Underwater Basket Weaving(1958)

[Douglas G. Wilson]

>.I'm sure this is a US phrase referring to a college course that is
>rediculously easy, one that NO ONE could possibly flunk, not even the jocks.

I think the essential quality of the course typified by "basket weaving" is
lack of intellectual demand: if you can't learn read or to do arithmetic,
perhaps you can still learn to weave baskets (or to shoot them). Weaving is
an activity which can be performed by small children, mentally deficient
persons, illiterate barbarians, etc. (of course it is performed by great
savants also, and of course there are subtleties and complexities to it in
reality).

>      <<One seaside university is bowing to the stern educational demands of
>the times by eliminating its popular course in underwater basket weaving.>>
>
>Question:  was there actually such a course at a university at that time?
>Or was this just a useage of a metaphor that was known and used earlier?

I've heard "basket weaving" (unmodified) as an "undemanding course
archetype" since the 1960's myself. There are -- I assume -- many real
college courses in basket weaving (as an art or craft). Augmented
expressions such as "underwater basket-weaving", "Serbo-Croatian
basket-weaving", etc. make the humor transparent, with the longer names
also denoting "specialized" forms of basket-weaving with the implication
that the 'jock' or other (academically) incompetent (or lazy) student can
make a whole academic career out of such 'specializations'.

I believe there is also the understanding that an expertise in such an
activity would be worthless in the employment market after graduation.

There are doubtless real courses along the line of "Navajo basket weaving".
I seriously doubt that there is a real field of underwater weaving, however.

-- Doug Wilson