We have been discussing a college ratings system from the Obama Administration, which has already impacted institutions’ acceptance choices.

Once students arrive on campus, RealClearPolitics contributor Peter Berkowitz suggests that a content-based rating be applied to every course offered, similar to the system used for movies.

Since the late 1960s, the movies have had in place a rating system designed to inform viewers of the suitability of films for various audiences. The MPAA system enables parents to make responsible decisions about what their children view, and gives all moviegoers the opportunity to seek out entertainment that gives them pleasure and to avoid films they will find disturbing or distasteful.

Why shouldn’t a similar rating system be adopted for the courses offered at our colleges and universities?

…They would call for a systematic and comprehensive rating system for college courses, certainly not anything less than what Hollywood provides for movie audiences.

It might look something like this:

G: General Students – All students are admitted.  This course tells students exactly what they want to hear.

PG: Professorial Guidance Suggested – This course reinforces campus orthodoxy but in ways that students might not entirely expect. It is suggested that students consult with professors before enrolling.

PG-17-21: Professors Strongly Cautioned – Some material in this course may be inappropriate for those who have suffered frustration, disappointment, rudeness, rejection, or any sort of limitation on their ability to bend the world to their will.

R: Restricted – This course may directly call into question students’ opinions through hard-hitting analytical and empirical argumentation.  Permission is required from the campus diversity coordinator and sexual health advisor.

NF&S: No freshmen and sophomores are admitted under any circumstances. No junior or senior is admitted without the consent of the professor, approval of the campus diversity coordinator and sexual health advisor, and a note from the student’s parents. Without regard for the shock or revulsion normal students are likely to experience, this course vigorously puts forward reasons and evidence in support of ideas that directly oppose the conventional wisdom.