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College students beware of catching liberal cooties!
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Latest politicsUser loginNavigationAbout KnoxViews |
College students beware of catching liberal cooties!
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Ah, but that study shows how far the liberal radicals in academia are willing to go in their plot.
Anyhow, I've only had to deal with two Horowitz disciples in my classes over time. The first demanded that I admit that if "the market" were just allowed to run its course, then development in third world countries would be easier (forget the environment and human rights, of course). I told him to give me a definition of "the market" then find five studies that used empirical evidence to support his definition. He could do it as his paper for the class. I gave him a 'B+' on the paper because he really tried, but he couldn't do it, and admitted so.
The other guy said that the philosophical standpoint of "conservatism" was not refutable (which, by defintion, means that it is not a philosophical viewpoint). So, I asked him to bring me a reference list of this amazing discovery in the annals of human reasoning. Now, I was hoping for Leo Strauss, Michael Oakeshott, Alasdair MacIntyre and other folks of that high quality conservative philosophy vein. Nope. Ayn Rand.
I am always willing to allow any viewpoint to be expressed in class, but when it starts drifting toward nonsense, you have to check it. There are "sensical" conservative philosophical positions. I invite kids of that bent to educate themselves in them. I personally couldn't imagine how a social scientist could do work underpinned theoretically by MacIntyre's Catholic Thomism, but, hell, give it a shot.
True happiness is knowing you are a hypocrite. -- Ivor Cutler
I think "liberal professors" should be the least of a parent's worries when they send their child off to college.
I am always willing to allow any viewpoint to be expressed in class, but when it starts drifting toward nonsense, you have to check it.
Perfect. Who decides it is nonsense? The one with the power.
That's right. Teaching a class is a powerful position to be in. You have killed yourself in grad school to be in that position. You are required to transmit information to students in a clear and cogent manner and to be open and receptive of their ideas. You are also required to make sure that one ideology does not dominate others in a classroom. My experience is that students with deeply held ideological positions often attempt to dominate classrooms. My experience also is that the contemporary student who engages in this sort of behavior holds particular beliefs; ones that are both conservative and/or bound by religious fervor. I find it a good practice to let them have their say once, but to then inform them when they are trying to turn a subject, for example, like population distributions in Sub-saharan Africa into a diatribe on abortion, that the discussion is nonsensical given the subject at hand and that if they would like to discuss the subject at hand in terms suited to that subject, then by all means. Otherwise, refrain from taking away from the time that I have to transmit knowledge on this subject matter to my students. I think that there are cogent and clear conservative ideological positions viz the developing world, but history has proven them either ineffective or part of a larger legacy of colonial domination that only serves to exacerbate problems.
You don't want to take time away from giving the students who want to learn a chance. Someone who is ideologically cemented in place will not learn, by definition. I would never throw them out of class, but they are free to not come or not sign up for the course. Therefore, I handle the problem as judiciously as possible, giving them time, but not allowing them to dominate the discourse. If one thing is true about those sorts of discourse is that they are particularly bent on the notions of domination and authority. QED.
Also, I was and am regularly accused these days of being a conservative thinker in reference to my views on any number of social questions. I reject the label because I reject the holding of any ideology as being a way of progressing in the world.
True happiness is knowing you are a hypocrite. -- Ivor Cutler
My experience is that students with deeply held ideological positions often attempt to dominate classrooms. My experience also is that the contemporary student who engages in this sort of behavior holds particular beliefs; ones that are both conservative and/or bound by religious fervor.
Is that meant to sound as biased as it reads? What about teachers with deeply held ideological positions that often attempt to dominate classrooms? Only knowing you from what you write you seem to have a superiority complex. Your summary above is filled with transferance. Aren't you what you say you try to protect your classes from?
"What about teachers with deeply held ideological positions that often attempt to dominate classrooms?"
See the study cited above. It doesn't seem to matter if they do, which is something I never said doesn't happen (Ah, the strawman...), unless you dispute the study cited above. Please provide empirical evidence if you do dispute it.
"Only knowing you from what you write you seem to have a superiority complex."
I am often worried that I act superior to any students I teach, so I go to great lengths to not act superior. When I get a professorship I most certainly wouldn't want students to call me professor. This would require me to "profess" something. I don't. I do consider want them to consider my position as contingent and nothing more.
"Your summary above is filled with transferance."
And that statement is full of psychobabble.
"Aren't you what you say you try to protect your classes from?"
No. This requires me to adopt your assumption that I am. Nice try.
True happiness is knowing you are a hypocrite. -- Ivor Cutler
Well, I don't know about metulj, but I do know that I got my liberal bent entirely from my calculus professors (rolls eyes).
This comment may be completely derivative, but isn't an ideological stand on politics integral to being a calculus professor?
True happiness is knowing you are a hypocrite. -- Ivor Cutler
old joke.
you need some new material, a ton of it, in fact.
"I'm not a member of any organized political party. I'm a Democrat." -- Will Rogers
Are you sure you're not my smart ass bro-in-law? This sounds EXACTLY like something he'd say.
And then I'd groan. So -- groan.
The effect as intended... But seriously, tip your servers and don't miss the Crab Louis.
True happiness is knowing you are a hypocrite. -- Ivor Cutler
Calculus professors are long time liberals.
After all, they came up with the idea of integration, and taught it in the schools.
"I'm not a member of any organized political party. I'm a Democrat." -- Will Rogers
.. that pushed his political viewpoint in class was John Scheb in PolySci. It was a ConLaw class, so it's kind of hard to hide your feelings (although I saw plenty of other political science professors that took a non-judgemental attitude and presented both sides evenly).
Outside of political science, I don't recall any politically loaded issues coming up, and I certainly don't remember any of them bringing it up out of the blue. Scheb was the only prof I would have been able to guess how he voted.
Higher education couldn't have changed that much- for cryin' out loud, Reagan was in office when I went, and if that wasn't a topic for conversation, I don't know what would be.
Most of my fellow students in Electrical Engineering were pretty apolitical. They leaned conservative, like much of the country at the time, but politics wasn't an especially big topic of conversation.
Now, there was one liberal fellow EE major, who was actually politically motivated enough to write a column in the Daily Beacon. Whatever became of him....
"I'm not a member of any organized political party. I'm a Democrat." -- Will Rogers
I mean, c'mon? An engineer who policy wonked in his spare time?
He could have ended up living in Maryland. Working in software, not hardware.
"I'm not a member of any organized political party. I'm a Democrat." -- Will Rogers
I resemble that remark.
Sounds to me like this columnist has been drinking the Horowitz Kool-aid. You are correct that there's no problem, except in David Horowitz's fevered brain. But he makes a living with his troll and what winger wouldn't hate a "liberal arts" education whereby one might gain an expanded view of society?
"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."
Hunter S. Thompson
On another note about the local paper, I'm shocked the News-Sentinel actually published an article that stated the earth was over 1 billion years old AND mentioned evolution.
Link...
The comments aren't the bloodbath I would have supposed.
True happiness is knowing you are a hypocrite. -- Ivor Cutler
I just went and threw some gasoline on the fire. Some days I can't help a little immature fun at the expense of the fundies. I'd be a better person if I could, but laughter is good for my blood pressure.
By the way, does the KNS comment interface hang anyone else's browser? I'm using Firefox 3.
Liberty and justice for all.
My home
Someone finally noted GWB4Ever's "real name" is Nathan Poe, I see, too...
I've never had KNS's site hand my browser, either Firefox 3 (Windows and Mac versions) and Safari.
"I'm not a member of any organized political party. I'm a Democrat." -- Will Rogers
My guess: Timing out the ads.
I don't have the problem at home with the same laptop.
Liberty and justice for all.
My home
By the way, does the KNS comment interface hang anyone else's browser? I'm using Firefox 3.
Yes. I'm using Firefox as well. I usually hit reload after waiting a while.
Careful you don't catch anything from Katie's trolls, who were particularly attracted by this topic.
She's a patient woman....
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