In a Volatile Campus Climate, Profs Teach on Tenterhooks

[RoxMonster]

I teach at a HS, not a college, but have seen some of these issues arise in my own classroom as well, specifically since last fall.


www.nytimes.com/2017/10/31/education/edlife/liberal-teaching-amid-partisan-divide.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&_r=0

[isabel]

This semester, when the student’s name appeared on the wait-list for a course she was teaching, Dr. Scott said, “I was terrified.”

This is so fucked up. Professors should be able to teach current events with a standard for acceptable sources, they should be able to dictate standards for vocabulary and topics in their assignments without fear of retribution. I️ hate that this is what has become our higher education landscape.

[insominac]

We have spoken about politics in my french class when we studied the past tense (passé composé). The professor asked about our most important moment in our life and someone (well, me lol) said last year’s election. Then the professor agreed and did this whole riff about how she was at a Hillary victory party and everyone started crying. She apologized, but pretty much everyone agreed with her.

Now we’re learning les verbes pronomineaux and she asked us who we disagree with (se disputer) and who makes us angry (se fâcher) and you can imagine how that went.

[compassrose]

I try to leave out too much of politics when I teach, but I do teach climate change and its consequences. And the thing I've been emphasizing lately is that we do literally have all the technology we need to combat it, but that the government has to be interested in implementing the solutions. And then I encourage all of my students to call our senators and vote if this is an important issue to them. --signed, college science professor

[karinothing]

That is unfortunate. I feel like the core issue is that people do not know how to respectfully argue/debate and people somehow find it acceptable to casuaully throw around death threats. The internet has destroyed all sense of civility.

My favorite professor from college was Republican but I loved his classes because they caused me to think in new ways.

[lolo]

My friend is a professor of gender and women's studies. She was profiled on an inflammatory far right publication and had her syllabus and emails quoted. She received lots of threats and had to make a lot of changes to her social media accounts to protect herself. I really feel for her.

[iamlaila]

Oh, yes, this reminds me of an article that I meant to post several weeks ago. Basically, TX Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (of the famed "Bathroom Bill" notoriety) wants the legislature to look into whether [conservative] students' "free speech" rights are being infringed upon on college campuses.

www.texastribune.org/2017/10/24/lt-gov-patrick-asks-senate-study-free-speech-texas-college-campuses/