That you feel students should have to take these stupid “humanities” classes, and keep their views to themselves, like you did. They shouldn’t be forced to take these classes, especially if they’re not allowed to voice any opposition to what’s being taught.
Unless you advocate that people should just stop going to college, EVERYBODY that goes to ANY college for ANY degree program are now getting forced to take crap courses like this. As I pointed out earlier, this student may NOT have taken this class by choice.
Even if it was a one-off I can still imagine the howling that would happen if a male professor did the reverse, even once. All patterns begin with the first occurrence. I realise the "slippery slope" argument potentially turns all sorts of mostly harmless one-offs into harbingers of doom but, given it almost certainly wouldn't have worked if done in reverse, it shouldn't have been done this way around even once. Apparently he was expected to give the professor a written apology basically saying how wrong he was on every possible count, then additionally he was to start a class with an apology to the class followed by sitting in silence as anyone who wanted to say how they felt about his "outburst" had the chance to do so (presumably with no opportunity to respond).
I said the exact opposite: "We still, however, managed to keep composure out of mutual respect despite rather heated academic disagreement."
I believe you'll find that there are no specific courses one is required to take. Certainly, once a major is declared, a course or courses in a particular field are required, but even then there are choices to be made that meet the criteria. Doesn't take much effort to find out about the what's and how's a professor teaches, so if the student is somehow shocked at what's being taught, I'd say the blame is his to bear. One can simply drop a course and enroll in another that fit his agenda a little better. If he continues his studies in the manner he's using, he'll be able to climb the corporate ladder all the way to assistant manager at Mickey D's.
On an unrelated note, you might enjoy this Aaron. It's Dr. Jordan Peterson, who does deal (properly) with the insanity you have in mind.
I must have misunderstood you. I saw that you indicated that you and your professor disagreed on much, as in he was aware you were a Christian and he knew your beliefs and you knew what he was teaching (and he likely believed that) and you both just disagreed on things. I thought you had to keep quiet and not discuss anything in class. I thought you meant you both kept composure by just not discussing things you disagreed about. I didn’t realize he actually allowed you to discuss your views in class, even though he disagreed with your views.
I guess it depends on what school you go to. The scenarios you described do not apply to all schools. At some schools, students are stuck with certain courses, like the one in this article, and they have to take it. No substitutions. No just drop it and take another course. It’s take this particular class or don’t graduate. But, no pressure, of course...
Yes, I just wasn't an idiot about it (and I have surely - ironically - been accused of many of our society's great sins).
For this PARTICULAR course? I don’t know what all schools teach this EXACT class. As an example to what I’m talking about, my daughter has had to take similar classes at our local community college (Spokane Falls Community College) that she didn’t particularly want to take but it was REQUIRED for her to take them because they are built into the curriculum. She didn’t get to substitute them with something she liked better and she didn’t get to drop them.
This is correct. There are some classes that are required and can't be substituted for others, though usually it's only a handful of classes over the course of the degree.
Bet you won't find that crap at a school like Hillsdale. There are lots of places you don't have to take that mess.
I guess the only thing I can agree with you on, begrudgingly, is if the class was not structured in such a way that the student was allowed to express his opinion, or if he was allowed to express opinion but he had to have permission from the professor first to speak, then he should have kept quiet. Of course, if it was a scenario where he was not allowed to express his opinion at all, that’s all the more reason he shouldn’t have to take such a class.
I think this is one of those cases where it takes two to tango. If both sides to a disagreement remain respectful of the other and seek to genuinely understand the other, it can work. But it only takes one side to start shrieking and howling and the mutual respect is broken. In a situation like the one described in the article there just isn't enough information to determine which party was guilty. Given the nature of the proposed remedy I would be inclined to speculate that the professor was disinterested in granting the floor to any opposing views, but that word "speculate" is quite telling here.
Higher education in a nutshell. The most fundamental fact about the ideas of the political left is that they don't work. Therefore we should not be surprised to find the left concentrated in institutions where ideas do not have to work in order to survive. Thomas Sowell