Let’s say you enroll in a
class where the professor has a DEFINITE political view, either to the right or
to the left, AND is not shy about letting it be known. The professor is not really interested in
having his or her comments debated; they are just meant at jabs and snickers
against the opposing party. Is this
right?
I have found, in general, that
there are two camps of responses. (A) Students find this deplorable. They believe that professors should remain as
neutral and balanced as possible because it is not their job to try and sway
students with their allegiances. (B) Students find this acceptable. It is not the professor’s job to coddle and
protect students from strong, opinionated views. It is the student’s job to learn how to think
through one’s position in light of this challenge.
Here is a student post in line
with camp (A).
********
I am normally not one to
complain about politics because I believe that an individual will believe what
he or she wants to believe and will not have their mind changed by someone
ranting about how much they hate the opposing political party. The reason as to
why I am bringing this up is due to the fact that I am currently in a class
with a professor who constantly makes sarcastic remarks and jokes about a
certain politician and the political party as a whole, but if I or anyone else
would do such a thing it would be greatly frowned on. It is one thing to have a
stance on either side, whether it be the democratic or republican party, but it
is going too far when you bash a political party in front of your entire
classroom. I just feel that something such as a political stance should be kept
in closed doors unless the right place or time comes up. Politics have just
always been an argument starter in my opinion, you either are into politics and
are sensitive about the subject or you do not pay much attention to it at all.
Like I said earlier I am normally not one to complain about things like this
but when it is taking from my time to learn in class about a subject I actually
enjoy, then it does become an issue for me. If it is such a big deal to talk
about religion or other sensitive subjects in class that are considered
“offensive” to some people, then I think that it should be against school
policy to try and persuade students who to and not to vote for in the next
election. In all reality by the professor constantly pushing his thought into
our class session, it actually makes me want to vote for the opposite party;
let school be a place for teaching the subjects we pay money for and the
political debates be left outside the classroom.
Professors are liberal a-holes.
ReplyDeleteThey should be reported and not allowed to teach.
ReplyDeleteWhitewater is far more conservative then liberal. Those students need to be challenged if you ask me.
ReplyDeleteNot all professors are "liberal a-holes." It has been my experience that most professors are liberal, but also most of them do not push their political agendas onto their students. I think it should be okay for professors to share their political opinions when asked or when the topic is brought up, but they shouldn't be spending the time they are supposed to be teaching trying to convert students into liberals. But again, I do not think most of them actually do this.
ReplyDeleteHmm.... I agree and disagree. I believe it is the duty of the professor to remain impartial, but political discussion and debate should be encouraged in a polite, academic setting. That should be the whole point of education--entering into a discourse with the world, and what better way than doing that than learning from and speaking to your academic peers in the safe setting that is academia?
ReplyDelete