, one of the key concepts upon which a liberal arts education is founded. He taught from what he knew, from his experience, rather than using some formulaic method. While he may have been hard to follow at times, I am grateful that I had the opportunity to be his student.

  • Liberal Arts Student

    Mort Sahl was an incredible professor who taught from his diverse lifetime of knowledge. I was one of the students in his original Revolutionary’s Handbook class and learned a lot. I may not agree with some of Professor Sahl’s opinions, but he taught us so much about critical thinking and the idea of learning how to learn, one of the key concepts upon which a liberal arts education is founded. He taught from what he knew, from his experience, rather than using some formulaic method. While he may have been hard to follow at times, I am grateful that I had the opportunity to be his student.

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