Wash State: Profs can't "punish" students for offensive words

[taratru]

They also won't punish anyone who beats the everloving shit out of people for using those words, right?

[ChillyMcFreeze]

I kind of feel like banning certain words, especially in a gender studies class, puts a damper on the discussion before it begins. Why not let these things flow organically (tehe, I couldn't resist) and use them as teaching moments? I get banning slurs and profanity, but "the man"?

[aurora]

If I walk into a work meeting and start calling my colleagues a-holes, I'm pretty confident I'll be asked to leave. If a student in my class does so, I would ask him/her to leave, as well. Other students won't learn well in an environment of hate.

So, where is the line here?

[BlondeSpiders]

Sept 1, 2015 18:54:59 GMT -5 pt716 said:

www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/09/01/washington-state-u-disavows-syllabus-ban-certain-words?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=2e96833874-DNU20150901&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-2e96833874-198207221


(This includes 'The Man,' 'Colored People,' 'Illegals/Illegal Aliens,' 'Tranny' and so on -- or referring to women/men as females or males.)

Giving specific examples is what's the problem here. I am frequently in environments that warn against various types of "ism" language, but I've never seen exact words as examples. I can see the free speech issue, and think the teachers, while probably meaning well, overstepped.

Also, laughing hard at "The Man" being verboten.

[kirra]

Sept 1, 2015 19:36:40 GMT -5 BlondeSpiders said:

Sept 1, 2015 18:54:59 GMT -5 pt716 said:

www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/09/01/washington-state-u-disavows-syllabus-ban-certain-words?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=2e96833874-DNU20150901&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-2e96833874-198207221


(This includes 'The Man,' 'Colored People,' 'Illegals/Illegal Aliens,' 'Tranny' and so on -- or referring to women/men as females or males.)

Giving specific examples is what's the problem here. I am frequently in environments that warn against various types of "ism" language, but I've never seen exact words as examples. I can see the free speech issue, and think the teachers, while probably meaning well, overstepped.

Also, laughing hard at "The Man" being verboten.

And females/males as an example is problematic.

Most of my college classes had at least one student who learned English as a second language. Given that the regular English plural is to add s, females/males makes more sense than women/men.

[UMaineTeach]

I've taken classes that take points off for use of non-people first language.

[kirra]

Sept 1, 2015 20:49:38 GMT -5 UMaineTeach said:

I've taken classes that take points off for use of non-people first language.

What type of classes? If it's education specific classes, I can maybe get on board with this, but in general this would really bother me.

Eta: To avoid what happened the last time I disagreed with people first language: I'm a disabled person who generally prefers identity first to people first language, but really only give a damn because I have major problems with telling a marginalized group how they should refer to themselves. Like when the Dept of Education told the NFB they had to use people first language instead of blind people.

[UMaineTeach]

Sept 1, 2015 20:56:06 GMT -5 kirra said:

Sept 1, 2015 20:49:38 GMT -5 UMaineTeach said:

I've taken classes that take points off for use of non-people first language.

What type of classes? If it's education specific classes, I can maybe get on board with this, but in general this would really bother me.

all education classes

[UMaineTeach]

Sept 1, 2015 20:56:06 GMT -5 kirra said:

Sept 1, 2015 20:49:38 GMT -5 UMaineTeach said:

I've taken classes that take points off for use of non-people first language.

What type of classes? If it's education specific classes, I can maybe get on board with this, but in general this would really bother me.

Eta: To avoid what happened the last time I disagreed with people first language: I'm a disabled person who generally prefers identity first to people first language, but really only give a damn because I have major problems with telling a marginalized group how they should refer to themselves. Like when the Dept of Education told the NFB they had to use people first language instead of blind people.

respond before the edit

I typed and deleted that there is sometime a note that some individuals or communities don't prefer people first language.

 I'll be honest that I don't know which ones want the public to use PF and they can use ___ person or slang to refer to themselves and which ones want everyone to use ____ person, so I feel safer going with PF, unless told by the/an individual to cut it out.

[emilyj]

"in the interest of fostering a constructive climate for discussion"

Most of the classes I have taught for the past few semesters are heavily discussion based. I have a policy in my syllabus that explicit rudeness/trolling will not be tolerated, and students are expected to treat each other with respect. However, I would NEVER ban words or phrases, because I think that does exactly the opposite of fostering a climate of discussion. If they came up, I'd use them as a teaching moment, but sheesh. I have never had an issue with this.

There's a HUGE difference between discussing a stereotype/negative word, and calling someone a racial/ethnic/whatever slur. If a professor can't see the difference there, then they probably shouldn't be leading discussions.

[LadySusan]

I'm just impressed that Washington State University has a Women's Studies course.

[Deleted]

Honest question.
What is wrong with males and females? High school English.

[ChillyMcFreeze]

Sept 1, 2015 20:22:41 GMT -5 kirra said:

Sept 1, 2015 19:36:40 GMT -5 BlondeSpiders said:

Giving specific examples is what's the problem here. I am frequently in environments that warn against various types of "ism" language, but I've never seen exact words as examples. I can see the free speech issue, and think the teachers, while probably meaning well, overstepped.

Also, laughing hard at "The Man" being verboten.

And females/males as an example is problematic.

Most of my college classes had at least one student who learned English as a second language. Given that the regular English plural is to add s, females/males makes more sense than women/men.

(And to take this totally off the rails) there's also a discussion to be had about male(s)/female(s) describing sex and man/woman describing gender. So if that's off limits in a gender studies course, I'm not really sure what the aim of the class is.

[sushi]

Sept 2, 2015 5:29:08 GMT -5 @hannymaren said:

Honest question.
What is wrong with males and females? High school English.

Public school, I assume